It’s been a rough two weeks in the world of travel writing and travel photography.
Forbes Traveler has “downsized” to practically no editorial team and last I heard, existing articles will be merged into Forbes.com.
The winner of World Nomads Antarctica Travel Scholarship has endured some borderline savage backlash from bitter losers.
A New York Times writer was given the pink slip after participating in a totally unrelated press trip to Jamaica.
Parallel to all this, a couple of really solid and insightful articles have been running on the Traveler’s Notebook lately. From tackling the issue of free and comped trips in Do Freebies Undermine Honesty in Travel Writing? to a followup essay on transparent writing in Material Transparency: Manifesto on a Writer’s Personal Brand.
My thoughts on press trips? Never been on one, but I’m certainly not opposed to them. Especially since discovering lately that some editors and “select” writers for a glossy magazine frequently travel on press trips, while freelancers hoping to place articles with said magazine are barred from doing so according to their guidelines.
Talk about transparency issues, but I digress…
Most recently, the excellent essay, Your Travel Writing Doesn’t Matter! implores writers to tackle a few thought-provoking questions such as “What stories can we tell that matter?” (a very subjective issue as different stories matter to different folks) and “What should our goals as individuals and as a community be?”
Seems like the whole travel writing industry is currently reflecting. Individual writers are re-evaluating their craft and where they stand in relation to other writers. Writers are beginning to dig deeper.
Approaches to this conversation vary. Some lash out negatively. Others try to see the middle ground. Others seek direction from others. Some try to box others up within neatly defined boundaries.
My thoughts on all this?
Know thyself. Period.
This may sound like the passive-aggressive or easy way out, but step back and truly reflect on these simple words. If you know yourself, your strengths, your weaknesses, and your true goals and purpose in life, external forces and influences within your control really won’t dampen any inherent resolve or visions.
Know thyself.
Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts on this issue.
@dami – Krakow, Poland
is this picture from the flea market?
Great point Lola. The shakiness of the industry has really taken its toll on many writers. I mostly take press trips because I couldn’t afford to cover the stories I do otherwise and I have never had a problem placing any of them. It’s about the story you tell and how authentic your voice is and not about the method you used to get there.
This is what I’m struggling with right now. I love travel writing. But I want, most of all (I think), to write fiction. Right now I’m doing both, but trying to juggle it is hard. I love traveling, and I love the more immediate gratification and the pay (however small) that comes with writing articles. Fiction, at least right now, doesn’t pay the bills. But I think if I ever want to have a chance at it paying the bills, I probably have to focus. I’m close to knowing myself, but I’m also a bit scared by what I think I’m hearing. Sometimes it’s hard to let go of the dream so that it can become a reality.
whose gallery/ picture?
Julie – Thank you so much for your insightful comment and observations as well. I think Twitter exacerbates this issue if not used correctly. Super blessed to call you friend too 🙂
Angryredhead (Candice) – It can be disheartening so many times because it’s human nature to compare and compete. For once, if we just focused on our strengths and nurtured them, it won’t seem as crazy because we’ll realize those other writers have very different inner goals.
Abbie – Thanks! Glad this post “mattered” in some way 🙂
I just read the comments at world nomads…you are right, harsh harsh harsh.
You and Julie have both nailed it today – just what I needed 🙂
“Know thyself”…best advice I’ve read in weeks. It’s a little difficult not to become disheartened sometimes, particularly when faced with all the other brilliant writers out there. But like you said, know your strengths. I love it!
Lola-
Thanks so much for this post. You’re right– because travel writing (and writing in general, no?) means so many different things to so many different people, and because we read and write to produce different experiences and effects in our audience, I don’t think we can come to any definitive answers for anyone other than ourselves.
Parallel to all that you’ve added here, I think the same “Know thyself” maxim you offer applies equally to the social media machine that is increasingly making me feel like I’m on a hamster wheel. Why do I care about getting listed, having more followers than someone else, etc.? I just want to write. Bottom line. Everything else is icing on the cake.
Clearly, knowing thyself is sound advice coming from you… you’ve got plenty of clips to prove that you do know yourself and that editors and readers appreciate you for it. So glad to know you and call you a friend, Lola.
Nancy – Absolutely! The conversations are definitely engaging, lively, and quite addictive. That said, what’s been going on has been causing a lot of writers to waiver, to doubt themselves, and such. Really, the point of this post is that if the roots are strong, no matter how strong the wind, you’re not going anywhere.
No doubt-know thyself. I’ve gotten that “vibe” too in the last two weeks from different travel writing discussions and news. Today I read this article by Rick Steves at World Hum too: http://www.worldhum.com/features/rick-steves/travel-writer-as-curator-20091102/. I do have to say that I’m enjoying the discussion. It’s helping me codify my own beliefs.