Find out how to write and sell travel articles, under the tutorage of one of SA's leading travel writers, Carrie Hampton.

Our courses offer one-on-one training, and students can sign up and start at any time, all year round.

Learn how to:
- Come up with ideas for articles
- Conduct reseach and interviews
- Write a travel piece
- Run a successful business as a travel writer
- Receive an additional article critique by Don Pinnock, associate editor of Getaway Magazine

You get:
-Individual expert feedback
-Prompt, dedicated tutoring
-Rigorous writing training, plus the industry know-how you need

Registration is online at http://www.sawriterscollege.co.za/.

Course tutor:

Carrie Hampton is a world-travelled freelance travel writer, photojournalist, guidebook and coffee table book author. Carrie sells her travel articles to local and international newspapers and magazines, and has been facilitating travel writing workshops for over 10 years.

She is also the author of two coffee table books, Table Mountain to Cape Point (Struik), and Exclusive Safari Lodges of South Africa (The Hoberman Collection).

Course curriculum:

Module one - What is travel writing
• Top 10 questions
• What characterises travel writing
• What a travel article is not
• Article excerpt – Art of noise
• 14 key elements of travel writing

Module two - Understanding publications and writing for their readers

• Researching the publication:
• Which magazines accept freelance material
• List of publications
• Tips on finding information
• Understanding the publication:
• Contributor guidelines
• Media packs
• The brief
• Writing for the reader

Module three - Coming up with article ideas

• What is a travel editor looking for?
• Identifying themes and angles
• How to choose your own theme and angle

Module four - Writing a good travel article

• Writing tips:
• Banish clichés
• Good opening lines
• Catchy titles
• Other writing tips

Module five - Writing a strong middle

• Good writing techniques
• Using transitions and logical flow
• Interview techniques
• The importance of accuracy
• Understanding plagiarism

Module six - Rules for better writing

• Perfecting grammar
• Importance of correct punctuation
• Writing power sentences
• What makes a good quotation

Module seven - Closing your article

• Writing good sidebars
• The importance of closers
• Types of closers

Module eight - Selling yourself and your work

• The Final Cut: guidelines on how to edit your own work
• Selling your work
• Example covering letter/email
• Rejection
• Setting out your article professionally

Module nine - Good business practice

• Understanding basic business principles
• Obligations as a writer
• The writer/editor relationship
• Understanding copyright
• How to set out an invoice
• Negotiating fair rates and terms

Module ten - Thinking out of the box and photography tips

• Multiple articles: How to get several stories out of one trip
• Model of ideas
• About you: what you need to know about yourself
• Upsides and downsides of travel writing
• Final words of advice on travel writing
• Photography tips

For full course details and FAQ, please visit us at www.sawriterscollege.co.za.

Venues

Date: 03 April 2008
Location: Countrywide
Cost: R2995.00

Date: 10 April 2008
Location: Countrywide
Cost: R2995.00

Contact: Candice Kotze
Company name: SA Writers' College
Telephone number: +27 21 433 2879
Email address admin@sawriterscollege.co.za