My favorite writing tips

I've been looking around at some do's and don'ts of travel guide writing and thought I'd share my favorites. These are the kinds of things that I'd like to bring out in the writing for the [b]Destiny Traveler's Guide[/b]: -Be current. Demonstrate thorough up-to-date knowledge. -Off the path. “Revealing a new or different side to a destination will give your story a richness that you won’t get with a description of a visit to the tourist café in the main square.” -Immerse yourself. Learn as much as you can about the history, politics and geography BEFORE you go there. -Check it! Rumor and gossip can make interesting bits, but [u]double check your facts[/u]. Find and use reliable sources. -Determination. Try to get satisfaction out of nailing a fact and passing it on to the readers. -Write normally. Don’t use words you wouldn’t ever say. “The best writing sounds natural and has personality. It should sounds like you.” -Avoid clichés. Use original descriptions that mean something. Don’t say: bustling market, azure/cobalt sea, nestling among, or smorgasbord. -Word economics Don’t waste words where it doesn’t count. -Be cinematic Vary the focus. Use a wide lens for landscape, medium lens for context/color, and zoom lens for detail and narrative. Switch between them to change up the pace of a piece. -Good visuals: “It’s easy to presume a lot, but your readers don’t know what you’ve seen. Describe as if you were explaining them to a blind person.” “To say a building is old isn’t good enough; explain the colors, the peeling stucco, the elaborate, angular finishes on window sills, the cleaning lady in a faded blue smock who was leaning out of a second-story window with a cigarette dangling from her mouth.” "If a child wearing rags made you sad, describe the child, their cloths, the way they carried themselves.” People don’t like being told what to think and feel. “There is a thin line between elaborate, colorful writing and pretentious tosh, but it’s better to lean towards the pretentious tosh side of the spectrum than to de dull and presumptuous. sources: [url]http://www.marco-polo.com/news/articles/how-to-write-a-travel-guide.html[/url] [url]http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2011/sep/23/travel-writing-tips-expert-advice[/url]