Laptop Travel Lifestyle

An excellent source of income while traveling is writing for websites, blogs and magazines. I currently write from fifteen to thirty articles each week and thought I'd share a little from my experiences.

Article Research

After you've decided on a blog, website or publication and what type of article you are going to write, the research begins. I've discovered there's a danger with research. Over-researching your article reduces profitability and can often produce bloated articles nobody will take time to read.

At your local library, make friends with the local librarians. They can be a gold mine of information and resources. This can sometimes pose challenges while traveling due to the language barrier.

Become an accomplished Internet searcher. Many search engines have an "advanced" search option that can help you create a more precise search. For most search engines, a plus sign + in front of a word means that that word must occur in any results. (For example, +new +york +pollution) Quotation marks can be placed around a phrase to retrieve those words as a phrase and not just as keywords appearing separately. ( For example, "new york" retrieves that phrase and not entries that refer to "york" and anything "new") More search words are usually a good idea in search engines, but not necessarily in library catalogs or periodical indexes.

Sometimes a story will require interviewing one or several person. If you are interviewing someone, have a microphone along to record the interview onto your laptop computer, or carry a micro cassette recorder.

Remember when interviewing that no matter how famous the person is, they are a real person too with feelings and concerns. Treat them naturally and you will get a much better story.

Don't forget that if it is a telephone interview, you have to tell the person that you are recording the conversation for legal purposes.

Writing the Article

The first step in the writing is to create a motivating opening story. The opening must propel the reader into the rest of the article so they can't stop reading.

After writing the opening for the article, how do you continue? If you've done your research for the article, you will not write 2,000 words for a publication that only takes 500 word articles. In most cases you will have a target length for your article. This word count helps give some definition to your plan.

I write from an outline. Normally my article will have a number of points or illustrations. Write out the different points for your outline. When I write a short story, I use the same approach. What is the beginning, middle and ending? An outline keeps the writer focused on the goal of the article.

Be realistic with yourself and your writing lifesytle. Can you only write for an hour a day or maybe it is only twenty minutes? Are you motivated to write the entire article in one session? Perhaps you like to write only one point from your outline during each session. Whatever your writing goals, it is important to write consistently and keep moving the article toward completion.

After you've written the article, put it away. If you are on a tight deadline, that might involve popping out to Starbucks and then returning to it. If you have the time, it might involve several hours or days. When you return to your article, read it out loud. The ear is less forgiving than the eye. Reading it out loud, will point out areas for you to revise and rewrite.

Good Writing is Rewriting

In evaluating the article, ask yourself if it makes sense. Are there points that are missing in the flow of ideas or storyline? Can you tell some of the stories with more detail and emotion? Is the article focused and targeted for the assigned publication? Does it have a good ending? If the article is a call to action, ask yourself if you feel motivated to take action after reading it.

Scan your article for spelling and grammar mistakes. It's amazing how many articles are submitted for publication with typing errors and simple grammatical mistakes. As a writer, you want to present the best article possible. Give it an additional check. Microsoft Word and other software offers basic spelling and grammer checking. Be sure to use these features.

Submitting Your Article

It's time to submit your material to the publication. In your cover letter to the publication, explain your familiarity with their magazine, blog or website. If you've been taking it for years and faithfully reading it, say so.

Express your willingness to make changes in the direction of the article and make revisions. An editor may like your opening illustration but have a completely different direction for the article. If you've expressed willingness to make revsions, you will have an opportunity for publication. The professional stance is to show flexibility to the direction from an editor.

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