The idea of getting paid for stories you compose during vacations is exciting. If you enjoy writing, you might have already considered stepping up to a new level and becoming a professional author. In such a case, sharing your travel experience is an excellent occasion to start. Foreign countries and their exotic landscapes can bring multiple scenarios to a creative person. And our tips will give you a better understanding of how to sell your stories and cover some travel expenses this way.
Decide what you will write
Travel writing is a broad concept. You can write a short article, a guide, or a novel about your exploration of distant shores. If you don't have any particular genre in mind, you may end up writing your personal travel diary, which is not the thing you can sell. Explore the market and figure out who may agree to publish your stories to get started with your portfolio. Writing short stories or essays will pave your way to magazines that still publish them among other issues. Look out for online editions and decide what travel content they will most likely buy.
Create a schedule
Exploring far away countries is exciting. However, if you want to become a travel writer you need a lot of time to write. It is the same as having a freelance job. Once you have decided what kind of story you need to create in order to sell it, you have to put writing on your daily schedule. Even if your vacation is a short one, you will have to get ready with your story fast. And of course, you may need to put down some details immediately. So take several hours every day, sit somewhere you can concentrate, and take on your story.
Start a blog
As a future professional writer, you have to take marketing seriously. While it can be difficult to think of promoting while no one has published your story yet, starting a blog is a great idea. It will be excellent if you also take your own pictures and post them along in your profile. As a writer, you will enjoy posting in the blog. Perhaps, you have been doing it for a while and it has pushed you to sell your stories. Anyway, stay present online, and you will find it easier to reach publishers and gain followers.
Use reader-friendly language
Unlike the vocabulary of your academic papers, your travel stories should sound informal and friendly. Read popular blogs and pay attention to how their authors communicate with readers. Drop cliches, introductory elements, and excessive adverbial modifiers. At the same time, try to keep your narrative logical and consistent. Use the vocabulary that is easy to understand. Set a friendly tone and don't be afraid of readers' criticism.
Send your story to publishers
If you enjoy writing, you may be happy just posting your stories in a blog. The point of being a professional writer, however, is to sell your content to publishers. Look for some printed or online editions that issue stories like the one you have written. Contact their editors and ask if they may consider publishing your story. Sounds straightforward, but that is exactly what a beginning writer can do. Great fiction authors have literary agents giving their manuscripts in the right hands. You can start with as little as sending your story to a popular magazine and wait for its verdict.
Look out for the sites to place your writing
If you intend for your travel writing to be published in some particular edition, don't hesitate to contact the editor. However, it is worth looking for several options. Consider online media as well-they can give access to your story, and more people may get interested in reading your travel blog or subscribing to your social media. Internet marketing is a powerful tool that will help you get started selling your stories. Besides, you can possibly find more online editions interested in your travel writing as compared to a few glossy magazines still in print.
As soon as you sell your first stories, congrats! Now you are a professional writer indeed. Here are a few more tips to help you grow in creating meaningful content on traveling.
Read a lot and chase great stories
To become a great writer, you certainly need to read. This way you can find out what a great story is and how it is arranged. Subscribe to popular travel blogs and read a bit of fiction. See how you can describe your own experience to make it fascinating.
Travel as much as you can
Besides writing, traveling is another thing you need most. Assign your homework to professional essay writers and take a small trip. If visiting foreign countries is your passion and you want to get paid back for it, you have to invest time in your journeys. You may also need to save for a while to take this trip, but you have to plan it at least once or twice a year.
Do not get upset with rejection
Most professional writers didn't get successful overnight. Be prepared that editors will reject your stories. Stay open to any comments or suggestions about your writing-this way you will learn what other people expect. Hear what other people say but stay committed to your passion.
