Cathy Smith's Blog
Posted by Cathy Smith
London is one of the best major world cities for walking. There are huge parks, historic neighbourhoods and meandering canals. This is not a city that can boast grand boulevards like those in Paris, or the easy to negotiate grid plan of New York. This is a city where the streets meander and logic does not prevail.
In September 1666 a small fire started in a bakery in Pudding Lane, alongside the River Thames. It quickly spread and within three days four-fifths of the City had burned down. This was London’s chance to re-build the City in an orderly, coherent manner. But this didn’t happen. Traders and merchants were too eager to get back to business and the new City reverted to its previous medieval street plan.
So, the opportunity to bring some order was missed and London today is not the easiest place to find your way around. However, there is an argument for this being a plus. It certainly makes exploring more interesting and turning corners into small quiet streets can bring its own pleasures, and surprises.
Below are a variety of walks to choose from.
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Posted by Cathy Smith
Sometimes described as ‘The Sunburnt Country’ after a line in the poem ‘My Country’ by Australian poet Dorothea Mackellar, Australia certainly is sunburnt. However, popular as they are, there is more to this vast country than its fabulous beaches.
For those of us who like to escape winter, Australia is the place. You can explore tropical rain forests, go bush walking, fossick for opals and experience Aboriginal culture in the Outback. And if you need a city fix , that’s no problem. Fine food, great restaurants, fabulous shopping are the norm in places like Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth.
Check out the articles below for just a taste of what Australia has to offer.
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Posted by Cathy Smith
Journalism is an interesting, exciting profession. You don’t have to have a university degree - what you need is a natural curiosity about the world you live in, people you meet, subjects that interest you and about which you would like to know more, and the will to persevere.
No matter where you live in the world, be it a small town or a big city, there are stories just waiting for someone to write them. It takes a little confidence when you first decide to have a go, but if you have an enquiring mind, can string a few words together in an interesting way and are willing to learn as you go, there’s no reason why you should not eventually see your articles published.
Below are links to a journalism course that I taught for four years in London, UK. The text is written by myself and is aimed at the beginning writer. I hope you find it helpful.
Best of luck.
Cathy
How to Be a Freelance Journalist - Getting Started
Travel Journalism for Beginners
Interviewing for new Journalists
Interviewing - Getting Best Out of Subject
Posted by Cathy Smith
Many aspiring journalists would like to become travel writers. Thoughts of all those lovely press trips to exotic destinations is a huge attraction but often there is the perception that travel writing is somehow easier than ‘proper’ journalism. For example, you would need to know something about politics, science, health etc. if you are going to write articles on these subjects but when it comes to travel writing many people think it’s purely a matter of going on a trip, writing up your impressions, and then sending it off to the travel editor of a newspaper or magazine.
It’s not that easy. To be a successful travel writer you need to know a bit about the workings of journalism at large. Being a travel writer is not quite the same thing as being a tourist.
You need to know ahead of time what kind of publication you plan to write for and what point of view you are going to take. You need to do some research before you go in order spend your time looking at and writing about stuff that will be useful to to the point of view you have chosen. You also need to study the markets to see what kind of publication would be interested in what you have to say.
There is much more to it than the three points mentioned above, but my point is that you need to understand what journalism is about before you can become a travel writer.
Below are a few related links that may help you with your travel writing. Happy travels!