BootsnAll Travel Community

I think that one of my biggest writing roadblocks is a distinct feeling that my experiences are not interesting enough to be found worthy of publication. Whether it be returning home from two months in Thailand or a 4 month climbing roadtrip around N.America, I sit in front of my computer and skim through my notebooks looking for nuggets of originality and repeatedly come up empty handed.

One thing I know about myself is that I am extremely self-critical. This has always been an issue when it comes to starting new projects because I set such lofty goals and feel that I can never live up to them. There are myriad avenues for getting writing published and on some level I know that while my adventures may fall short of National Geographic, I have still experienced more than many people will in their lifetime.

Does anyone else suffer from a case of mental self-mutilation? I'd love to hear how other people deal with similar feelings and move on with their writing.

Sure. Those doubts are frequent. When looking back after my texts after a while, though, I often think: Oh well, it's not actually that bad, it's much better than I believed.

So write the stuff for yourself, let it rest in peace for a couple of weeks and then have another look at it. Most probably you'll feel much better about it then...

I have the same problem with my writing which is possibly one of the reasons I only write for myself now. Thus, the following is merely a personal POV and should be taken with a grain of salt. One thing that may help you is just giving your writing to a friend or coworker to see what they think. Oftentimes you'll be surprised by the (positive) reactions you'll get. Remember, of course you know how the story ends and everything that happened, you've already processed it so its old news to you but for someone hearing the story for the first time it is a very different experience.

Its also about how you present the story, your voice is a powerful tool, use it and have some faith in it.

Yeah, I hear ya, Markus. I don't think my stuff is all that good. But when I submit it and somebody sends me money and then publishes it, it kind of takes the edge off.

I know that sounds a little flip, but it's true. I don't think my work is great, but apparently, some people like it. I belong to a fantastic writers group, and they help a lot in that they help me sort out when I have an actual problem with the material (anything from sloppy grammar to missing data to a goobed up plot) as opposed to just not being crazy about my own work.

One other observation...the more I care about a piece, the harder it is for me to believe it's good enough. It's difficult to express in words things that really move me, and I'm always afraid that I've cheapened the story by telling it poorly. But sometimes, my muses tell me I did okay.

La

I know exactly what you mean. But perhaps that's because most of the things I write about are mediocre.

Lord Marcus, I'm so glad I came across your comment this morning! I've recently returned from an alphabetical tour of Europe and am now attempting to go through all of my notebooks, as well as all the blog entries I did (www.OnAnAlphabet.com). None of it seems interesting and I just can't get up the enthusiasm to sit down and write. Everyone keeps telling me how much they enjoyed keeping up with my travels, and I've even had people ask me to add them to my mailing lists.

Before starting my trip I had such high hopes of being able to write something worthwhile when I finished but as time's gone by, my confidence in my writing has slipped considerably. I'm even in the fortunate position to have been asked to write something for publication but don't seem to have enough faith in myself right now to submit something.I'm finding it hard to come back down to earth (especially since I don't have a job and am now living back with my father--yikes!) and just don't know the best way to proceed.

Do you think it would be worthwhile just to climb back into bed, cover my head with the comforter and never resurface?

Victoria,

Don't push yourself too hard. You've only been back for a few days. It will take a little while to settle back in. Take a break from writing for a while to clear your head, then you'll re-find your enthusiasm when you get back to it!

As for publication, why not write a few pieces for BNA to get in the mood? It will help to build up your confidence to submit to paying markets. If there is a writers' group in your area, they can be a great help.

Denni,

Many thanks for your words of encouragement and support. I've just been flicking through your blog and its oozing with experience so I'll try and heed your advice. I also notice that you reside in the UK (good luck with that citizenship app -- UK immigration is probably just as bad as the US), and I'm now back in Staffordshire after 14 years in the states.

