Want to be the next W.Sutcliffe (RU Exerienced)

ColinT · Nov 20th, 2005, 09:59

Ever thought of becoming the next big thing to hit the travel writing world like William Sutcliffe or Sarah MacDonald? I meet so many budding travel writers in India. Here's the "secrets" in todays New Sunday Express (New Indian Express on Sunday)

The secrets of being a travel writer

point of no return

cyberhippie · Nov 20th, 2005, 12:06

He he he right on Colin!!

Digital Drifter · Nov 20th, 2005, 15:24

Good one, ColinT.

Is that a bit of writer's envy I see there? No millions of book sold, no advance, no quaffing the champagne, no witty comebacks at launch parties.

Only the next midnight 'video-coach' bus to Madurai?

:-)

I know now you officially HATE me!

ColinT · Nov 20th, 2005, 15:57

I've dedicated my life to being bitter and twisted, and sniping away. It's not envy, more a genetic thing.

But on a serious note, it gets a bit tiresome reading that type of stuff, even though I've also been guilty of writing like that. And it did actually sell a fair amount of books for me and give me a launch party. I guess there's something to be said for it. Alas, there was no champagne, I had few witty comebacks and I didn't become a millionaire.

Digital Drifter · Nov 20th, 2005, 16:43

OTOH, you might end up like a fossil like Mark Tully, retire with an odd gong or two,pointificate on the seemingly fascinating Indian Election scene, learn urdu, oh, write a few apparently serious books and look paternally at the greenhorns who want to cut their teeth reporting in India. Sit back and simply turn up at the parties regular as clockwork with that free glass of whisky.

Which is it?

Snark, it seems has no limits. :-)

passingby · Nov 20th, 2005, 17:45

funny article.

hey there is nothing wrong with trying to be a writer... it is a good hobby. and by all means it is not easy at all to write a book.

I personally admire all the people who wrote books and publish them. and for all the ones who wrote books and never publish them, go ahead and publish. there are lots of companies out there who for a small sum of 500$ will publish your book.
and as for all of you out there who dream of writing a book but never done it, don't be so critical of the ones who have done it...

passingby · Nov 20th, 2005, 18:43

oh, I just realized that ColinT is the actual author of the article.
you are criticizing all travel writers at the expense of getting your own exposure and then you post a thread with your article on this website, for more exposure. that is not very nice is it?

iwanttogoback · Nov 20th, 2005, 18:50

Quote:

oh, I just realized that ColinT is the actual author of the article.
you are criticizing all travel writers at the expense of getting your own exposure and then you post a thread with your article on this website, for more exposure. that is not very nice is it?

i think perhaps that it was a tongue-in-cheek posting, with colin actually having a bit of a dig at himself.

steven_ber · Nov 20th, 2005, 19:42

If we all kept a diary about our last trip, then put them in a thread, it would show how different we all are.

I started a diary on my last trip, my first train trip was a 44 hour journey from Delhi to Guwahati, by the end of my first day in Guwahati I'd finnished the diary for the train trip and it was 10 (A4) pages long, (and you'd be amazed at the amount of stuff I left out).

The next morning I threw the diary away.

I just couldn't see why other people would be interested, it was about the platform at Delhi, the food I'd been eating, the various people I shared the compartment with, getting drunk with some soldiers and swapping clothes, a foreign woman I met on the train who was threatning to stab the Indian soldiers, getting lost on a station as it had a total blackout, and the things I saw from my window.

I guess I needed the confidence (or even arrogance) that people would find it interesting, but I didn't have it, my poor standard of English is probibly the main reason I threw it away, though my extreme sense of humour is also hard for some people to take.

Maybe next time.

(posted without the help of Microsoft Word to prove a point)

katyrafi · Nov 20th, 2005, 20:10

It is about confidence isn't it Steven - and for what it's worth I always enjoy your posts and your writing style. They say everybody has a book in them - I too keep a diary and have a book in my head but am very good at finding something, anything else to do rather than get down to writing it.

Come to think of it India Mike has a lot to answer for.....

Mind you, I don't want to write yet another travelogue as I tend to think there are quite enough of them out there already and I've hardly "travelled" - I got stuck the moment my feet stepped on Indian soil and now I can't seem to move.

And I never got dyssentry either, must go and drink some dirty water now

ColinT · Nov 20th, 2005, 21:16

This one's for you Passingby:

Am I criticising ALL travel writers as you say? Certainly not. If you have read the piece then you'll see I'm having a bit of a dig at a certain genre. And "iwanttogoback" is quite right. I certainly include myself within the genre I'm poking fun at. I wrote it because, as Katyrafi implies, I think we are becoming slightly travelogued-out. The piece is satirical:

"A literary work that uses irony, derision, or wit." (from dictionary.com).

