The world is full of stories. Write them. The Travel Writer's Field Guide is an inspirational reference book and monthly podcast – a guide to best practice in travel writing, how to write well, how to get published. This is a guide for anyone who travels. Storytelling is a letter home, a blog, a…
Daniel Neilson and Phoebe Smith
This episode is our favourite so far! We take a sideways glance at one of the most challenging areas of writing and especially travel writing, and that’s the elimination of cliché, of journalese, of the hackneyed, the superfluous and the empty. We look at the language editors abhor, common mistakes, the use of overly formal words (amongst, whilst), and also the use of exclamation marks. No editors like exclamation marks. None we’ve ever met.And then we name the worst travel writing cliché offenders! And a big thank you to Craghoppers who support this podcast!
Every time we write – whether starting a book, beginning a blog post or even writing a quick update on social media – we always read this insightful quote from travel-writing guru Bill Bryson first. You could have just had the most incredible and life-changing travel experience in the world, but no-one really wants to hear about it. It’s akin to a friend trying to share their latest dream with you – utterly tedious. Our job, as writers, is to tease, to force and jostle readers into noticing what we’ve got to say and make them listen and want to hear every word, from the beginning right through to the end. Remember when you were a kid and someone would read you a story? Remember how you would get so immersed in the narrative that you couldn’t wait to find out how it ended – and even when they finished, you’d beg them to read it to you again because you loved it so very much? Well, you have to somehow harness that power and take it with you into your travel tale. Wondering how? You’re about to find out…
In this episode of the Travel Writer's Field Guide, in association with Craghoppers, with authors Phoebe Smith and Daniel Neilson, they cover life on the road. How to organise your time on trips, interviewing techniques and the tricks and gadgets they use for travel writing.
It's the big one! We share the 10 commandments of pitching to editors. How to get heard, what to say, how to pitch when you've very little experience. Daniel Neilson and Phoebe Smith have edited magazines and books and now they share with you exactly how to get published.
In the 3rd episode of the Travel Writer's Field Guide Podcast we look at type of writing. In it we cover how to write for a specific audience, from a newspaper to your mum, and how to structure stories. We've also included a bonus section of common mistakes in writing and how to avoid them. The Travel Writer's Field Guide is a book (available now at travelwritersfieldguide.com), podcast and live events.The world is full of stories. Write them.
Welcome to the second episode of the Travel Writer's Field Guide Podcast. In this episode, authors of the Travel Writer's Field Guide, Phoebe Smith and Daniel Neilson discuss: - Writing for a particular audience- Magazines that accept submissions- Newspapers with great travel sections- How to make money from commercial websites - Getting into guidebook writing- Making films and podcastsPlus 5 top tips to become a better writer every day.In association with Craghoppers.
Welcome to the first episode of Travel Writer's Field Guide Podcast. Hosted by travel writers Phoebe Smith (From Our Correspondent, Wanderlust) and Daniel Neilson (Time Out, The Great Outdoors, Sidetracked), this is the monthly podcast that accompanies the book of the same name. This podcast is in association with Craghoppers outdoor clothing and protective travel equipment for over 50 years. --You have, of course, been travelling all your life. The question addressed in this episode is about what should be committed to paper or screen. Why you should record some bits and which bits do people want to read?In this episode, we discuss storytelling, travelling as richly as you can, getting into travel writing in the first place, as well as offering 7 hard-earned tips from a life on the road. --Show notesMusic recorded at Alliance Francaise in Accra at a concert by Atongo Zimba whose new album Sankunni is out now. [1.01] Time Out Accra [4.59] Travel Writer's Field Guide is our book. Available now from https://travelwritersfieldguide.com/[19.19] Bill Bryson [20.23] Bill Bryson's book Neither Here Nor There [21.16] Travel authors Bruce Chatwin and Paul Theroux [21.36] Paul Theroux's The Great Railway Bazaar [23.33] Ben Lerwill [25.00] Our sponsors Craghoppers [36.06] Tim Moore's Spanish Steps