For me, I think you have to do the traveling, smell the spices and the drains, meet the quirky people who hang out in cafes and the workers in the shops. It makes the difference between a travel article and a tourism promo. You will not use all the information you find but you have the confidence that everything you write is accurate. You have not just the vision but the feel of the place. You have seen the sights, experienced the weather, talked to people.

Books are often out-of-date by the time they are printed. On the Internet you are reliant on someone else giving you the facts. I find that risky although I can see the potential of a researched article focusing on a particular aspect of a place, historic or geographic for instance.

That said, the best travel article at any one time has to give readers the info they want and as we know there are many readers who are happy with the database format of the new generation of guidebooks. A researched article couild well be the best for a particular market.

I have writen travel articles from interviews and facts gleaned from research and other travelers but it takes me a long time to bring them to life, if I even manage at all. I guess for me, places are people.

I do hope someone else will add comments on this. It is such an interesting question.

Thanks Lea for that and Beverly, Vivian. Margaret, Natasha for the interesting comments I’d love to follow up on, and of course Julie for taking the time to pop by to say such nice things.

And wow! a comment from the lady who’s the real travel writer–L. Peat O’Neil. Inspiration indeed to work even harder at the craft.

Thanks again Linda for choosing me for Writing Festival Friday. Perspectives on Writing is certainly top of my bookmarks

Annie

You are such a gem! We are blessed to have you on board with us at Inkwell Newswatch. What fascinating wisdom and experience you’ve shared here in the interview with Linda. You’ve inspired me!

Linda,

Thank you for interviewing Annie, giving us all the opportunity to get to know her even better.

Sincerely,
Julie A. Pierce
Senior Editor
Inkwell Newswatch
Published by:
Freelance Writing Organization – Int’l.
- A Writer’s Digest Top 101 Site
- #1 Writing Resource Site – The Writer

Good luck with publishing the fiction, Annie. Like you, I write romance mysteries and historical fiction to grow new tendrils and explore other channels of the written word — no novels published yet!

L. Peat O’Neil

Thanks again for your advice and inspiration.

Natasha
http://www.natashajudd.com
http://www.webstuff4writers.com