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Issue #331: How to Finish Your Travel Writing Projects November 16, 2020 |
| Greetings Fellow Travel Writers! . . . and WELCOME all new subscribers. Thanks for joining us.
Editorial: How to Finish Your Travel Writing Projects
“Starting is not most people’s problem. Staying, continuing and finishing is.”
― Darren Hardy
Many novice travel writers get started on their travel writing stories with great gusto, and then fizzle out. For instance, they have a story idea but don’t make it through the research phase. Or, they create a distribution list then never write the query letter. They give up before they even write the article! Somewhere along the path, they lose their enthusiasm. They drag their heels or lose that original spark of excitement they felt when they first conceived the story idea. Has this ever happened to you? One of the key ingredients to being a successful “published and paid” freelance travel writer is completing every project you start. What happens when you don’t finish each project before moving on to the next? You'll have a dozen unconsummated story ideas lying around on your laptop, with no follow through -- you were busy dreaming, not doing. The fact is, most travel writers experience a diminishing enthusiasm for their stories at some stage. What makes them successful is their ability to slog through it and complete each project. Occasionally I’ve felt my enthusiasm with a story draining away, too. But I’ve always managed to complete the cycle. I think it's due to my marathon running experience. I’ve run six marathons and I can assure you that I did not feel good toward the end of most of them. But I still finished by continuing to take one step at a time. Sometimes, when I’m grinding out a tough writing project, I remind myself that I’ve been through far worse! I suspect that many wannabee travel writers are lured to this field by hyped up sales copy promises about how easy it is to get published and paid (“Be a published travel writer a lot faster than you can imagine”, “Find out just how easy it is”) only to learn that it’s hard work, like any other job. Many novices become disillusioned once they realize that travel writing, like any other occupation, has a certain amount of grind to it. Don't get into the habit of beginning a project and then quitting. Every time you quit, it gets easier to quit in the middle of the next project, too. Just press on. The best thing you can do is establish a set writing routine and stick to it, regardless of how you feel. Work through your stories methodically until you finish each one. Just like a marathon, take one step at a time and you will cross the finish line.
The payoff and rewards come when you get those checks in the mail, see your name in print magazines at the bookstore, and go on cool press trips around the world. “Starting something can be easy. It is finishing it that is the highest hurdle.” ― Isabella Poretsis This Week's Featured PostFive Golden Rules for Getting Travel PerksIn my role as a travel writing coach, I’ve fielded numerous questions from my writers. The most frequent topic I get questions about is selling articles to print magazines, followed by how to use their assignments to get travel perks.Here are my five golden rules about pitching story ideas to editors and getting travel perks. I follow these rules with my own travel writing and share them with my coaching clients. These rules will help you parlay your assignments into travel perks . . .
Upcoming PostsNov 23: Simultaneous Submissions: Strategies for Multiple AcceptancesNov 30: Your Travel Writing Journey: Getting to the Start Line & Taking Your First Steps Dec 7: Take Our Travel Writing Quiz to See If You Have What It Takes to Succeed PitchTravelWrite.com Success StoriesCandi Licence and Her Travel Writing Success Story
“I fell into travel writing by accident”, writes Candi Licence. “My husband and I retired at the end of 2013, sold most of our stuff, stored our precious things like art and family heirlooms, and began traveling full time.
We’d go to places we always wanted to see, stay for 3 months and then move on to our next adventure. I started a blog to let people know where we were and what we were doing, and I got feedback from people I trusted that they loved my writing. Writing about our adventures was intoxicating and getting complimented was exhilarating. Fast forward 3 years, and I attended a travel writing workshop to see if it was possible for me to become a travel writer. I drafted an article during the workshop, and it got a great reception from participants and an editor who was coaching aspiring writers throughout the event. I left the workshop fired up, with stars in my eyes. Once home, tried to sell the article and learned my first hard lesson. It’s hard for beginners to place a completed article. (Always pitch first, I later learned.) The second lesson I learned is that you can’t submit queries to one editor at a time — it’s a complete waste of time. I’d wait a month, get no response and then send my query out to the next editor with the same result. I was spinning my wheels and getting nowhere. I was frustrated. I thought I had the talent to be a good writer but didn’t know how to break into the field. That’s when I saw Roy Stevenson’s Marketing Master Class for Travel Writers. I signed up, took the workshop, and it changed everything for me.”
Here’s the rest of Candi Licence’s impressive travel writing success story.
Pitch Travel Write: Most Requested Links about Writing in Diverse GenresShould You Write in Diverse Genres or Specialize? I think you should write in as many genres as you can. If I had limited myself to just one genre, I wouldn't have had anywhere near as much success. In fact, I’m known for having my travel stories published in diverse genres. Although you’ll obviously pitch and sell more stories about your interests and passions, you should always strive to get your stories published in as many different genres and types of magazines as you can. Writing in multiple genres expands your writing envelope and prevents you getting bored with one subject. When you increase the number of genres you write in, your potential market increases exponentially. And financially you’ll be better off because it’s easier to sell more stories when you’re writing in multiple genres. Here's some of our most popular articles about this subject from our website, www.PitchTravelWrite.com.
Inspirational Travel Quote
RESOURCES FOR TRAVEL WRITERSFeatured Book: HOW TO BREAK INTO THE LUXURY TRAVEL WRITING MARKET
A HANDBOOK FOR TRAVEL WRITERS
Would you like to stay at luxury resorts, villas, and lodges—for free? How about being treated like royalty in high-end resorts? Would you enjoy personalized tours with your own guide and driver? Does being pampered with lavish treatments in some of the world’s most beautiful spas sound good to you? Would you enjoy eating at some of the finest restaurants in the world—for free? Wine tasting at some of the world’s most gorgeous boutique wineries? My 12-chapter, 130-page manual will walk you, step-by-step, through the luxury travel writing process. You’ll learn how to get luxury travel assignments and leverage them to land luxury travel trips. I’ve used these techniques to land assignments at dozens of the finest luxury resorts and spas in the world. This manual contains an up-to-date list of 150+ print magazines and travel websites that publish luxury travel articles. It’s the most
comprehensive list of luxury magazine outlets you’ll find ANYWHERE. Having immediate access to these lists alone is worth the price of the eBook, saving you hundreds of hours of research.
Group Coaching Mastermind CommunityOur Group Coaching Mastermind Community kicked off on October 1st and we’ve got a global group with members living in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Vietnam and the U.S. We're very excited about this group of writers and our new community!Last week we studied "How to Write a Compelling Beginning to Your Travel Story" and this week we'll be discussing my Marketing Mastery system and how it works. If you missed out on the opportunity to join this session, you can get on our no-obligation interest list for the next session starting in January. Be among the first to hear when we re-open registration in early 2021. Learn more about what’s included and sign up for the interest list here . . .
Group Coaching Mastermind Community Interest List
Live WorkshopsPeople have been asking when our 2021 workshops in New Orleans, Louisiana are scheduled.Here are the 2021 dates: We've had lots of interest already. You can sign up for our no-obligation interest list for these workshops and receive our substantial early bird discounts when we open registration: GET ON THE 2021 LIVE WORKSHOP NO-OBLIGATION INTEREST LIST HERE Did You Know . . .Our Complete Marketing Master Class for Travel Writers is ranked #1 on TravelWritersExchange.com’s Top Ten Travel Writing Workshops.You can access the list of the top ten travel writing workshops at the link below . . .
At Your ServiceCoaching
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Consulting email: pitchtravelwrite@gmail.com
If you know someone who will enjoy this newsletter, 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.
You can see the entire list by visiting their website - click on the graphic to view the list now.
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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