Society of American Travel Writers
Quotations are one of a writer’s most useful tools. I’m Westways Travel Editor Elizabeth Harryman, and here’s a 60-Second Travel Writer Tip. Which of these two bits of text is more compelling: In Chesky Krumlov, a local guide in period dress gave us a tour of the town and explained that in the 18th century, this […]
In your writing, use all the senses. I’m Westways Travel Editor Elizabeth Harryman, and here’s a 60-Second Travel Writer Tip. Most writers are pretty good at describing what they see. But they often neglect to use the other senses. Describing how things taste, feel, sound, and smell can fill in the portrait you paint of […]
What are “reliable sources?” I’m Westways Travel Editor Elizabeth Harryman, and here’s a 60-Second Travel Writer Tip: When you research a topic, use accurate, trustworthy sources. If the tobacco industry funds a report on smoking, for example, the results might not be as reliable as a report done, say, by the American Medical Association. When […]
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 […]
The English language has millions of words – a veritable buffet. But like a buffet, sometimes we overindulge. Here’s a 60-Second Travel Writer Tip from LA Times Travel Editor Catharine Hamm: Strong verbs and nouns are keys to great prose. Adjectives and adverbs are not always your friends. If you’re writing about a jungle, there’s […]
At an SATW professional development session some years ago, University of Missouri professor Don Ranly gave us this gem: Something compared to nothing doesn’t mean anything. Here’s a 60-Second Travel Writer Tip from LA Times Travel Editor Catharine Hamm: Dr. Ranley was talking about using numbers effectively to paint the kind of word picture that […]
