As many of you know, I’ve been building a travel media school called Superstar Blogging over the past few months. The purpose of this school is to create a place where those that want to break into various aspects of the travel industry can get practical, in-depth step-by-step advice from the industry’s leading experts.
Today, I have two announcements: our photography course is available again (see the second half of this post) and we’re releasing our third course — on travel writing! (The last course, on producing travel videos, will be out next month.)
How to Become a Travel Writer
I’ve partnered with award-winning travel writer David Farley, author of An Irreverent Curiosity and a professor of travel writing at Columbia and New York University, to teach a course on the nuts and bolts of travel writing. From crafting a story to becoming a better writer, self-editing, and making a career as a travel writer, our course covers it all.
David is considered one of the top travel writers in the country. He’s hosted a National Geographic Channel show, and his work has appeared in the New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, AFAR, and countless other publications. He’s one of the people I go to for writing help, advice, and edits, and I’m super excited that he is teaching this course. There couldn’t be a better writing expert to impart wisdom!
In his own words, he’s part of this course because he “made a lot of errors along the way, fumbling in the dark and there were only a couple of ‘how to become a travel writer’–type of books back then and they didn’t seem very good. There were no classes — online or live — where a travel writer could lay out for you just how one successfully travels down this path, which is where this class comes in.”
With nothing else like it out there, we created this course as a beacon to guide writers down the road to being a successful writer.
Through video lectures, interviews with successful travel writers and editors, detailed examples of edited stories, and writing assignments, you’ll not only learn the nuts and bolts of travel writing and its industry but you’ll be clued into every aspect of the travel writer’s life — from how to find a good story to pre-trip research to writing up a pitch for a story — all of the things David (and I) learned the hard way through trial and error.
There is no class out there that utilizes this level of resources or as many experts in one place to lift the veil on travel writing.
You’ll learn how to write stories that editors want to publish. You’ll learn to improve your writing and get people saying, “I can’t get enough! You’re an awesome writer.”
We’ve taken David’s college-level course and made it available to everyone — without the college-level price!
Over nine units, this course will cover the spectrum of travel writing. It will teach you how to be a better travel writer — from crafting the perfect story to improving your research and writing to self-editing — as well as instruct you in the business side of writing — how to get an agent and book deal, how to pitch editors, and what mistakes to avoid.
What will this course teach you?
A breakdown of the various forms of writing you can focus on, including the types of travel writing found in commercial writing (i.e. magazines and newspapers)
The important rules of travel writing you need to know as you start your journey
How to create a story — through examples of good and bad story titles, angles, pegs — and how to structure your story
Strategies to always create the perfect narrative flow
Grammar do’s and don’ts so you don’t make the mistakes that make editors and blog readers cringe and not come back
The anatomy of story, including examples with each element of the story highlighted
Expert tips on how be descriptive in your writing and what travel clichés to avoid (because the best stories make destinations come alive by placing the reader in your story – and you’ll learn how to do that and captivate your reader!)
The two most common ways to self-edit your work and the important mistakes to look for
Examples of stories before and after editing
How to master the long-form story, create a narrative arc, keep the reader interested, and use anecdotes of significance
How to research any destination
Real-life examples of book proposals
Real-life examples of good and bad pitches, as well as a template — you’ll learn how to submit article ideas that editors will actually read
Where to find literary agents and how to price your work
Plus, you’ll get the following:
A private Facebook group where you can share your work, get advice, and solicit feedback from us!
Homework assignments where you can get notes and feedback on your writing
Interviews with nine award-winning writers and editors who share their travel writing tips, failures, and successes: Don George (author of Lonely Planet’s Guide to Travel Writing, Nathan Thornbough (creator of Roads and Kingdoms), Matt Gross (former NYT’s writer and editor of Bon Appetit), Derk Richardson (editor at AFAR), Jessica Colley (freelance writer), Stephanie Elizondo Griest (award winning author and writing professor at UNC), and Thomas Swick (editor).
This course comes with lifetime access and updates. Once you’re in, you’re in for life! Any interview, webinar, or new content that gets added is automatically yours.
If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to be a travel writer — or just a better writer — this course is for you. If you’ve ever wanted access to the best writers out there and their expert insider knowledge and advice about storytelling and how the business works, this course is for you.
Travel is a competitive field, but good writing is always in demand — and it always will be. If you want to stand out online and get a leg up as a freelancer, being able to write well is essential. It doesn’t matter the field — the top people in any field are good writers. So many bloggers write so poorly that with just a few tips on how to choose, craft, and polish a story, you can leap past them in quality, attract new readers to your website, stand out from your competition, and get editors to return your calls.
If you wanted the benefits and details of a college writing course — without the college-level price — THIS COURSE IS IT!
The course is $349 USD and you can get instant access to the course by signing-up here!
(Want to pay in installments? No problem! You can pay $120 per month for 3 months instead of one lump payment! Click here for that payment option.)
How to Become a Travel Photographer
Finally, our photography course — taught by acclaimed travel photographer Laurence Norah — is out of beta. We spent the last seven weeks testing it, and now it’s ready for permanent viewing!
Broken into 11 units comprising 33 lessons — all laid out with examples, images, and walk-throughs to make it really easy to grasp — the course starts off by getting you entirely comfortable with your camera. You’ll learn how to be its master, with a detailed understanding of how it works and how it to get the perfectly exposed shot every time.
It then teaches more advanced topics, such as how to shoot the night sky, what HDR is, mobile (smartphone) photography, and long-exposure photography.
Then the course tackles the post-processing side of photography — what happens after you’ve taken your photo. You’re going to learn everything from how to set up an efficient workflow to editing and backing up your photos. And from how much to charge to getting yourself found, we also go through in detail all you need to know to start making an income from your newfound skills.
Additionally, Laurence will personally look at and give feedback on your submitted pictures! And, every quarter, he’ll host a free webinar (that will be recorded) where he’ll answer questions, give advice, and build on the course’s information.
In addition to all that awesome content, we added a giant glossary of terms, unit summaries, and some advanced editing content, as well as a field guide that lets you take the best of the course with you on the road. It’s a downloadable, 47-page PDF filled with screenshots and tutorials to help you get the perfect picture when you’re away from the computer!
The course costs $199 USD (or three payments of $75) and you’ll get instant and lifetime access as well as lifetime updates! When you’re in, you’re in for life!
You can purchase this amazing class via this link (or learn more about the course here.)
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