by
Sarah White
The
only things I know about travel writing are things I read in a book. Pretty apropos, really.
To me, that
statement sums up exactly what travel writing should do—take a reader to a
place and let that reader have the experience of that place whether he or she
ever goes there or not. Setting becomes the main character in a narrative that
revolves around the five senses, the context of history, and how that place
affected the writer.
I have stared the
Sphinx in the face and sweated inside the queen’s chamber of the Great Pyramid,
but what I know that most people don’t is that across the street from the
pyramids is a Pizza Hut, and when you push open the curtains, you have the most
magnificent view. I know what it feels
like to stand inside Westminster Abbey.
I have tasted Sedona, AZ in the middle of a thunderstorm, and I knew
what it must feel like to stare up from an ocean floor—no matter how fossilized
and arid. I touched the Thames and felt
the whipping winds howl in my ears at Stonehenge.
Yet, have I ever
been to Rome? Shivered in Moscow? Sipped miso soup in Japan?
Even before the
Internet, travel writing connected readers to the world. People took journeys
to “exotic” lands and published their adventures, leaving readers spellbound
and amazed by the diversity of world around us.
If you are
interested in travel writing, you might check out the following blogs:
Get out and
explore your corner of the globe. Travel
writing doesn’t have to be about places miles and miles away. Sometimes, the
best story is just around the corner.
Are there local festivals that more people should know about? What makes your “hometown” special and
unique?
A staycation can give you just as many
stories as a vacation across many states or many oceans.
In the end, the
thing to remember is what I tell my students every semester: It’s not what you write about; it’s how you
write about it.
Take us outside of
ourselves and away from ourselves for the span of a few minutes.
Let us “hit the
road” and escape. Let us refresh and
renew our own perspectives and take a mentally journey we won’t soon forget.
I would also be so bold as to include my website, littleIndiana.com, in the mix. It would definitely be included in the staycation/exploring your own backyard sort of category! But I think that that is important too. There are so many sites that focus on the BIG places, places that don't typically include Indiana--but wow, there's a lot of interesting, enjoyable, and surprising things to do right here.
ReplyDeleteYou're right. There are a number of good things to do right here, and your blog highlights them. Thank you.
ReplyDelete