What’s the difference between a good story and a great story? Ultimately, the best writing brings the reader into the setting and helps them immerse in your travels. Here are some ways you can emulate great writers and take your stories to the next level with descriptive language.

Over the years as an editor, I’ve noticed that the most successful travel writers share some common personality traits that support the key components of this enviable career. Chances are good that you possess one or more of these traits, so I hope this exploration helps boost your confidence and enables you to tap into them more effectively.

The best time to evaluate your pitching options is after you have written your story, based on the story’s focus and other factors, such as the destination or whether it’s a high-end or a budget trip. When you think you are on your last draft, ensure your story’s format and sidebars match the target publication, as well as double-check any guideline stipulations. Here are a few things to think about as you work through the process.

There are no stupid questions. I love to help writers learn what they need to get their stories out there. The best approach is to try to figure out what you don’t know, which can go a long way toward getting your writing, your pitches, and your confidence primed for publication. Here are some random questions from the Great Escape family that may mirror your own.

Over the course of the internship and mentorship this past year, several writers were launching blogs or looking at ways to improve them, while also pitching travel stories based on the same trips. That led to a lot of questions about the crossover and how to succeed at both without spending more time than necessary or feeling overwhelmed. Here are some of the things that came up.

It sometimes feels like it takes forever to get published, as you navigate what seems like a million rules and protocols and decisions, the hoops that must be jumped through, the rewrites, and the pitches that seem to disappear into the void. And then one day, boom! You’re a published author, proudly sharing that first of many bylines. It takes baby steps to get there, though, and so here are a few more questions from my mentors and interns, followed by my responses.

Pitching your stories can be terrifying, but it doesn’t need to be. It does get easier when you feel confident about what should be included in the pitch (a.k.a. the query), and—just as important—what shouldn’t. Here are the answers to some common questions from writers about the pitching process, covering some of the nuts and bolts of setting up a query to an editor.