Tag: Cathy Baker

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Have Words, Will Travel....Travel Writing 101

10 Favorite Sites // Travel Writing Opportunities {Just in Time for Spring}

Have Words Will Travel
Upon returning from a writer's conference earlier this year, Cathy found a 1963 Shasta Airflyte Camper sitting in her driveway. Since then, she has taken quite the fancy to travel writing. She hopes you'll join her on this adventurous journey!

Travel WritingThe month of March offers a plethora of activity – nature buzzing, days staying lighter a little longer, and roadways calling our name. There’s no better time to pack up and hit the road. And why not make a little money on the side while building your resume? The lists below obviously caters to full-time travel writers but there’s something for everyone, including bloggers. The best part? These sites are updated and ready to go for your convenience.

So take time now to peruse the sites, jot down what sparks your interest and plan your trip. Don’t forget your camera!

10 Sites Offering Paid Work to Travel Writers

I hope you find this list helpful and beneficial for fulfilling your travel writing desires.

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The Creative Tool Kit

3 Ways to {Creatively} Fall in Love with Writing All Over Again

The creative tool kit

“Falling in love in a Christian way is to say, ‘I am excited about your future and I want to be part of getting you there. I’m signing up for the journey with you. Would you sign up for the journey to my true self with me? It’s going to be hard but I want to get there.” -Timothy J. Keller

I can’t tell you the exact day I fell in love with writing. I can tell you, however, that in 2009, journaling in the morning hours began to fall flat in writing satisfaction. Over the years, my love has waned at times but I’ve held tight to the notion that I’m on this journey for the long haul because deep down, I’d be lost without it.

Are you experiencing a season where your love for writing could use a little reshuffling of the kindle fires?

Love writing

3 Ways to Fall in Love with Writing All Over Again:

  1. Write purely for fun. Sounds simple but for diehard purpose-driven people like myself, it’s anything but.  Obviously, there are deadlines to be met but spending a few minutes every day (or week) writing simply for the enjoyment can breathe life into your writing experience.
  2. Implement a date night…with your WIP. What’s your work-in-progress? Invite it to join you for a meal somewhere other than its normal spot. New scenery will heighten your senses and give you a fresh perspective on your project. Your WIP will thank you!
  3. Remember why you fell in love with writing in the first place. Like relationships, there are times when we need to step back, observe, and recall the many reasons we first fell in love with our spouses or significant others. Did we initially pick up the pen to fulfill a calling? To heal emotional wounds? To earn money? To share expertise on a subject? Sometimes simply recalling those early days is enough to woo us back to our first love. And if you need a little more coaxing? Why not write a love letter to your gift of writing? Pour out your heart, your struggles, your desire to move closer to a reconciliation.

Have you signed up for the writing journey? Are you excited about your future and are you willing to be your true self as you pen your story? It’s going to be hard but if you want to get there – wherever “there” is for you – being published, writing stories about your family history, journaling, etc., you will have to re-invest yourself, your time and energy…but it’s worth the effort. Wouldn’t you agree?

What’s one way you’ve fallen in love with writing all over again? Please share in the comment section!

 

 

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The Creative Tool Kit

5 Habits To Spark Your Creativity in 2017

The creative tool kit

Spark Your Creativity

“Creativity is a habit, and the best creativity is the result of good work habits.” Twyla Tharp

Every break of daylight offers new and fresh opportunities to start again, to improve, to overcome. Celebrating the start of a new year is the proverbial cherry on top.

Because practicing good habits is a springboard to increasing our creativity, what better way to start the new year than to review our current habits and priorities in order to make our 2017 the most creative ever?

