Travel Writing: See the World. Sell the Story.

You would like to become a travel writer. Why, Its sounds so easy and glamorous. Just write about a place, its people, landscape, weather, flora and fauna. You may even want to throw in something about history, politics, culture and folklore. However, before deciding to give up your day job, a good idea would be to read Washington Post journalist, L. Peat O'Neil's manual entitled Travel Writing.As we are informed in the introduction, you first have to ask yourself are you a travel writer? Do you have the right attitude to accept rejections from editors? Are you passionate about traveling or you just tolerate all of the inconveniences that travel sometimes entails? As the author states, "if you don't have a yen to hit the high road and a knack for writing, planning to be a travel writer might not be right for you."After we have assured ourselves that we definitely would like to "give it a shot," the next step is to learn the tools of the trade. O'Neill points the way in showing us how to become observant, where to meet people, and how to locate the heart of a place when visiting some locality. The author best sums this up when she asserts, "to really travel, you'll need purpose-interests that focus on your journeys."The plan of the manual is divided into nine chapters dealing with such topics as getting started, travelling, the journal, structure, pace, style and tone of the article, research resources, travel photos, marketing, acting professionally. As you can see the author leaves very little to the imagination in paving the way to a firm grasp of the essential elements of successful travel writing.Apart from analysing the different ingredients that comprise effective travel writing, the reader is also introduced to a variety of exercises that reinforces the various rules and principles of travel writing.Anyone contemplating travel writing or even if you want to hone your skills in appreciating detail and discover unusual experiences while traveling, this book should prove to be indispensable. Added features of the book include an appendix listing books, periodicals, newsletters, organizations, prizes and awards, marketing directories, writing reference tools, and other resources. There is also a glossary of terms used throughout the book as well as a few examples of the author's articles.Norm Goldman Editor of Bookpleasures.com

Travel books, like travel writing, vary widely in quality. This one's the best I've seen. It practices what it preaches, showing, in great detail, how to capture a place and its people so well the reader wants to pack and go -- and the editors want to sign you immediately. If you're serious about travel writing, buy this book. It will pay for itself many times over.

"Dip into the animated pages of the well-known travel authors -- Freya Stark, Peter Fleming, Robert Byron, Kate Simon, Paul Theroux, Jan Morris -- and you'll find that their pieces are more than personal experience essays," O'Neil advises. "Necessary information is carried within the prose seamlessly, so that the reader learns many of the practical facts through the author's personal descriptions. Their writing is of a piece, knit together, finished."And so is this book, full of wisdom from how to get started and how a travel writer travels to keeping the journal to making it sing. It's filled with inspirational exercises and plenty of finely tuned examples that show how it's done. A real find.

I am a travel writer myself and have published many pieces and consider this book to be the key to that success. It is quite possibly the last travel writing book you will ever need. Peat O'Neil not only talks about travel writing, thoroughly but also covers many other topics of interest to the travel writer such as how to travel. This is a MUST have for any travel writer, amateur or pro. Buy it without question.

L Peat O'Neil has produced a very readable book covering all aspects of travel writing. Particularly helpful are the excercises which accompany some of the chapters . These give the reader the chance to commit their own experiences to paper while the authors guidance is still fresh in their memory.The book has certainly given me the urge not only to try and travel more but to write about places nearer to my home, places which at first glance may not be worth writing about. A very useful addition to any budding travel writer's library.