Travel Writing by Numbers

Travel Bloggers Unite – Umbria 2012

Abigail King

Who am I?

Journalist

Lonely Planet, CNN, Huffington Post, France Today, National Geographic Traveler & more

Medical journals

@abigailkingwww.abigailking.co.uk

Who am I?

Blogger

Inside the Travel Lab

www.insidethetravellab.com

@insidetravellab

Who am I?

Medical Doctor

Swapped a career as a hospital doctor for a life with words and pixels.

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

What is writing?

• Conversation• Telepathy• Magic• Mundane

Writing...

...is like driving

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

The Secret

•The secret to great writing is...

•Rewriting•A.k.a editing

Getting Started

• Start wherever you like• Edit. Edit, edit, edit and then edit

some more• Mix in the X factor

The Point

Why are you writing this post?

• Information guide• Provoke a discussion• Entertain

City Guide to Seville

• Introduction• Bars• Restaurants• Hotels• Attractions• Links• Photos• etc

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

Start

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

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

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. )

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:

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

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

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

Short Words

•Use them

The Passive

• My newsletter was subscribed to by a reader• A reader subscribed to my newsletter

Adverbs

• Amazingly, awesomely, slowly, quickly

• He walked quickly• He sprinted• He strode

More Adverbs

• He said happily vs he giggled• He said quietly vs he whispered

• Hit Edit>Find> search for “ly” words

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!

Paragraph Starters

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

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

Finishes

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

blog....

The Call to Action

• Subscribe • Share this• Buy this city guide• Read another post

Flourishes

• Quotes• Interviews• Facts• Colourful expressions• Themes

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.

Minty fresh

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

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

Going further

BooksWrite to Sell – Andy MaslenOn Writing – Stephen KingStory - Robert McKee

BlogsCopybloggerhttp://www.economist.com/styleguide/introduction

Thank you

www.insidethetravellab.com

@abigailking

@insidetravellab