In today’s post, let’s look at five specific habits that are sure to spark creative energy into your daily endeavors.
  1. Join Instagram. Give your followers an idea of what goes on behind the scene of your creative work. Where does your creative energy take flight? Snap and share! Spiff up your camera skills and share your work (and others, as well.) Follow people or businesses that you might not normally follow to gain a deeper perspective of the world around you.
  2. Learn to Maximize your Minutes. E.B. White, author of Charlotte’s Web gets right to the heart in his popular quote: “A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.” Ouch. There’s plenty of detailed information on the Web as to how you can make this happen. The point is, it needs to happen.
  3. Define Your Peak Time and Stick to It. Most creative types are early risers. This fact has been documented numerous times but there are others, like Carl Sandburg, who worked late into the evening after everyone had gone to bed, writing till early morning. If you’re not sure when your energy level is at its peak, jot down how you’re feeling throughout the day – and do this for a week. By the end of the week, you should be able to tell where your peaks and plummets of energy occur most days. Define it, then do your best to do your most creative work during those hours if possible. If you hold a day job during that time, see #2 above. Arrange your break around that time. Get creative!
  4. Slow Down. Henry James nailed it with his quote, “A writer is someone on whom nothing is lost.” Our pace may be frantic for a season but even in the busiest of times we can shift our sensory panel into low gear by choosing to breath deeper, stare longer, listen more carefully. Take notes…a lot of them. No detail is too minute.
  5. Exercise. A little goes a long way in helping our bodies to stay fit as well as our minds.

 

Which of the above habits do you plan to begin in 2017? If you have a different one, please share!

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The Creative Tool Kit

12 Days of Christmas for Creative Minds

The creative tool kit

12 days of ChristmasHey, creative peeps, here are twelve gift ideas (either for yourself or for others!) in honor of the 12 Days of Christmas. Enjoy!

On the FIRST day of Christmas // The gift of aloneness

We know there’s a difference between being alone and being lonely. Embracing time away from people, phones, and laptops can boost our brain power, especially during this bustling season.

On the SECOND day of Christmas // The gift of learning

Try taking a class or an online course in an unfamiliar field to broaden your creative horizons.

On the THIRD day of Christmas // The gift of momentum

Feeling off your game lately? Try priming the pump with these writing prompts by ThinkWritten.

“If the road behind me is not growing ever longer, then it is likely that the feet underneath me are not moving any longer. And if my feet are not moving, I have somehow, somewhere traded this most glorious journey for lesser endeavors.” ― Craig D. Lounsbrough, An Intimate Collision: Encounters with Life and Jesus

On the FOURTH day of Christmas // The gift of a fresh perspective

Allen Arnold’s The Story of With: A Better Way to Live, Love, & Create offers a fresh perspective on the subject of creativity, squashing pre-conceived notions that only certain privileged folks can attain it.

“Science has shown that, in many ways, we are all wired to create. The key is recognizing that creativity is multifaceted—on the level of the brain, personality, and the creative process—and can be displayed in many different ways, from the deeply personal experience of uncovering a new idea or experience to expressing ourselves through words, photos, fashion, and other everyday creations, to the work of renowned artists that transcends the ages.” -Scott Barry Kaufman, Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind.

On the FIFTH day of Christmas // The gift of acceptance

Embrace your quirks. Enough said.

On the SIXTH day of Christmas // The gift of prayer

Pray for a heightened sense to your surroundings. Engaging all our sensories helps to improve every aspect of life and who better to help than the Creator Himself?

On the SEVENTH day of Christmas // The gift of rest

This is different than the first day. True rest involves shutting down the very senses we just prayed to heighten. It’s resting the body both emotionally and physically. This kind of rest allows our minds to breathe, possibly birthing some of our most creative ideas.

On the EIGHTH day of Christmas // The gift of keen observance

Immerse yourself in nearby crowds. (What better time of year?) Take note of those who pass by. What do you notice about them? Eavesdrop on those eating at the next table. Is there a particular word or phrase you could use in your WIP? The list goes on. Another idea is to pack your camera and head to your downtown area. Capture all things Christmas!

On the NINTH day of Christmas // The gift of a notebook

“A writer is someone on whom ‘nothing is lost'”. -Henry James

On the TENTH day of Christmas // The gift of music

Buy a pack of 3 I-tunes gift cards. Give two away, keep one for yourself. There’s power in music!

“When sailors have to move a heavy load or raise an anchor, they all sing together to keep them up and give them vim. That’s just what artists lack.” -Vincent van Gogh

On the ELEVENTH day of Christmas // The gift of good health and energy

Who needs candy canes stuffed in their stocking? Stock your fridge with blueberries, green tea, leafy vegetables, fatty fish, water, dark chocolate, flaxseeds and nuts.

