An introductory workshop on travel writing for those who are daunted by words...From the presentation at TBU2012

1. Travel Writing by Numbers
Travel Bloggers Unite – Umbria 2012
Abigail King

2. Who am I?
Journalist
Lonely Planet, CNN, Huffington Post, France
Today, National Geographic Traveler & more
Medical journals
@abigailking
www.abigailking.co.uk

3. Who am I?
Blogger
Inside the Travel Lab
www.insidethetravellab.com
@insidetravellab

4. Who am I?
Medical Doctor
Swapped a career as a hospital
doctor for a life with words and
pixels.

5. This Workshop
• Are you thrilled to get into blogging but intimidated by the writing
part? Not sure where to start or how to improve? This workshop
will give you a solid framework to use to make your writing cleaner,
stronger and more powerful
• Two minute tricks to make your writing better
• How to overcome writer’s block
• Grappling with grammar
• Where to go next – resources to help you

6. What is writing?
• Conversation
• Telepathy
• Magic
• Mundane

7. Writing...
...is like driving

8. Writing Is Like Driving
• You can learn to do it
• You can learn to do it well
• It’s a skill that brings you great freedom, pleasure and other
opportunities
• Some people do it exceptionally well
• You may or may not be one of them
• So what? Not winning a Grand Prix doesn’t stop you from
driving

9. The Secret
•The secret to great
writing is...

10. •Rewriting
•A.k.a editing

11. Getting Started
• Start wherever you like
• Edit. Edit, edit, edit and then edit
some more
• Mix in the X factor

12. The Point
Why are you writing this post?
• Information guide
• Provoke a discussion
• Entertain

13. City Guide to Seville
• Introduction
• Bars
• Restaurants
• Hotels
• Attractions
• Links
• Photos
• etc

14. Emotion Based Writing
• What’s the idea behind the story? What do you
want the reader to feel?
• What’s the plot?
• Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy quits job to
become a travel blogger and show girl just what a
mistake she made. But then...
• Sometimes not clear...In which case, start writing
and fix it later

15. Start
You can always edit bad
writing but you can’t edit a
blank page

16. Two Minute Tricks
• Start typing and don’t look up, don’t look
back, don’t correct any typos, just write, write,
write and then write some more
• Put on music to match the piece you’re
writing
• Go for a walk

17. Two Minute Tricks
• Do something so boring you return to your desk and
write.
• Filing, ironing, press-ups are good for this.
• Checking Facebook and Twitter are definitely not.
• Invest in transcription software (or pay someone to
type up your audio)
• Have a default proclamation of encouragement (I have
“This is a great presentation!” on my default
Powerpoint slide. )

18. Finish the First Draft
• Do whatever it takes to finish that first draft
• Take a break from it
• Come back and edit
• When you come back – check you have the
following in place:

19. Do you have...
• A POINT?!
• You should be able to summarise it within one
sentence:
– An informal city guide to Seville
– A heartbreaking story about genocide
– A funny case of lost in translation

20. Writing By Numbers
• 1)Trimming Tools
• 2) Passive
• 3) Adverbs
• 4) Adjectives
• 5) Paragraph Starters
• 6) Introductions
• 7) Finishes
• 8) Call to Action
• 9) Flourishes
• 10) Grammar & Spelling

21. Trimming Tools
• Remove at least 10%
• Anything that crept in that doesn’t fit with
your point
• Sentences longer than 30 words (aim for
under 25)
• Word repetition

22. Short Words
•Use them

23. The Passive
• My newsletter was subscribed to by a reader
• A reader subscribed to my newsletter

24. Adverbs
• Amazingly, awesomely, slowly, quickly
• He walked quickly
• He sprinted
• He strode

25. More Adverbs
• He said happily vs he giggled
• He said quietly vs he whispered
• Hit Edit>Find> search for “ly” words

26. Adjectives
• Tall, thin and lanky
• Colours: red vs scarlet vs rust vs pomegranate
• Beautiful, lovely, gorgeous, awesome
• Don’t tell me that something is interesting:
show me!

27. Paragraph Starters
• Have paragraphs
• Look for a natural transition
• Avoid: after that, we did, and then, there was

28. Introductions
• We are all too busy to do everything we would
like to
• If readers are not excited by your headline and
your introduction, you lose them
• Make sure it’s punchy
• Make sure it stands alone

29. Finishes
• Return to your point
• Try to mirror your introduction if possible
• Don’t forget this crucial aspect of writing for a
blog....

30. The Call to Action
• Subscribe
• Share this
• Buy this city guide
• Read another post

31. Flourishes
• Quotes
• Interviews
• Facts
• Colourful expressions
• Themes

32. Grammar
• Getting ready for a date
– going out with food stuck in your teeth
– Run a spellcheck
– Learn your weak spots
– It is and it’s. Your and you’re. Their and they’re and
there.

33. Minty fresh
• Read it aloud
• Check words on a mainstream press site
• Run through your checklist
• Press publish
• Publicise

34. Where to go next...
• My next session!
• Matador or writers.com for online courses
• My online course on social media for writers:
http://www.writers.com/king.html

35. Going further
Books
Write to Sell – Andy Maslen
On Writing – Stephen King
Story - Robert McKee
Blogs
Copyblogger
http://www.economist.com/styleguide/introduction

36. Thank you
www.insidethetravellab.com
@abigailking
@insidetravellab