Can you suggest any good UK writers' groups or organizations (Tsk! now need to re-learn UK spelling!) that I could look into? Also what are the best magazines to subscribe to? I feel totally lost right now, like I'm drowning, surrounded by nothing except strange speaking people and strange money. The thought of even applying for a job at the local McDonalds makes me want to crap my pants. Would really appreciate your advice.

Many thanks!

But what if it actually is mediocre? I've had a rough draft sitting on my desktop for a whole week now, and I'm considering completely making it all up.

Ha, Slip Digby, nobody is denying that you might exagerate an itsy bit

Alternatively, inject a bit of humour. Look at Conor's blog for a bit of inspiration. He writes about high drama and everyday happenings with equal ease. There are plenty of other great blogs and articles out there and I always find that reading a few with a style I like helps considerably with my writing (which is currently suffering because I'm reading foreign language stuff).

Travelsavvy/Victoria, I don't think I can help you very much because my writers' group deals exclusively with genre fiction (SF/horror/fantasy and a bit if crime) a field I'm a complete beginner in but just getting ready to submit something after 1½ years with the group. So it can take a bit of time! As far as mags are concerned, there isn't anything aimed at travelwriters that I know of, but there are a few great travel magazines. I don't subscribe to any, but I occasionally buy 'Wanderlust'.

The best advise and inspiration is probably available for free online. In particular, check out the Written Road blog (yes, it's part of BNA).

As far as handbooks are concerned, I've heard of the Travel Writer's Handbook, but it has mixed reviews. It may be too specific for Americans, but if you write about travel in Europe, America is a very good market to aim at!

quote:

Originally posted by travelsavvy:
Before starting my trip I had such high hopes of being able to write something worthwhile when I finished but as time's gone by, my confidence in my writing has slipped considerably.

I've recently diagnosed myself with Grass-Is-Greener syndrome. Each time before leaving, I thought the last few trips I took would be the events that would spark my brilliant writing career. Surely I couldn't help but encounter crazy and unique characters and experiences that would be perfect fodder for a slew of articles and stories.

The problem is, or at least I think it is, that people like to read about things that fall outside of their sphere of experience. You can sit at home, think about how snorting cocaine off a thai hooker's belly is a unique angle for a story, but once you've "been there, done that" then it loses it's uniqueness*.

I guess the trick is to put yourself behind the eyes of your target reader and try to find an angle that will be interesting for them no matter how bland it seems to you. My new theory is that in the beginning you can only guess at what you think will work and then, no matter how boring you might think it is (well, you do have to try just a little bit to make it interesting), you have to leave it up to an editor to decide whether it's worth being published. Your job is only to write. Let other people do the tough work of deciding what is fit for publication.

After a while you will either have amassed a collection of published work, or have been rejected enough times that it might be time to pick up lawn-bowling as a new hobby. Hopefully by the time you've reached the former result, you'll begin to understand which of your ideas are good and which really are as mundane as you once thought they were.

I also want to thank the people that responded earlier. When I first posted this I guess I was almost looking for easy answers. Maybe hoping that someone could point out a shop here in Vancouver where I could get a good deal on some creativity, but I'm learning a lot about perception these days and how important it is not to let negative perception interfere with the positive aspects of possibility.

I've recently made a bit of a resolution to begin collecting rejection slips until some editor phones me up and tells me exactly how to write the article that will get published. At the very least maybe i'll just get lucky and tap into what it takes before that phone call comes.

*Please note that the author has not "been there, done that".

Dilute mediocrity with laziness. Really dulls the pain of potential failure.

I dont recommend it tho.

This thread is encouraging~ thanks~

Dear Markus:
I'm Julio Caro from Argentina. My English is not enough good yet, but it is suffiecient to tell you that every great and famous writers in all the world and even in the history have had the same feelings that you tell in your message. Be calm, don't be so critic to yourself, and try to give yourself permission to write anything. Sometimes a good begining is wirte a nonsense or an absurd. If you think as you show in your message I feel you have talent for writing.
Good luck.

i usually feel most mediocre when i'm holding the final manuscript or published book in my hands, and it's too late to change anything and I think, "good lord, this is an embarassment." That's why I can't resist a little rewriting for the readings!