On the TWELFTH day of Christmas // The gift of a mini-trip

Enjoy all or some of the above gift ideas on a mini-getaway following the holidays. Use this time to restore and re-energize for 2017!


Do you plan to give yourself or someone else any or all of the above gifts? If so, please share your favorite in the comment section. Or, if you have another idea to add, I’d love for you to share it.

Thank you!

Categories
The Writerly Cafe

A Large Serving of Muse, Please

A HEARTYWELCOME-1

Here at the café, I’ve received several questions on what a writer’s muse is and where writers can find it. The questions have been heavy on my mind during these hot summer days when my muse seems to have abandoned me for a hammock somewhere in the shade.

So let’s begin with a simple definition for a writer’s muse:  It is a source of inspiration for a creative work.

Now for the fun part! Pull up a chair and let’s throw out ideas as to where we can find our muse. I’ll get us started. Please join in via the comment section.

Some ways I stir my muse:

  • I always have a small notebook with me in case inspirations strikes. I have been known to pull over in a parking lot after seeing something that I knew would make a great story or devotion.
  • One sentence from an article online can spark an idea for a totally different subject. An overheard conversation can lead to a short story plot.
  • I live in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains where every bend in the road offers inspiration for a writer. A writer friend of mine rents a cabin near me where she writes poetry.
  • I’ve found children and animals inspire me. One of my next projects will be a story inspired by a young girl and her gift to my daughter on her wedding day.
  • Music is high on the list as a muse. A few words from a song can inspire a story or even a melody, evoking emotions for the perfect story.
  • I am a people watcher and I often write stories in my head about a person that walks by, sits in a park, or stands outside a homeless shelter. A favorite piece I wrote was about a man I met in a thrift store whose wares funded food and shelter for people recovering from substance abuse.

Join me over at Cathy Baker’s site, Cultivating Creativity, to learn more ways I find my muse. (You will also learn about a hidden talent of mine!)

Thank you for sharing one way you find your writing muse in the comment section.

 

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Uncategorized

Daily Rituals and Creative Energy

The creative tool kit

dailyritualsFor years daily rituals have fascinated me.

Was there a secret to the creative energy found in writers, poets, artists, and musicians? Would waking up earlier, staying up later, drinking lattes only after the froth had melted into an oblivion propel my creative energy into overdrive? I’m thankful to report that there’s no right or wrong way. There’s your way, and there’s mine. Nothing illustrates this more clearly than one of my favorite finds in recent years. Enter Mason Currey’s brilliant book, Daily Rituals: How Artists Work, which is the resource for the following examples of daily rituals:

 

 

 

ernest hemingway2

Ernest Hemingway had his share of writing idiosyncrasies. “He wrote standing up, facing a chest-high bookshelf with a typewriter on top, and on top of that a wooden reading board. First drafts were composed in pencil on onionskin typewriter paper laid slantwise across the board; when the work was going well, Hemingway would remove the board and shift to the typewriter. He tracked his daily word output on a chart⎯’so as not to kid myself,’ he said. When the work wasn’t going well, he would often knock off the fiction and answer letters, which gave him a welcome break from ‘the awful responsibility of writing’⎯or, as he sometimes called it, ‘the responsibility of awful writing.'”

 

Ann Beattie

“Ann Beattie works best at night. ‘I really believe in day people and night people,” she told an interviewer in 1980.

I really think people’s bodies are on different clocks. I even feel now like I just woke up and I’ve been awake for three or four hours. And I’ll feel this way until seven o’clock tonight when I’ll start to pick up and then by nine it will be O.K. to start writing. My favorite hours are from 12:00 to 3:00 A.M. for writing.‘”

 

George Gershwin

“‘To me, George was a little sad all the time because he had this compulsion to work,’ Ira Gershwin said of his brother. ‘He never relaxed.’ Indeed, Gershwin typically worked for twelve hours or more a day, beginning in the late morning and going until past midnight. He started the day with a breakfast of eggs, toast, coffee, and orange juice, then immediately began composing, sitting at the piano in his pajamas, bathrobe, and slippers. He was dismissive of inspiration, saying that if he waited for the muse he would compose at most three songs a year. It was better to work every day. ‘Like the pugilist,’ Gershwin said, ‘the songwriter must always keep in training.'”

