Seven slants to travel writing success

Having a good slant is one of the best ways to keep your next travel article out of the slush pile. Your goal is to be published so forget about writing the definitive guide to the city and focus in on a specific interest, activity or area. Slanting an article means you are concentrating your information on a specific theme and I have seven slants to get you started on selling your next travel article.

1. Historic Color The recent history of an area has added fodder to many a travel article. Weave a story around a local historic figure by telling his or her story in reference to the town or community you want to write about. Look at buildings with a past. Did anyone famous ever sleep in a local hostel or are there any pioneers' homes of historic importance in the area. People are interested in the past and enjoy walking and exploring historic areas.

2. Happy Birthday! or Anniversary! or Launch Day! Look for significant dates for an area. Is the capital city celebrating its 100th anniversary since confederation? A battle or war commemorative date coming up? Then a story about the local Air museum or battle site would be a sure-fire sell. You'll need to find dates that are a year or more away to allow for publishing lead time.

3. Romance Sex sells but so do romantic settings and activities. Did you find the most romantic B&B on your last vacation or the perfect setting for a wedding? Pitching your idea to bride's magazines as well as the regular travel mags will better your chances of acceptance and woo you more sales. Ideas for weekend getaways with a romantic twist may be all the slant you need to have an editor say "I do".

4. Party, Party, Party! Festivals, competitions and events are successful because a lot of people (and therefore readers) are interested in attending. Focus your article on a specific festival such as a summer theatre festival, a Jazz fest, or the yearly air show. If it is an annual event, go one year and take a lot of photographs and notes. As soon as you get home from the big event, start pitching your ideas to magazines. Offer to write about the coming year's festival (most events have their lineups established well in advance) and offer to illustrate your article with photos from the previous year. Target markets which specifically cover the festival's area of interest (i.e. Jazz, airshows) or query magazines and newspapers for that city, state or province.

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