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Lessons Learned: Pay Attention To The Small Things

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When you’re initially trying to get your first few stories published, you need to endeavor to make them as error-free as possible. If an editor receives a story rife with misspellings or incorrect word and punctuation usage, it makes them wonder if you got the facts right. Check out my tips for being more intentional in your self-edits, so that you will be much more likely to sell your stories.

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Lessons Learned: All About Those Word Counts

itwpa letters

You have questions about word counts – and I have answers! To me, words are like puzzle pieces – the game is working out which words fit the best in any given sentence. In this installment of Lessons Learned, here are the most common questions I’m asked about word counts, along with some insights into the how and why of the answers.

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Lessons Learned: Get Ready To Hit The Send Button In 2021

ITWPA lessons learned

Now that my mentorship programs are over for the time being, I decided that the best outcome of all our hard work would be to share what we learned together with you. And so, here is the first installment of what I’m calling “Lessons Learned,” a multi-part series of common questions, concerns, challenges, and cheerful tales from our months of collaboration. First up: Three things you must commit to if you’re serious about becoming a freelance travel writer.

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Keep On Pivoting: Embrace 2021 As The Year To Make Things Happen

kyle wagner

We want you to dive into 2021 firing on all cylinders, ready to embrace the challenges being sent your way (we know that sometimes it feels like they’re being hurled at you, and so our best advice right off the bat is: Breathe). Here are a few other thoughts on how to realign your goals to meet 2021 confidently and head-on.

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The Best Ways To Format Your ‘if You Go’ For A Travel Story

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The If You Go is the additional component of a travel story that includes things such as address, phone number, website, hours of operation, and costs, along with anything else a publication thinks should be made available to a reader. There is no one way to organize, format and present this information, but here are some examples of the most common ways and where to find them, along with tips for making sure you meet a publication’s needs with the If You Go for your story.

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Making The Change From Technical Writer To Travel Writer

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So many technical writers these days long to make the transition to a more creative type of tale, but they’re finding that it’s not a matter of simply throwing in some adjectives and hoping for the best. Travel writing is essentially feature writing, which is the creative version of journalism, but switching from technical writing to travel writing doesn’t have to be painful – here are some tricks and tips for switching writing career paths more smoothly.

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Four Things I’m Thankful For in This Otherwise Tough Year

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There won’t be quite so much coming together for Thanksgiving or other holidays this year, but there are still plenty of things to be grateful for in a world gone mad. So, when it comes to travel writing – and other aspects of life, to be sure – I am so very appreciative that these four qualities are out there in abundance.

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Here’s How To Write About The Pandemic In Your Travel Stories

coronavirus

Publications are all over the place when it comes to how they’re handling mentioning COVID-19, from ignoring it completely (which is rare) to including a pull-out box for every story explaining the relevant restrictions. It makes sense to add the pertinent details to any story that you send, but how to do that? Here are my thoughts on that, based on looking through dozens and dozens of magazines and newspapers.

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