Almost all professional writers know that travel writing is one of the toughest nuts to crack. The big successes
like Paul Theroux and Bill Bryson are few and far between, while below them are literally thousands of folks struggling
to write about their experiences and to get paid for it. I should know. I’m one of them.
But there is some help out there if you’ve committed yourself to the travel writing path, or at least are thinking
about it. Durant Imboden, whose europeforvisitors site is one of the most
popular of its kind out there, is one travel writer who’s advice will be very useful to folks trying to make it in the
trade. His article over at writers.org offers very
useful tips on how to find a story, to develop it and to write it for sale.
And while I’m on the topic, another site that provides a solid and often entertaining glimpse into the travel writing
life is Jen Leo’s writtenroad.com. Jen worked recently for Travelers Tales in
San Francisco and keeps a timely blog that I for one find useful for tips and opportunities, but also just to get a
taste of the travel writing life. Another good one is Rolf Potts’ Vagabonding,
which has stories, advice, and also some superb interviews with top writers in the field.
There are others, but this is a start. A couple of good places to peruse on this fabulous Friday.