Am I getting exposure in the newspaper for that? Certainly! That's the whole point of the piece. It's a viewpoint and a style that the editor thought was worth publishing.

Does this mean no one can criticise anything (or put it on IM) because people will then accuse the one doing the criticising of attention grabbing? Then where would we be? In a world without satire, criticism and rid of "not very nice" people like myself.

Anyone who puts their work in the public domain by publishing it leaves it open to public praise or criticism. (And yes that includes me.)

Digital Drifter - I'd only opt for the free glass of whisky. Forget the rest. But even then there's a problem - I gave up drinking!

.

passingby · Nov 20th, 2005, 22:10

even though you think that the travelogue/diary travel writing is dying out and people lost interest, I still think that those kind of books are very useful for the general public who wants to travel abroad.
before my trip to Asia, I read any book I could find about backpacking. if it wasn't for those books out there, I wouldn't have prepared myself for the trip.

on the other hand, anybody can write, but writing a book that captures the reader attention is hard to do.
I've read many travel books, but not all of them were fantastic.

Here is a book that I had a hard time reading and only skimmed through the pages. I though the book was filthy and not worth reading, never mind published.

so I think anybody can write, but not everybody will make it to the shelves of the regular bookstores in any country (I still have a very long way to see my book on the shelves of a bookstore)

Casey · Nov 20th, 2005, 22:56

I think perhaps that the idea that there are only so many stories to tell (Literary Theory 101) is quite apparent in travel writing. There are people who do it better than others, but perhaps, the skill in the future is in the way that the story can be told. The stories may be the same, but please, the structures can be changed to inject some variation to ensure that it doesn't become a one-dimension genre.

Digital Drifter · Nov 20th, 2005, 22:56

OK, being a devout coward that I am, I'll take a pass at posting anymore on this thread. Seems everyone's getting uppity once they write articles or books.(see, I'm very fair, I take potshots at everyone irrespective of gender).

Like I said, the moment the name calling starts, I'm outta here. like. right. now.

Casey · Nov 20th, 2005, 23:14

Sorry, I didn't mean to insult anyone. I just that that in order to avoid becoming a one-dimensional genre that travel writers can expand their structures a bit. I am not a writer, but an avid reader who appreciates a good travel novel, but also recognizes that just because you travel doesn't mean you can write. I can read a book and appreciate the content because I recognize the places etc., but to reach beyond that, there needs to be something more.

Nov 20th, 2005, 09:59	#1
ColinT Future Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: UK Posts: 335	Want to be the next W.Sutcliffe (RU Exerienced) Ever thought of becoming the next big thing to hit the travel writing world like William Sutcliffe or Sarah MacDonald? I meet so many budding travel writers in India. Here's the "secrets" in todays New Sunday Express (New Indian Express on Sunday) The secrets of being a travel writer point of no return

Nov 20th, 2005, 15:24	#3
Digital Drifter bang a whore? Bangalore Dammit! Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,878	Good one, ColinT. Is that a bit of writer's envy I see there? No millions of book sold, no advance, no quaffing the champagne, no witty comebacks at launch parties. Only the next midnight 'video-coach' bus to Madurai? :-) I know now you officially HATE me! __________________ Click here for the Indiamike train guide in PDF

Nov 20th, 2005, 19:42	#9
steven_ber Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: London, England. Posts: 9,784	If we all kept a diary about our last trip, then put them in a thread, it would show how different we all are. I started a diary on my last trip, my first train trip was a 44 hour journey from Delhi to Guwahati, by the end of my first day in Guwahati I'd finnished the diary for the train trip and it was 10 (A4) pages long, (and you'd be amazed at the amount of stuff I left out). The next morning I threw the diary away. I just couldn't see why other people would be interested, it was about the platform at Delhi, the food I'd been eating, the various people I shared the compartment with, getting drunk with some soldiers and swapping clothes, a foreign woman I met on the train who was threatning to stab the Indian soldiers, getting lost on a station as it had a total blackout, and the things I saw from my window. I guess I needed the confidence (or even arrogance) that people would find it interesting, but I didn't have it, my poor standard of English is probibly the main reason I threw it away, though my extreme sense of humour is also hard for some people to take. Maybe next time. (posted without the help of Microsoft Word to prove a point) __________________ . How to get helpful replies to your transport/Itinerary questions. Train information. RAC & Waitlists explained.

Nov 20th, 2005, 20:10	#10
katyrafi Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Kerala Posts: 177	It is about confidence isn't it Steven - and for what it's worth I always enjoy your posts and your writing style. They say everybody has a book in them - I too keep a diary and have a book in my head but am very good at finding something, anything else to do rather than get down to writing it. Come to think of it India Mike has a lot to answer for..... Mind you, I don't want to write yet another travelogue as I tend to think there are quite enough of them out there already and I've hardly "travelled" - I got stuck the moment my feet stepped on Indian soil and now I can't seem to move. And I never got dyssentry either, must go and drink some dirty water now __________________ Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Nov 20th, 2005, 12:06	#2
cyberhippie Account Closed by User's Request Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: the Netherlands Posts: 6,009	He he he right on Colin!!