 

How about you?

  • Do you have writing idiosyncrasies like Hemingway?
  • Are you a “night” person like Ann Beattie or are you a “day” person? {And I saved the best question for last.}
  • Do you wait for your muse to appear or, like Gershwin, do you plug away every day whether you sense it’s there or not?

Please share your answer to one or all of the above questions. We would love to hear from you! Thank you for stopping by.

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The Creative Tool Kit

3 Time-Saving Strategies To Up Your Writing Game

The creative tool kit

Three Time Saving Strategies to Up Your WritingYou may ask what the following three strategies have to do with creativity.

I think we can all agree that time is our greatest natural resource so when the minutes of our days can be saved, the hours will take care of themselves, freeing up our time and energy to put towards more creative endeavors.

Below are three practical but sometimes missed opportunities to make the most of our time.

  • Refuse to Cave to the Comparison Trap. Sylvia Path said, “The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” When other writers are gaining traction that sticks like glue while we’re still spinning our wheels it’s tempting to start second guessing our skills, sometimes to the point of questioning our very calling to writing. Michele Cushatt recently published a post, Enough, that speaks to the beauty of dropping our competitive guard in order to embrace a bigger and more meaningful picture in the world of writing. Comparing ourselves to others depletes our confidence, time, and energy. And who has time for that?
  • Take Advantage of In-Between Moments. Many successful authors became so while working at least one full-time job, raising a family, volunteering at church, etc. One of my favorite contributor’s on this subject is Brian Hutcheson of The Positive Writer. His post How To Become A Prolific Writer While Holding Down A Day Job is superb. You’ll rarely find me without a pen and tiny moleskin notebook in the front pocket of my purse. I know, I know. I can also use Notes on my iPhone, and I do, but there’s something about the scratching sound of a pen on paper that lights my fire.

Your turn! What’s one time-saving tip you can share with the rest of us?

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Cathy Baker // Cultivating Creativity
http://www.cathybaker.org

 

 

 

 

 

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The Creative Tool Kit Uncategorized

3 Simple Ways to Boost Creativity

The creative tool kit
Creativity
Graphic courtesy of melibeeglobal.com

Welcome to The Creativity Kit!

Each month tips and tools to help boost your creativity skills will be found in The Creativity Kit. Sensory workouts, exercises, and dare I say, fun ideas await!

So, let’s get started by learning three easy ways to increase creativity in your writing endeavors.

One: De-Stress.

Art therapy studies show that patients suffering from cancer and other chronic illnesses find respite from their suffering by engaging in creative work. This could explain why sales from adult coloring books skyrocketed in 2015.

As expected, relaxed people tend to have an easier time being creative but interestingly enough, the opposite is also true. Creative activity is an effective way to combat stress.

Adult coloring books are fun but they also offer the mind an experience known as the “flow” which is a mental state in which a person is so immersed in an experience that nothing disrupts the moment.

One of my favorite Pinterest pages is Adult Coloring Books. Would you like to try adult coloring books at no charge? There are a lot of free online pages ready for printing, like this one.

Two: Take  a Shower.

Okay, hopefully this is already on your list of to-do’s but for an entirely different reason. Still, it’s one of those menial tasks that forces our conscious mind to to take a break. After all, it’s the conscious mind that’s on duty throughout the day. Decisions are made constantly and without the conscious mind, we’d be lost. Literally. So when we perform tasks like taking showers, exercising, or petting the dog the conscious mind takes an audible sigh and relinquishes control to the subconscious. And when the subconscious takes over, so does the creative part of our brain. Seriously, how often has an idea or solution to an ongoing problem come to you while rinsing out the shampoo? You may even want to try Aqua Notes, a waterproof writing pad. I picked up at our local Mast General Store but it can also be purchased online.

Three: Do the Opposite for One Day. bloga3seinfeld

Pretend your George Constanza. Do the opposite of what you would normally do for one day. Do you normally take the highway to work or school? Take the back way, as we refer to it here in the South. Eat breakfast food for dinner and drink tea instead of coffee. Change up as many things possible for one day. Who knows, you may begin declaring one day a month George Constanza day!

