THE TRAVEL WRITING LEXICON is filled with cliches and vague descriptions. You know what I mean. Pick up the next guidebook you see and count how many things in the natural world are “breathtaking” and how many locales are a “hidden gem.”
Time to get all of those cliches out of your system.
Step 1: Look out your favorite window and write about the view. What does it look like in the morning, afternoon, and evening? In your first draft, describe the “breathtaking” sunrise and the “charming” houses. Do some research: Review a few travel websites, guidebooks, and travel blogs. Find the language that is vague and sounds like a marketing promotion and copy it.
Step 2: Rewrite your draft. This time, write something meaningful and concrete. Show (don’t tell) us about the color of the sunrise, tell us what your neighbor is wearing. Your goal should be to write something that only fits your view and the way that you see it with vivid detail.
