SATW: 60 Second Travel Writer #6 – Being Your Own Editor

Be your own editor. You can save yourself trouble and ingratiate yourself with your editor by taking some precautions before submitting your story.

Here’s a 60-Second Travel Writer Tip from LA Times Travel Editor Catharine Hamm:

–After you’ve finished your story, walk away for a couple of hours; then come back when you can look at it with fresh eyes.

–Print out your story and read it aloud. You may find sentences that are too long or nouns and verbs that don’t agree. You may hear a word that “clunks. And don’t discount intuition; it’s experience at work.

–Highlight your facts and recheck your sources. Are e-cigarettes allowed in carry-on bags or checked bags? An error caught in a recent LATimes blog post—but not before it made it online.

When you’re pitching an editor, your credibility counts heavily in the decision. Think of self-editing as money in the bank.

In the next installment, we’ll talk about reliable sources. For SATW professional development, I’m Westways Travel Editor Elizabeth Harryman.