Travel writing workshop

What is the course about?

A course to turn your travel experiences into saleable travel articles. Your chance to get your adventures into print, examine what makes a good article and learn about what travel editors look for. We will explore the huge market for well written words on travel and cover both how to market yourself and your work.

This is a live online course. You will need:
- Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome.
- A computer with microphone and camera is best (e.g. a PC/laptop/iMac/MacBook), or a tablet/iPad/smart phone/iPhone if you don't have a computer.
- Earphones/headphones/speakers.
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.

What will we cover?

- Coming up with ideas.
- What makes a good travel piece.
- Eye catching openings.
- Marketing and selling your work.
- Liaising with PRs and Tourist Boards.
- Identifying suitable outlets.
- Research abroad.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

- Identify good and bad travel articles.
- Identify how travel pages work.
- Apply the basic structure of a travel piece.
- Edit your writing.
- Approach the right person with your article.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

You should have been writing regularly, either creative writing, keeping a journal during travel or writing articles.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

Group discussion, information from the tutor, opportunities to practise writing travel articles with constructive criticism from the tutor and class.
Please note we will be going out and about in Covent Garden to practice observational and interview skills with a view to writing up a travel story during the workshop.

All writing courses at City Lit will involve an element of workshop. This means that students will produce work which will be discussed in an open and constructive environment with the tutor and other students. The college operates a policy of constructive criticism, and all feedback on another student’s work by the tutor and other students should be delivered in that spirit.

For classes longer than one day regular reading and writing exercises will be set for completion at home to set deadlines.

City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

Please bring along a recent travel supplement from a newspaper.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

All students are invited to join us at Late Lines, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to Between the Lines, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on Facebook and Twitter.