I hope these three ideas will get the creative juices flowing. But there’s one more thing I can’t help but ask…

If you were to try a George Constanza day, what would your favorite “opposite” thing be?

 

If you’re interested, there is a random drawing for an adult coloring book, In The Beginning, being given away on my site this month. Simply comment on my blog to add your name to the drawing!

 

 

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Have Words, Will Travel....Travel Writing 101 Uncategorized

Top 5 Posts for Every Travel Writer

Have Words Will Travel
Upon returning from a writer's conference earlier this year, Cathy found a 1963 Shasta Airflyte Camper sitting in her driveway. Since then, she has taken quite the fancy to travel writing. She hopes you'll join her on this adventurous journey!
Top 5 Travel Writing Posts to Bookmark
Photo Courtesy of Pixabay

“My last point about getting started as a writer: do something first, good or bad, successful or not, and write it up before approaching an editor. The best introduction to an editor is your own written work, published or not. I traveled across Siberia on my own money before ever approaching an editor; I wrote my first book, Siberian Dawn, without knowing a single editor, with no idea of how to get it published. I had to risk my life on the Congo before selling my first magazine story. If the rebel spirit dwells within you, you won’t wait for an invitation, you’ll invade and take no hostages.” ― Jeffrey Taylor

If your own rebel spirit is restless, below are top five sites offering boundless opportunities for every travel writer.

 

Do you have a favorite travel writing site? If so, please share in the comment section.

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Have Words, Will Travel....Travel Writing 101 Uncategorized

5 Sites with 24 of the BEST Travel Blogs, Websites, and Apps

Have Words Will Travel
Upon returning from a writer's conference earlier this year, Cathy found a 1963 Shasta Airflyte Camper sitting in her driveway. Since then, she has taken quite the fancy to travel writing. She hopes you'll join her on this adventurous journey!

A324As much as I’d like to say that the following travel sites are in celebration of the renewal of the popular “24” TV series, it’s not. While I’ve never been an uber fan of Counterterrorism Agent Jack Bauer, I do admire the way he tackles life with a fearless spirit and full-throttle adventure.

I had a similar takeaway when reading Fathom’s 24 Best posts. Adventure journals, stunning photography, and awe-inspiring stories of travel are all here. Fathom more than fulfills their three-fold mission through these “24” links: To help us indulge our love of travel, whether we’re on the road or at home. To narrow down endless options (hotels, sites, destinations) to those that are special, and to share the best travel stories.

Warning: You’ll want to set aside plenty of time when perusing Fathom’s site. It’s addictive for travel lovers and the like.

24 Best Blogs and Websites 2016

24 Best Travel Blogs and Websites 2014

24 Best Travel Photography

24 Best Travelers on Steller, the Storytelling App That Everyone Should Know About

24 Best Travel Apps 2015

Bravo, Fathom!

Do you have a favorite travel blog, Website, or app? We’d love to hear about it. Please share in the comment section.

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Have Words, Will Travel....Travel Writing 101

When the Love of Travel Takes On a New Meaning

Have Words Will Travel
Upon returning from a writer's conference earlier this year, Cathy found a 1963 Shasta Airflyte Camper sitting in her driveway. Since then, she has taken quite the fancy to travel writing. She hopes you'll join her on this adventurous journey!

There is no denying that February is the month of L-O-V-E so let’s do something a little different. Okay, a lot different.

“A traveler without observation is a bird without wings.” – Moslih Eddin Saadi

As writers, our senses snap to attention when visiting a new place. We see things with fresh eyes and catch the aroma of foods never explored, but if we’re not careful those same senses can become dulled by the routine of life. We drive home the same way every night, listen to the same genre of music, and munch on Chinese food every Friday night without a second thought. Our senses gradually become accustomed to our day-to-day doings—taking them for granted—and if we’re not careful, the same can hold true for the people in our lives.

If you’re wondering if I mistakenly submitted this post to A3 instead of Psychology Today, rest assured this is no mistake. After all, is there any destination more traveled, more wondrous, awe-inspiring, or rewarding than that of the heart?

It’s for this reason I encourage you to consider traveling to that wondrous place through what you do best, writing. Below you’ll find a few ideas to try this month, but being the creative person that you are, I’m sure you’re already way ahead of me. (I hope to hear from you in the comment section!)

