A taster of what it’s like to write for the Lonely Planet
I’m in the middle of a very important assignment…I’m trying to complete my sample brief to see if I have what it takes to become a Lonely Planet author.
How did I get this chance? I applied a few months ago, sort of on a whim and out of curiosity, and a few weeks ago I received an email to say that I’d been shortlisted as “having strong potential” and would I like to complete a sample brief.
So here I am, one week to go until I need to submit that brief and how many words do I have? About twenty.
What has been the most interesting of all about this experience however, are the insights I’ve had about the realities of writing for a publication like the Lonely Planet.
Unexpected things like…
- The amount of research and leg work that goes into writing even the tiniest of paragraphs
- The strange looks you get when you ask to see a room or try something out because you’re reviewing it but you don’t want to say who for
- How excited people get when you even mention the Lonely Planet name
- How hard it is to get under the skin of a place even when you think you really know it
- The fact that travel is really a minor part of it; you’re a writer who travels not a traveler who writes
I’ll let you know how I get on but first I’ve got to write another 1,980 words.
January 2nd, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Good luck Lea!
January 2nd, 2008 at 9:52 pm
Thanks Dan…doing my best. Still got a heavy day of writing ahead of me now 🙂
And of course, still got to read your book…perhaps that’d serve as a great (but relevant, of course) distraction. Ooops no, must get back to writing 🙂
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:12 am
Good luck, Lea – that’s quite an undertaking.
I love your last line that you’re a writer who travels – simple as that.
Trouble is, there’s nothing simple about travel writing.
Looking forward to seeing the outcome.
January 5th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Yes–good luck! That’s an exciting opportunity.