Nov 20th, 2005, 15:57	#4
ColinT Future Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: UK Posts: 335	I've dedicated my life to being bitter and twisted, and sniping away. It's not envy, more a genetic thing. But on a serious note, it gets a bit tiresome reading that type of stuff, even though I've also been guilty of writing like that. And it did actually sell a fair amount of books for me and give me a launch party. I guess there's something to be said for it. Alas, there was no champagne, I had few witty comebacks and I didn't become a millionaire.

Nov 20th, 2005, 16:43	#5
Digital Drifter bang a whore? Bangalore Dammit! Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,878	OTOH, you might end up like a fossil like Mark Tully, retire with an odd gong or two,pointificate on the seemingly fascinating Indian Election scene, learn urdu, oh, write a few apparently serious books and look paternally at the greenhorns who want to cut their teeth reporting in India. Sit back and simply turn up at the parties regular as clockwork with that free glass of whisky. Which is it? Snark, it seems has no limits. :-)

Nov 20th, 2005, 17:45	#6
passingby Account Closed Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: New Jersey Posts: 436	funny article. hey there is nothing wrong with trying to be a writer... it is a good hobby. and by all means it is not easy at all to write a book. I personally admire all the people who wrote books and publish them. and for all the ones who wrote books and never publish them, go ahead and publish. there are lots of companies out there who for a small sum of 500$ will publish your book. and as for all of you out there who dream of writing a book but never done it, don't be so critical of the ones who have done it...

Nov 20th, 2005, 18:43	#7
passingby Account Closed Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: New Jersey Posts: 436	oh, I just realized that ColinT is the actual author of the article. you are criticizing all travel writers at the expense of getting your own exposure and then you post a thread with your article on this website, for more exposure. that is not very nice is it?

Nov 20th, 2005, 21:16	#11
ColinT Future Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: UK Posts: 335	This one's for you Passingby: Am I criticising ALL travel writers as you say? Certainly not. If you have read the piece then you'll see I'm having a bit of a dig at a certain genre. And "iwanttogoback" is quite right. I certainly include myself within the genre I'm poking fun at. I wrote it because, as Katyrafi implies, I think we are becoming slightly travelogued-out. The piece is satirical: "A literary work that uses irony, derision, or wit." (from dictionary.com). Am I getting exposure in the newspaper for that? Certainly! That's the whole point of the piece. It's a viewpoint and a style that the editor thought was worth publishing. Does this mean no one can criticise anything (or put it on IM) because people will then accuse the one doing the criticising of attention grabbing? Then where would we be? In a world without satire, criticism and rid of "not very nice" people like myself. Anyone who puts their work in the public domain by publishing it leaves it open to public praise or criticism. (And yes that includes me.) Digital Drifter - I'd only opt for the free glass of whisky. Forget the rest. But even then there's a problem - I gave up drinking! .

Nov 20th, 2005, 22:10	#12
passingby Account Closed Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: New Jersey Posts: 436	even though you think that the travelogue/diary travel writing is dying out and people lost interest, I still think that those kind of books are very useful for the general public who wants to travel abroad. before my trip to Asia, I read any book I could find about backpacking. if it wasn't for those books out there, I wouldn't have prepared myself for the trip. on the other hand, anybody can write, but writing a book that captures the reader attention is hard to do. I've read many travel books, but not all of them were fantastic. Here is a book that I had a hard time reading and only skimmed through the pages. I though the book was filthy and not worth reading, never mind published. so I think anybody can write, but not everybody will make it to the shelves of the regular bookstores in any country (I still have a very long way to see my book on the shelves of a bookstore)

Nov 20th, 2005, 22:56	#13
Casey Maha Guru Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Ottawa, Canada Posts: 637	I think perhaps that the idea that there are only so many stories to tell (Literary Theory 101) is quite apparent in travel writing. There are people who do it better than others, but perhaps, the skill in the future is in the way that the story can be told. The stories may be the same, but please, the structures can be changed to inject some variation to ensure that it doesn't become a one-dimension genre.

Nov 20th, 2005, 23:14	#15
Casey Maha Guru Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Ottawa, Canada Posts: 637	Sorry, I didn't mean to insult anyone. I just that that in order to avoid becoming a one-dimensional genre that travel writers can expand their structures a bit. I am not a writer, but an avid reader who appreciates a good travel novel, but also recognizes that just because you travel doesn't mean you can write. I can read a book and appreciate the content because I recognize the places etc., but to reach beyond that, there needs to be something more.

User Name		Remember Me?
Password