There's nothing worse than getting ready to pen the ultimate travel story, only to experience writer’s block. Travel writer Annapurna Mellor shares 3 simple exercises you can do on the road to help you get started and let the creativity flow.
Photo © Thom Holmes
Whether you're an aspiring travel writer, keen blogger or just someone who loves telling stories from their travels – we've all had that moment when we come back from a trip and pause with writer’s block. What was that guide’s name? What was that quote from the Tuk-Tuk driver? Where were those incredible temple carvings I saw?
We have the most incredible time traveling and stories buzz around our heads, but when we sit down to put it all together, there are too many gaps.
I’ve been there too, and over time, I’ve found different travel writing exercises which help me to piece together those moments, put a memorable story together, and ultimately make me a better travel writer.
Take notes
One of the most important travel writing exercises you can do is taking notes. Find a small notebook that easily slides into your pocket and carry it everywhere.
I write down what I call ‘trigger words’. This could be the names of the people I've met, short sentences or adjectives to describe how I felt at a certain moment, or any markets, streets, or places I feel I might not be able to research later.
I also love writing down quotes from people I have met – as I find speech adds an extra sense of place to my travel writing.
Don’t forget that you don’t need to have your head in your notebook the whole time. As a travel writer, it is important to immerse yourself in the sights and senses of a place, but taking notes doesn’t have to be an intrusive exercise – it can simply be a few seconds just to make sure your memories are intact. You’ll thank yourself later when you start to put together stories!
Collect memories
Another travel writing exercise I find extremely helpful when away on an assignment is to actively collect memories.
Tangible memories could be collecting business cards from an amazing cafe you went to or the leaflet of a tour company. I keep these stashed neatly in the back of my notebook, and if I ever forget the name of a restaurant or museum, there’s a chance I might have a little keepsake from the place in the back of my book.
Intangible memories can be things like taking photographs – something which you are probably already doing! But I don’t mean just beautiful landscapes – photographs can also be used as a travel writing exercise to trigger memories of a place.
I often take pictures of restaurant or hotel signs. If I don’t have a moment to write a name down in my notebook, I can take a picture of the sign and reference the photo later when I’ve forgotten the name! I also find taking photos of menus really helpful, so that if I decide to talk in-depth about a specific restaurant, I can mention a few of their signature dishes.
Another way to record intangible memories is to record interviews on your phone. If I happen to stumble across a really interesting character who has great insight into a place, I will ask them politely if I can record our conversation. Later on, I can listen to the recording and get accurate quotes and information.
Putting down the story
When you’ve tried these travel writing exercises on a trip, you’ll come home with notes, leaflets, photos and a couple of recorded interviews. It's now time to write the story.
Look for unique angles in your notes, or perhaps find some descriptive words of a place that really blew you away. Listen to your interviews and maybe you can start a story based on a quote from a character you met. Or maybe a photo of a food menu will have you writing a piece about an unforgettable restaurant you visited.
Try these travel writing exercises on your next trip – you might find they help you develop into a better travel writer, and help you to write stories you are really proud of and which others love to read.
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3 Comments
Hi!
Thank you for these tips, I will try to always keep a small notebook by my side to note the quotes. I think this was a great idea.
Reading this article while waiting for winners to be announced. I would like to add, though it may be heresy to writers, liberal use of cameras. Not just beauty shots, I take pictures of signs, odd items, menus, you name it to jog my memmory. Cameras are also video recorders and video also includes an audio component for quick recording of comments. I use video/photography as a working tool beyond gettinge shot. Oh one can take snapshots of notes written on napkins or drawn in the sand too for use later.
I simply loved the tips! Some I've been doing because I experienced already forgetting about the things and this is definitely not good🥺 with this content I can see I am in the right way! so pictures is something that I'm taking all the time of things, names, for me not to forget later. I will start to record conversations with the people approval 🤭