BootsnAll Travel Community

Hi,

I'm new here. Just found BnA a few weeks ago, and became a member yesterday. I've enjoyed reading some of the travel stories on BootsnAll.

Okay, rewind. Guess I better do a short intro: I write advertising for a living, and write about travel (and other stuff) to keep me from jumping out a window because I write advertising for a living.

Anyway, the subject line is a bit misleading, as I submitted a piece to BnA earlier today. But I'm just wondering from all of you out there who also have.....what have you gained out of it? Anything beyond "feedback" and "constructive criticism"?

Is this all just for grins? Not that there's anything wrong with that. I've been writing and posting (just for grins) elsewhere for a couple years. I'm just wondering.

Thanks,

Travis

I haven´t written anything for the Boot yet... not because I don´t want to, but I am still learning the art of being a writer

Anywhoo... Sean I think said it best when he called Bootsnall the ¨minor leagues¨of travel writing, less money, less fame, but its a stepping stone.

Many submit (IMHO) to get some exposure and some bylines on their resume before taking on bigger fish.

Some submit stories they can´t sell to get their name out there.

Some submit just because they love writing but can´t earn a living from it.

_____________________________
ServeYourWorld.com -How to Volunteer Abroad
Eurailblog.com -4 Months in Europe, Starts Mid-May

Hey Travis,

I hope you saw our Writer's Guidelines...we are honest in that section of the why's and why nots.

Remember that not everyone wants to be a "travel writer" for a living...some people also just want a place to share a story among people that "understand" - nothing more, nothing less.

Welcome to BootsnAll Travis...ever come through PDX?

Follow BootsnAller's as they Travel

Hi LiveNomadic and Sean,

Thanks for the replies. Yes, Sean, I read the writer's guidelines. Anyway, I submitted something to Chris and he seemed to like it.

I guess I was mostly curious because I was impressed with the quality of the writing I found here while reading some of the travel stories. (Haven't gone into the blogs/traveloques yet.) And that you have this very "writers forum" message board. Didn't know if I was getting in over my head here because I fall into the "enjoy writing and just want to share a story" category. Of course, if there's a way to make a buck out of something I've written, I wouldn't turn it down. So many of the people hanging out here seem talented and articulate. I fear I may have to watch my grammar and punctuation a little more closely in this neighborhood than in the others I regularly haunt.

You guys have built quite an impressive place. There's so much content. And great tone. Congrats.

Cheers,
Travis

P.S. For no particular reason, I hardly ever get to PDX. Great city though.

Travis

I have probably written more articles for bootsnall than anyone else ( I prefer the quantity to the quality route...) and from these 80 articles a fair few have been picked up by magazines, newspapers, journals etc and published - just had a big one for Readers Digest (no laughing at the back now!) so the reasons I still put my stuff more or less exclusivley here are:

1. a lot of people who look for new writers check out bootsnall
2. Bootsnall are excellent are getting a new writer great exposure
3. I write for fun, my paying job keeps me travelling and I like the idea of people learning from my mistakes, bootsnall is about the best way of achieving that


I dont really want to do much more with my writing than this - thats why my manuscript for my travel book will spend the nest 10 years under my desk - collecting dust....so bootsnall is just about perfect for me ....

Philip

www.philipblazdell.com

Hi Philip,

Great reply. Thank you.

It's funny....I've written some "epic" (okay, long) travelogues over the last few years and posted them on various "destination specific" message boards. Some of them definitely include distinct pieces that could easily be worked into stand alone stories. (Don't worry BnA staffers...I'm not about to flood you.)

I'm just surprised it took me so long to find this place. Then again, I've been pretty focused on Mexico the last few years.

If by some fluke I submit something worthwhile...and if by an even more bizarre fluke...some pub wanted to pick it up, that would be great. (Note to self: call accountant and ask if I can deduct a $5000 trip after selling a $200 story.)

Thanks,

Travis

I find BnA to be a great place to submit stories/'logues to get good solid feedback. I don't know if I actually call myself a writer or not. But I like doing it and wouldn't mind making a living at it one day, perhaps. Until then, I've had some people stumble across my stuff and end up having some interesting debates via email. That's enough for me.

By the way, Chris. Did I email you the rest of the Mex stuff or should I take the hint?

Just another travel addict getting Out of dodge...

Thanks, Delara. I mostly write for my own enjoyment anyway. I have a feeling some of the stuff I write may be sellable, but know myself well enough to know I'll never get around to marketing it.

Travis

I'm reporting this 2nd hand, but I believe Erik Trinidad, who goes under the name eeyartee on here got a job as a regular travel writer for Lycos or some site though his work being noticed on here. If ERT sees this, maybe he can comment himself. I think he's too busy travelling at the moment though.

p.s. Gratz on Reader's Digest, Phillip. It's definitely nothing to laugh at. Those folks pay the big bucks/pounds.

_____________________________

Follow our travels through Asia at Travelling with Shawn and Jennifer

Thanks for the reply, skobb. Very nice blog you've got started. Nicely written.

Travis

Why Sumbit to BootsnAll?

It gives me something to do.



That and people love to learn about new places.

Court

"The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see." ~G.K. Chesterton

And in the process you get to meet great friends. Imagine a free and friendly place to crash in somewhere out there in this great world - all because you met a friend thru BNA

Why submit to BNA (or any non-paying site)???

I think websites and ezines are brilliant outlets for writers. OK, most don't pay (and some may argue they are killing writing as a paid profession) but they have opened the way for a huge variety of new voices to express themselves and gain public exposure. A lot of print publications tend to equate "good writing" with commercial potential. If a writer has something interesting to say and says it in a unique way then why should it be left gathering dust just because some editor rejects it and concludes that it won't appeal to his or her target audience and rake in the readership to benefit the advertisers. "Publishable" quality and "good writing" are not always one and the same. I was writing for a non-paying website for about a year and those who ran it eventually published what I had submitted as a book. It hit the main bookshops (in India) and did well. If I hadn't put my stuff on that site, then I'd still be waiting to be published. Many of my web articles have been published in mags and newspapers (for payment) but I still post all of my stuff for free on websites. For me at least, it's not about making money (although it's nice when I do), but for the sheer pleasure of writing and knowing that someone somewhere may be reading it. I think writers write to be read. And just because your work has appeared on a website doesn't mean you can't recycle it and submit it to newspapers/mags also. Chapters from my book can be read on BNA travel stories section and the book's webpage is -

www.zine5.com/chasingrainbows

"Why Submit to BootsnAll?"

It teaches us how to start paragraphs.

Brilliant obsevation and very witty!

boredom and no waves and dirty water

I put some stories on Bootsnall and now if you type the all-too-common name: "Kyle MacDonald" into Google, links to my writing come up first.

As a kid trying to make his name in the writing biz, accessibliity like that is pretty hard to put a price on. Some companies/people pay hundreds or thousands of dollars a year to keep their name as the #1 hit on google.

...or you can always make up a unique pseudonym like "Chester Lightning" or "Reginald Tailfeather" or something like that.

Go to Google and type in travel stories. Then, do it again with country-specific 'travel stories' like 'france travel stories' and see what comes up. There are very big debates about writing for free if you're trying to make it in the writing biz. If you're going to do it, it might as well be for a lot of exposure - something, as Kyle pointed out - BnA provides. So... submit!

Court, last year I was looking for info on hiking in Poland, and the first thing Google came up with was the High Tatras guide I wrote for bootsnall myself.