Donnerstag, 11. November 2010

Travel Writing: My feedback

Today, it is a new misty grey day, I started working extremely late and I can't bet for how long I will resist in the front of the computer. And, keen to take the advantage of the last drops of writing energy - to be balanced by my thirst for reading Dreaming in Hindi - I will shortly share my impressions and thoughts about the challenges of travel writing, the subject of a booklet I've wrote at the beginning of the year and I will self-published in the next weeks (or at least I wish to, once I will have some time to work on an acceptable variant of cover). My past, present and future experience in writing about Berlin is the main source of inspiration:
 - Address direct and specific questions about the place you are writing: How is the public transportation? How is the weather? What languages are mostly spoken? What the main attractions are? What about the security? 
- Use visual illustrations - video and photo - as a direct proof of authenticity. It will help the reader to understand and have a broader image of your words.
- Be specific and targeted to the special context of the place. If in your area and in your city are taking place elections, write about this, about the politicians' local meetings. Is this a strike in town? Go to take some pictures, talk with the people and share your impressions. - Make selections and classifications: Which are the best ten places to go out during the week-end, or to do not put your feet in? Which are the hottest events in the next months? or The most dangerous places to go during the night? 
- Interview people, your neighbours, some important personality, people with the same experience as you. It is another domain when you can put on trial your authenticity. Be personal and direct and...cover as many areas as possible. Find the newest trends in haidressing, the fancies bakery or the most populated playground.
- As many areas? For example: cultural events, housing - the prices for housing, the real estate, the quality of life, education - the best schools, kindergarden (if you have children, of course, you have direct sources of information, lucky you), hospitals, the specificities you observe as an outsider, to the educational system, the night and day life. Maybe a personality originary from this area will visit the place soon. Find it out and stay around to feel the news by yourself. 
- Never forget to look around you: the information you are looking for may be around, waiting for you to be discovered: an add about a concert taking place right around the corner, the opening of a new coffee house, an event hosted by your local library. 
- Connect the local issues to the general context. The strike of high-school teachers in your area have to do with the central politics and, from the testimonies of those involved in those actions you have to continue the documentation about the reasons behind this insatisfaction. Inversely, try to see how national or central events are reflected - or not, and if not, why? - at the local level. See, for example, the local traditions for celebrating a big holiday. 
- For improving your audience rate, find specific titles - as referential as possible - using top-words helping you to appear rapidly in the searches. 
Now, after upgrading my wisdom resources, it is about time to finish my writing schedule for today.
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