  • Take small slips of paper and on each slip, write one thing you love about that person, a favorite memory that you both share, or a specific way that person has impacted your life. Fill a container (I love Mason jars!) with the slips; tie a tag explaining how the recipient is to remove and read one slip each day for the month of February, or whatever length of time you choose. (For bonus points: Sprinkle a layer of rose petals on the bottom of the jar. As they begin to dry, the slips of paper will become immersed with their scent.) Okay, maybe I should have submitted this to Good Housekeeping, but let’s continue.A3map216
  • You’re a travel writer. Draw a map that includes your relationship milestones. Be as colorful and creative as possible. To top it off, plan a mini-getaway to a restaurant or particular place where one of your milestones took place, if possible.
  • You are a trained observer. Plan to travel to a place you both love, whether it’s just for an afternoon or for an entire weekend. The theme? Love, of course! Go on an expedition to find all the things you love about that place. Engage those five senses. Take pictures, journal about your time together.

If you’ve lived on this planet for any length of time you know that the heart of another is sometimes the most difficult destination of all to reach, making the journey all the more valuable.

This month, and every month, enjoy the greatest adventure of all—love.

How about you? Are you willing to try one of the above ideas, or do you have a love-related writing idea to share? I’d love to hear from you!

 

Photo courtesy of The Knot, one of the best sites around when it comes to love and marriage.

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Have Words, Will Travel....Travel Writing 101 Uncategorized

3 Questions to Ask When Setting Your 2016 Writing Goals

Have Words Will Travel
Upon returning from a writer's conference earlier this year, Cathy found a 1963 Shasta Airflyte Camper sitting in her driveway. Since then, she has taken quite the fancy to travel writing. She hopes you'll join her on this adventurous journey!

“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible to the visible.” -Tony Robbins

A3Jan16invisible-manWhether you’re a natural goal setter or not, the benefits of doing so are undeniable. Below are three questions to consider as you set your writing goals for 2016:

  1. What is my why? Are you writing to earn money? To pursue a dream? Leave a legacy? Or simply for enjoyment? It’s different for everyone and thankfully, one is not better than another. Take some time in January to consider your why. It’s the foundation of your writing goals as it helps steer your expectations, time, and energy towards the results you truly desire. Write your why down and keep it visible wherever you choose to write.
  2. How will I measure my goals? Once you’ve nailed down your why, focus on writing out specific goals to achieve it — but don’t stop there! Determine how you will measure your goals. Vague goals are useless ones. If you want to write more, what steps are you willing to take to make it happen? Do you need to set aside office hours in order to write “x” amount of hours per week? Do you need to decrease blog posts or other publications in order to pursue your why? Do you want to travel more? How could you begin saving money? Write it down!
  3. Will you call yourself a writer? I admit it. The first time those four words—I am a writer—spilled from my lips I wasn’t sure whether to zig zag to avoid the lightening bolt or to choose to believe it myself, refusing to feel the pressure of validating my declaration. I chose the latter and it’s made all the difference. I’ll let this excerpt from Story Engineering, by Larry Brooks sum it up for us all:

We are lucky. Very lucky. We are writers.

Sometimes that may seem more curse than blessing, and others may not regard what we do with any more esteem or respect than mowing a lawn. To an outsider this can appear to be a hobby, or maybe a dream that eludes most.

But if that’s how they view you, they aren’t paying enough attention. If you are a writer–and you are if you actually write–you are already living the dream. Because the primary reward of writing comes from within, and you don’t need to get published or sell your screenplay to access it. …

Whatever we write, we are reaching out. We are declaring that we are not alone on this planet, and that we have something to share, something to say. Our writing survives us, even if nobody ever reads a word of it. Because we have given back, we have reflected our truth. We have mattered.

Now let’s go make 2016 one of our best…from one writer to another.

Which of the three questions will be your most challenging, and why?

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Have Words, Will Travel....Travel Writing 101 Uncategorized

5 Fun Gifts for Your Favorite Travel Writer

Have Words Will Travel
Upon returning from a writer's conference earlier this year, Cathy found a 1963 Shasta Airflyte Camper sitting in her driveway. Since then, she has taken quite the fancy to travel writing. She hopes you'll join her on this adventurous journey!

