archives: Notes on Writing
How to Develop a Personal Brand as a Writer
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Every day, in many different ways, I massage my brand and am pitched by other writers who have (or have not) polished their image. More »
Travel Writing as Punk Rock: 15 Vital Matador Narratives
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You don't mistake travel writing for punk rock. Most of it just isn’t loud or raw enough. But not all. More »
The Importance of Connecting with Travel Writing throughout History
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Now that the world has been Google Mapped, how does does the modern travel writer fit into an ancient tradition? More »
Great Narrative Travel Writing: “I just don’t see a lot of it in the travel blogosphere. Do you?”
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I read this comment last night and wondered (and am still wondering) about various things. More »
Your Travel Writing Doesn’t Matter!
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It seems to me that most travel writing doesn’t matter. More »
Material Transparency: manifesto on a writer’s personal brand
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Material Transparency is an underpinning or ethic of a writer's personal brand. More »
Whatever happened to travel poetry?
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Has the only 'legitimate' form for writing on travel and place become limited to the narrative essay or memoir? More »
What is your most productive writing environment?
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Looking back over my journals from this past summer I realize there are these flow-enhancing factors. Here are some of mine. More »
NaNoWriMo – Anyone writing a novel next month?
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"Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing. " More »
Do Freebies Undermine Honesty in Travel Writing?
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How do publications' policies on what a writer can and can't accept for gifts or comps affect the integrity of travel writing—as well the writer's a More »
Field Notes From Elizabeth Eslami
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In this new series we look at notes taken unedited from authors' journals, then learn how they're worked into stories, novels and other writing. Today More »
Thoughts on Plot by Famous Writers
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Notable writers on plot structure, plot development, and the plot of our lives. More »
The Danger of the Single Story
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What are the implications of growing up reading about characters who are nothing like you? More »
Notes on Shoplifting from American Apparel
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In a new series, Notes on Writing, Matador editors examine different books and writing styles. We begin with Shoplifting From American Apparel, a new More »
Field Notes From Mary Sojourner
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In this new series we look at field notes from well-known writers, then ask how their writing and creative process takes shape. We begin with novelist More »
