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Issue #394: How Flexible Are Your Writing Habits? April 11, 2022 |
| Greetings Fellow Travel Writers! . . . and WELCOME all new subscribers. Thanks for joining us.
WHERE WE ARE NOW
Our final days in Zagreb flew by in a flurry of sightseeing including . . . Varazdin, Castle Trakoscan, & the Krapina Neanderthal Museum.
One of the finest preserved Baroque cities in Central Europe, Varazdin boasts a gorgeous pedestrian center whose streets are lined with pastel-colored palaces and churches. For a brief time in the 18th century Varazdin served as Croatia’s capital, which explains why so many aristocratic families built their opulent houses here. The central square which houses the City Hall is a great place to have a coffee while people watching. The city’s centerpiece is undoubtedly the white, immaculately preserved castle, open as a museum. Its sturdy medieval towers and Renaissance courtyard look like something straight out of a Shakespeare play. You can walk through the entire castle, which has been turned into a well-designed museum.
It's a fairy tale castle. Dating from the 13th century, Trakoscan features a well-designed tour over four floors that covers the Draskovic family & their histories, furniture, paintings, decorations, and other artifacts that reflect the owner’s lifestyles.
We left Zagreb and flew to Dubrovnik on April 7 where we’re in a different world along the Dalmatian Coast and the Adriatic Sea, with medieval architecture and a fortified old town to explore. We’ll tell you all about Dubrovnik next week.
WORKSHOP REGISTRATION IS OPEN!You can still register for our workshops - we still have a handful of seats remaining.If you sign up for BOTH workshops -- The Complete Package-- you save $800. Or, you can save $100 off the regular price of each individual workshops: Our Travel Writing Workshops Are The Best ANYWHERE!Here are eight reasons why you won't find better workshops anywhere else:1. Roy Walks the Talk The workshops are taught by prolific international travel writer Roy Stevenson, who has more than 1,000 published articles in 200+ regional, national, and international magazines, newspapers, trade journals, custom publications, specialty magazines, in-flights, on-boards, and online travel magazines. Few travel writers ever crack the 1,000 article barrier, and even fewer have cracked the 200 publications mark — Roy has done both and will show you how he does it.
Roy has coached more than 100 travel writers to great successes. While working with these writers, he noticed they continually make recurring writing errors.
He’ll show you how to parlay your travel writing assignments into free or discounted travel, meals, tours, accommodations, spa treatments, and entry into tourist attractions and museums. You’ll save thousands of dollars in travel expenses once you know how to parlay your assignments.
PitchTravelWrite.com is also listed in TheWriteLife.com’s 2020 & 2021 “100 Best Websites for Writers”
Editorial: Flexibility — A Key Attribute for SuccessTravel writing is definitely not for people who expect the freelance world to conform to them. A willingness to be flexible in terms of writing styles, feedback from editors, topics, and sales & marketing techniques, is absolutely essential if you want to see your work published in print and be paid for it.We need to adapt to the fluid writing environment, rather than the other way around. Stubborn writers who refuse to adjust their approach reduce their chances of being published. Here are some real-life examples of obstinate writer’s habits I’ve seen over the years which cost them assignments. Which ones hit home with you?
In my coaching program, I point out where writers are making mistakes, and then provide solutions to help them improve and sell their articles. One couple that I coached accepted every piece of advice I gave them — and surprise, surprise . . . their stories started selling like hotcakes! Successful travel writers can adapt their writing style to the publications they are querying. Editors aren't interested in working with writers who aren't flexible with their writing and attitude. Insisting on sticking to one writing style or topic will be a major limiting factor in your success. But, this is not as big a deal as it sounds. After a while, you learn how to adapt and adjust your writing to keep your editors happy. During my fifteen years as a freelancer, a few editors have asked me to rewrite my stories to better fit their publications. If I wanted to see my work published, I had to accept that I would need to be flexible with my writing. Over time, this has become second nature and I’m a better writer for it. This also explains how I've been able to get my stories published in more than 200 different magazines. This is notable because these magazines differ widely in their content. Now that’s flexibility! Are you prepared to adapt and change when an editor requests it? Here are some more key attributes to travel writing success This Week's Featured PostTHE Secret to Freelance Travel Writing SuccessI receive emails every week asking, “What is the secret to your travel writing success?” This request is often worded differently like, “How can I get to where you are now, in the shortest possible time?” or, “How can I get lots of articles published and get paid for them, like you do?” These aspiring writers are looking for that ONE key to immediate success.But is there just one key to success? I think there are several specific success criteria, not just one thing, and I lay them out in this post:
Upcoming PostsApril 11: The Secret to Freelance Travel Writing SuccessApril 18: 7 Reasons Why Travel Bloggers Should Write for Print Media May 2: Six Tips for Dreaming Up Travel Story Ideas that Sell
PitchTravelWrite.com Success StoriesJessica Pickett: A Travel Writer’s Success Story
This post will surely inspire you to try your hand at freelance travel writing. It tells Jessica Pickett’s story—in her own words—of how she launched her impressive travel writing career.