I'm not much of a one for helpful guides (except for traveling that is) but one I did find helpful, encouraging, funny and forgiving was Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. She's got exercises that are specifically for autobiographical writing - to get it flowing, not to get it all edited and perfect (remember, perfect morphs into mediocrity upon publication) when the story has yet to exist anywhere but inside your head!)

writing down the bones


juliecaro - MY English is not good enough yet, and I was born here! Couldn't have expressed it better about good beginning's being nonsense or an absurd! Thank you!

The first hurdle is getting the words down. Once you've done that, I'd recommend getting someone else to read what you've written. I find it almost impossible to take a dispassionate view of my own stuff - and yes I always think it's mediocre, derivative, uninspired etc... A fresh pair of eyes will loook at your writing in a completely different way. A writers' group is probably a good idea for this.

The two other things I think really help - neither of which I do enough of - are making proper notes (not just what you see, but what you hear and smell and how it feels etc...) and jotting down authentic snippets of dialogue which catch your ear at the time. Good dialogue can really bring travel writing to life. Although in many cases I suspect the writers have embellished and quite possibly constructed fictional exchanges between characters, in order to liven up a scene which may itself have been real.

Markus, you are not alone. Any good writer doubts his work all the time. Bad writers cannot find fault in their writings.

(Paraphrased from Stephen King's On Writing)

There are so many times I would submit an article to my editor doubting that it's fit to publish, and then I am surprised to see it printed unmodified.

I'm going to resurrect this post...I love it! Having only climbed a few rungs on the Travel Writing ladder, I'm constantly second guessing my abilities. No, actually it's more like, "what if the editor reads this and laughs, oh, I can hear the critics now. I have the creativity of a doorknob. Crap, why did I waste my time, it's rubbish anyway."

Yeah, this is BEFORE I write the first word.

What I've found to help me get past the inner critic is to choose a single person to write for. If I'm writing this article for my best friend, I'll infuse humor and stories that I might talk myself out of otherwise. When I sit down to write, I’ll literally write ‘Hey Mollie’ a the top and try to forget that I want to publish the thing. At the moment, I just want to entertain her with a snippet from my travels. It helps. Really!

Salaam!

I'm glad that this thread has been reawakened! It's inspiration for all of us when we're sitting in front of a blank computer screen, trying to weave together some amazing text out of 100 pages of incoherent travel diary!!

I, and a fellow travelling friend of mine, often have the "well, it was a really amazing trip, so, er, why can't I write anything truly inspirational about it?" conversation. It's really disheartening to have all this information, vivid memories, amazing descriptions, great anecdotes and fantastic photos, but not be able to do anything with them..............

I think that girlgoesglobal's idea about writing your story as if it's for a friend is a great idea, as it helps you to focus on all those interesting, captivating things about your travels and leave out the boring bits! At the end of the day, you need to be able to write for an audience, and have a good idea of what will be intriguing for them - editors are looking for stories that will be appealing, and which will sell.

Sometimes it's easy to forget that your experiences ARE unique and interesting and exciting, and it's really important to get feedback from other people rather than just reading through your work yourself. Someone else can read your work and say "Wow, did you really have to wash all your clothes in a dirty river? What did you do when that guy tried to sell you the TV? Why aren't there any women in the cafe in that picture? Did you eat any of it then? Why are there loads of red rags on that tree?"..... and then you remember all the other little details that you'd forgotten, but which are actually really important to your story!

One person's mundane shopping trip is another person's exciting adventure..............!

Happy writing!

......................and now I'm wondering why I can't write 300 words of a travel article as easily as I just wrote that post................

LOL!!!!!

..............but I think I know the answer to that!!