Dear Reader
Where is your writing taking you? Usually, questions like that are purely metaphorical but this month I’m asking more literally. There can’t be many among us who haven’t at some stage wondered about the possibility of becoming a travel writer, or at least the possibility of broadening our portfolio and offsetting the cost a little by going on a busman’s holiday or two. But is it really that easy, and what do you need to know to get started in travel writing? Two freelances have taken time to share their insight this month, starting on p22, with advice on writing style and how you can apply your core skills from other genres in travel journalism, and how to get started, drum up business, and keep it, as a freelance. Plus, when you’ve digested those, check out this month’s Introductions (p85) for details of book and magazine publishers who are always looking for fresh angles on destinations, both familiar and off the beaten track.
Closer to home, our very own Tina Jackson explains how she fulfilled two concurrent book contracts, one by exploring the rich social history of her (and WM’s) Leeds hometown, and the second by revisiting her own archive, highlighting the value of that perennial advice: never throw away your manuscripts and notes.