Tis the season to gift, and be gifted! Maybe you may have a favorite travel writer on your list, or perhaps you simply need to share a copy of this post with a loved one. (Hint, hint.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vintage Globe Business Card for Travel Blogger/Writer, Set of 50, $27.50, Etsy. Illustration by Nancy Nikko. Searching for a unique eye-catching business card? This one is sure to stand out above the rest.

A3dec2015notebook

Parachute Suitcase Printed Lined Notebook, 64 pages (front/back), $8.00, Etsy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A3dec2015leatherRugged Medium Leather Travel Journal, with Recycled Paper, $54.00, pen included, Etsy.

 

 

 

 

A3dec2015headphones

Ditch those earbuds and enjoy a sweet set of noise cancelling headphones. The Best Headphones of 2015 list can be found here.

 

 

 

 

A3dec2015aqua-notes-homeAnd finally, a personal favorite. Aqua Notes – Waterproof Pad, $6.99 Amazon. (I picked mine up at a local Mast General Store). Yep, that’s right. Slap it on the shower wall and you’ll be prepared for any water-induced epiphanies that come your way. And what writer doesn’t have these from time to time? I recently did a weekend writing jaunt at a lake retreat, thanks to a generous family friend. My Aqua notepad saved the day more than once. Use any type pen with it.

May you and yours have a very Merry Christmas!

Pilgrims are poets who create by taking a journey. –Richard Niebuhr

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Have Words, Will Travel....Travel Writing 101

No Tricks Here! Just Lots O’ Travel Writing Opportunities

Have Words Will Travel
Upon returning from a writer's conference earlier this year, Cathy found a 1963 Shasta Airflyte Camper sitting in her driveway. Since then, she has taken quite the fancy to travel writing. She hopes you'll join her on this adventurous journey!

halloween-151422_640Sorry, I couldn’t resist the Halloween reference, but let’s face it, finding quality travel writing opportunities can be tricky at times.

Lucky for you, I’ve done the leg work. You need only hold out your bag and let me fill it up with lots of treats in the form of opportunities that can propel our efforts in becoming published, boosting our all-important platform.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to Caroline Eubank’s site, “Caroline in the City.” Specifically, I’d like to share her October post, Travel Writing Roundup {October 2015}.

In this post she delivers a plethora of opportunities including paying markets (web/print), guest posting and non-paying opps, both of which are valuable when trying to gain traction in the writing world. You’ll also find internship opportunities, helpful links, and lots of valuable traveling tidbits.

I wasn’t kidding when I said you were in for a treat! I’ve bookmarked her site and plan to visit often. I hope you will too.

Do you know of another site with travel writing opportunities? Share it in the comment section. Did you pop over to Caroline’s site? I’d love to hear from you too. Basically, I just like hearing from you. Thanks for stopping by Have Words, Will Travel.

 

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Have Words, Will Travel....Travel Writing 101

Why This Travel Writing Site Rocks!

work-791437_640“Great travel writing consists of equal parts curiosity, vulnerability and vocabulary. It is not a terrain for know-it-alls or the indecisive. The best of the genre can simply be an elegant natural history essay, a nicely writ sports piece, or a well-turned profile of a bar band and its music. A well-grounded sense of place is the challenge for the writer. We observe, we calculate, we inquire, we look for a link between what we already know and what we’re about to learn. The finest travel writing describes what’s going on when nobody’s looking.” -Tom Miller

Regardless if you’re a weekend warrior with a camera and waterproof notepad in hand, or a full-press travel writer utilizing all the apps shared in last month’s post, you’re sure to savor every moment spent perusing Wanderful World…For the Curious, the Creative, and the Inspired. (Pour a mega cup of cold brew coffee because you’re gonna want it!)

While Wanderful World offers a plethora of relevant information I’d like to share one post you’re sure to appreciate:  The Different Types of Travel Writing Jobs Out There. Lizzie doesn’t disappoint!

So, hop over to her site, choose your type of writing job(s) and then, would you consider sharing it here?  I chose Product Description. Okay, so it’s not a featured article for The National Geographic but writing hotel descriptions and text for tour guides? That’s right up my proverbial alley!

I look forward to reading your choice.