To Do-List For Aspiring Travel Writers

by Prime Sarmiento

To Do-ListFor Aspiring Travel

Writers

I believe in being honest even if it means being unpopular:Travel writing may be fun and you might think it's glamorous but won't pay the bills

1. Get a day job

unless of course you can get a full time job as a staff writer in a travel magazine or a guidebook

(Warning: most guidebook publishers like Rough Guides and Lonely Planet usually employ British, Australian and American writers. Yes, I know the world is unfair. Get used to it.)

I freelanced before, submitting travel stories to a Singapore-based travel publication. But the pay is not enough.

I don't rely on travel writing for a living. I'm a business journalist working for an international news agency- a job which definitely pay the bills.

2. Travel - A LOt

Duh, that's why you're a travel writer

but you don't have to go some exotic locale to travel you can explore your own city and hometown, - travel writing is also about inner and outer journeys, your feelings, thoughts, opinions of a certain place This idea is corollary to the statement number 1. Being a business reporter gave me the money to travel whenever, wherever I want without relying on press junkets (as a matter of principle, I disagree with this. It's difficult to write what you want if there's a publicist footing the bill) my savings gave me the chance to go on a 3-month travel sabbatical around Asia in 2005. It gave me the chance to pursue travel writing

3. Take NotesObserve the place, what you feel, take photos, keep the tickets

this will serve as memory aids to your writingI always bring a pen, paper and a camera with me whenever I go somewhere

4. Find time to writeTravel writing is a craft which you need to practice in order to improve You devote yourself to your writing and it will love you back.

busy-ness is NOT an excuse.I AM very busy. I'm writing a graduate thesis while holding a full time job. I'm busier than anyone of you in this room. But I still find the time to write in my travel blog. I write about an hour in the morning, and write during slow news hours, or in the afternoon, or in weekends. I don't care if I'm spending lots of hours writing. I want to be a popular travel blogger- and I'm very goal oriented . not having the "right gadgets" like the Mac is not an excuse. So Write whenever, wherever you can - while waiting for the bus, in the coffee shop, in the libraryshut down your tvtell your friends you're not going to another gimik tonight because YOU WANT TO WRITE. Wake up early, stay up late.

5. Stand out and find your niche

Travel writing is a vast field and there are soo many people competing to be a travel writer.

You can limit the competition by choosing a niche do you ant to be a guidebook writer or write travel essays? DO you like food and travel? Or perhaps adventure travel? I decided to blog about solo traveling for women. This is what I want, this is I want to know and based on my research, there's actually a demand for this kind of information as more and more women are traveling on their own.

6. Invest in yourself your most important tool is your skills attend writing workshops, find a mentor or hire a writing coach to critique your story, learn how to pitch.

7. Put your story out thereLook for publications - online and print - willing to publish your piece. Pitch your story. Or you can always blog - again, you don't have an excuse for not being published. Although I found success as a business journalist via the traditional media ( I started in a newspaper and later worked in a news agency in Manila and Singapore). But I decided to bypass trade media by putting up my own travel blog. I want to write whatever I want which will fit my own goal as a travel writer : To be an authority on independent traveling for women.I paid for my hosting and domain name, hired a professional to design my blog. A writing coach helps me sometimes in improving my copy and a friend of mine gives me free marketing tips.

If you want to learn more about my travels and my personal journey as a travel writer, please  visit 

http://www.solofemaletravel.net