In the run up to a special travel writing workshop to be conducted at The Chikoo Tree in Margao, Jessica Faleiro, instructor and organiser, spoke to TG Life about why travelogues are important to literature, and what the writing workshop holds.
JAY JOSHI
TGLIFE: In an age when travel-related Youtube channels and travel guides such as Lonely Planet are becoming popular, how are travelogues relevant?
JF: Travel guides tell you where to go, what you’ll see there and what to do. They’re clinical and, by definition, don’t provide any sense of a connection to place. Travelogues, as in written ones, are just a different form of record or media, that appeal to some people, besides videos. When written well, they capture the sense of a place, ideally, at a deeper level, as well as the author’s connection and even, emotional response, to that place including its people and its culture.
TG: Writing is something anyone can do-you could just pick up a pen and start writing. What is the need for a workshop?
JF: There are a few advantages to attending a workshop. Firstly, there is a craft to writing and yes, it can be taught. Travel writing, similarly, can always be improved upon and a workshop can help do this. Second, people have different learning styles. I, for one, prefer face-to-face contact with a teacher or a workshop facilitator plus interaction with a few other people in workshop mode, in order to effectively absorb information and learn. Others find they can do this easily in other ways, like learning online, or they don’t benefit from interacting with others and wish to learn on their own. That’s fine too. I’m offering a paid service to deliver to a group of people that feel they would benefit from receiving that service in the style that I deliver it. And finally, one particular point of added value from attending a workshop is that you have an ‘expert’ from the industry who is professionally trained, commenting on and giving you feedback on your written work.
TG: Why choose to have a workshop specifically on travel writing rather than any other genre of writing, considering the fact that you have a book of ghost stories?
JF: I also teach Writing Fiction workshops. However, I believe that my travel writing workshop is popular because the travel writing space has exploded not only in India, but world-wide. Travel blogging is one way that some digital nomads seem to be making a living. However, the competition is fierce as various bloggers try to figure out what niche area of expertise or services they can offer their readers. Some build followers purely through excellent travel writing with a strong sense of voice, which is a craft that one can learn. My workshop is about helping people get closer to improving their own writing, whether they are a travel writer or not.
TG: Do share with our readers some simple tips for better travel-writing
JF: My top tip for travel writers would be for them to set the clear intention that they want to capture their story and then spend ten minutes at the end of every travel day jotting down their key impressions and notes for the day before these start to disappear. As soon as they’re back from their trip, they can write up a first rough draft and always edit it later as needed.