Hailing from Lake Charles, Louisiana, Jessica’s steady ascent through the travel writing ranks is a textbook example of what novice travel writers should be doing to break into this competitive arena. Her trajectory is one that novice writers should aspire to. Here’s Jessica’s story . . . “While attending a Travel Writer’s Conference in San Diego in 2014, Roy and his wife Linda sat at my table and, to my good fortune, we easily struck up conversation. After chatting with Roy, I immediately purchased his eBooks, even before hearing him speak on stage. A few short weeks after the conference, I landed my first byline. Bolstered by the knowledge gained from Roy’s books and his PitchTravelWrite.com posts, I pitched a well-known regional magazine and blog. This regional blog and magazine where I “started” my travel writing is TexasHillCountry.com After answering a “Call for Writers” post (which had been shared over 4,000 times by the time I saw it) I was invited to become a regular monthly contributor . . .
Pitch Travel Write: Most Requested Links About Preselling Your Travel StoriesA classic novice travel writer’s mistake is to write a story and then try to sell it. This strategy inevitably ends in disappointment. It’s putting the cart before the horse and it’s a waste of your valuable writing time.Here are three articles to show you how to do it right:
Inspirational Travel Quote
RESOURCES FOR TRAVEL WRITERSFeatured Book : 100 Print Magazines That Want To Publish Your Travel Articles
Where do travel writers find magazine leads to pitch and sell their stories?
My reference guide, 100 Print Magazines That Want To Publish Your Travel Articles, is a great place to start your search.
https://www.pitchtravelwrite.com/print-magazines.html
This compilation is far more specialized than what you’ll find in Writer’s Market. Compiled over ten years from a wide variety of online sources, field resources and book references, this comprehensive listing includes international publications for the English-speaking market. If you want to be a successful travel writer and get your articles published in paying print publications, you need to be highly proficient at finding travel magazine leads. Having a solid list of magazines makes it easier to find assignments that will help get you invited on Press trips. When you purchase this book in April you can get an additional $5 off when you use Promo code pm5 at checkout
Group Coaching Mastermind CommunityOur first Group Coaching Mastermind Community kicked off in October, 2020, and we’ve got a global group with members living in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Indonesia and the U.S. We're very excited about this group of writers and our new community! We added new members to our community in 2021 and they're getting to know the group and participate in writing activities.If you missed out on the opportunity to join this session, you can get on the waiting list for the next session starting soon in 2022:
Did You Know . . .Our Complete Marketing Master Class for Travel Writers is ranked #1 on TravelWritersExchange.com’s Top Ten Travel Writing Workshops.Your next opportunity to attend these classes will be in Charleston, South Carolina in June, 2022. There are still a few open seats in these workshops, so sign up while we have space. Our travel writing & marketing workshops are highly informative and a blast, socially.
At Your ServiceCoaching
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Consulting PitchTravelWrite.com, is our information-packed website for travel writers. This e-zine, a series of travel writing books and reference guides, coaching programs, and our workshops all work together to give you guidance in this field. Our aim is to provide you with practical, nitty gritty information to help you gain entry into the travel writing realm and all the enjoyment that comes with it.
Awards and AccoladesWe're thrilled to announce that www.PitchTravelWrite.com is once again on The Write Life’s list of 100 BEST WEBSITES FOR WRITERS!You can see the entire list by visiting their website - click on the graphic to view the list now.
We're proud to announce that our travel writing website has made Writer’s Digest Magazine’s 2016, 2020, and 2021 101 BEST WEBSITES FOR WRITERS. Writer's Digest Magazine also lists us on their Best Genre/Niche Websites for 2021. Writer's Digest doesn’t bestow these awards lightly. And we’re the only travel writing website on their lists!
Friend me on FacebookMy Facebook page is about freelance travel writing. I frequently post about:• links to other well produced travel websites and blogs • links to my travel articles • magazine cover stories and back stories • links to resource pages • links to coaching and mentoring resources . . .and plenty of other useful information to get you up to speed Link to Roy's Personal Facebook page That's all for now. Until next week - just keep pitching! Roy Roy Stevenson |
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