Want to become a travel writer?		I am unable to respond to all requests for career advice, due to a busy work schedule. My best (and admittedly biased) recommendation? Take one of my classes or independent study programs. But if budget woes prevail, here are some resources.
Courses offered online and in-person		Workshops taught (or co-taught) by Amanda Castleman: New Media (online, 6 weeks) Travel Writing Intro (online, 10 weeks) Travel Writing On-going Workshop (online, 10 weeks) Travel Writing Master Class (online, 12 weeks) Rome Workshop: Photography and Travel Writing (Italy, one week) Other options include tutoring, coaching and manuscript consultation.
Travel Writing Class.com, Rome, Italy		Travel Writing and Photography Workshop, Rome, Italy Study as you plan to continue – on the road. Start in the Eternal City this autumn ... Join Amanda Castleman and a professional photographer for a seminar in Italy's capital. Travel Writing Class.com offers a week-long $1,500 course. The Susan Tifft Scholarship provides a 50% tuition discount for the winner of our essay competition. Dates: Autumn Fee: $1,500 early-bird discount. Prices then rise to $1,700. These small courses fill quickly. Pre-register to reserve a spot.
Writers.com		Travel Writing: From Press Trips to Punctured Tires (10 weeks) This genre stretches from iPhone apps to some of the world's most powerful narrative nonfiction, as modern explorers tackle journeys both interior and exterior. Writers.com offer two modules. Longtime instructor Amanda Castleman teaches her classic Travel Writing: From Press Trips to Punctured Tires roughly three times each year. Writers.com also runs a 12-week Travel Writing Master Class. Anchored by Amanda, it includes a rotating cast of guest-instructors like Murder In Italy author Candace Dempsey, London's Anna Melville-James, and World Hum columnists Frank Bures and Thomas Swick. Not sure if the master class is for you? Take our quiz to find out. Read examples of student's published work. Travel Writing: From Press Trips to Punctured Tires (10 weeks) The glamour of travel writing attracts many people. After all, who wouldn't want subsidized trips to exotic destinations? But it's not all easy living. Journalists must concoct ideas, sell them, plan the trip, research extensively in the field and then craft a gripping article. It's work. Nice work, if you can get it, but a far cry from slobbing on the beach with a margarita. The ten-week course prepares you to enter this competitive arena. Explore the different types of travel writing, including first-person memoirs, destination guides, historic reflections and news flashes for globe-trotting executives. Learn to devise appealing pitches and target the right editors. Discover the tricks of the trade, from filing taxes to building a journalism portfolio. Other topics include photography, narrative devices, research and interview techniques, new media as a marketing tool, and – perhaps the greatest challenge – how to earn a living wage. The class also covers ethical considerations (for example, subsidized trips alienate publications like The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times). You don't need to be a world traveler to become a "writer about place". Reveal the secrets of your hometown for visitors. Record an exceptional hike or festival. Share family holiday hassles and tips on how to avoid friction. The important thing is to learn how to capture a journey's details and sensations – even the frustration of a flat tire – then spin them into perks, paychecks and published work. This course takes you through the process step-by-step, with weekly lectures, discussions and feedback. Past students have taken this momentum into bylines at The Independent, The Guardian, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Toronto Sun and The Christian Science Monitor, among others. One landed three clips in national outlets – off her first pitches ever – before week six of the course. Another has won travel-writing's most prestigious prize, the Lowell Thomas. Whether you're new to publishing or a seasoned writer, the class will help you find a new voice and inspiration. Amanda works intensively with students' prose, interleaving comments (line-critiques). She fine-tooth-combs the text, figuring out what's naughty and what's nice – and why. By the last lesson, you should have a polished draft ready for submission – and be on your way to making vacation a vocation. Class dates in 2013: April 1 and September 16, $340, enroll now Fee: $340 via Writers.com, email Mark Dahlby for details. Late-enrollment open until day ten, space permitting. Learn more on Writers.com. Ongoing Travel Writing Workshop (10 weeks) An ongoing writers' workshop for anyone who has taken Amanda's travel-journalism class.  No lecture, no lesson and no assignment. Instead, the course focuses on works-in-progress: from queries to articles to book-length memoirs. Whether you're trying to rough out a first draft or polish pieces for publication, each week you'll submit up to 750 words for feedback. You'll also critique other writers in the workshop. Via Nicenet, Amanda will post links, commentary and conferencing material. Master Class Co-instructor Edward Readicker-Henderson may "guest star" occasionally. Dates for 2013: TBA. Late-enrollment open until day ten, space permitting. Fee: $340 via Writers.com, email Mark Dahlby for details Recommended reading: Best American Travel Writing 2012: William T. Vollman Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark Learn more at Writers.com. Travel Writing Master Class (10 weeks) Take your prose to the next level, honing your voice and perspective. Bring a conference panel's worth of teaching talent to your computer – any time, anywhere. Each week, students receive direct feedback from one of seven instructors, ranging from a New York Times contributor to one of London's leading travel journalists. The roster includes multiple winners of the Lowell Thomas (the genre’s ersatz Pulitzer) and Best American Travel Writing honorees. Frank Bures focuses on Africa and all things offbeat. His work has won a Lowell Thomas award and been in Best American Travel Writing. A contributing editor at World Hum, he lives in Minneapolis. Adventure specialist Amanda Castleman has published in Outside, Salon, the BBC, Yahoo, Hemispheres and The International Herald Tribune, among others. Her 30-odd book contributions include Frommer's and National Geographic. Award-winning travel writer Candace Dempsey is the author of Murder In Italy (Penguin/Berkley Press), the true story of Amanda Knox. Her adventure tales light up Travelers Tales and Seal Press anthologies. A former MSN producer and editor of Alaska Airlines Magazine, she’s written for Slate, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune and many other publications. She's appeared on CNN, the BBC and MSNBC. J-school alumna Chelsea Lin has spent the last five years giving recommendations on where to eat, drink, shop, and play around San Francisco and Seattle—professionally via channels like City search, Seattle Weekly, and now, MSN Local—and independently to her network of friends (and really, anyone who will listen). London-based journalist Anna Melville-James has written regularly for the British national newspapers for over 12 years, from The Independent and Guardian to the more conservative Daily Telegraph and Sunday Times. The Cambridge graduate has authored travel guides for Michelin and helped launch The Daily Mail's www.travelmail.co.uk. Author and columnist Thomas Swick's observations on the trade have been honored by Travelers Tales, Best Travel Writing and Best American Travel Writing. His freelance clients include Afar, Smithsonian and The Oxford American. Jim Thomsen is a Seattle-based copy editor of book manuscripts. He works primarily with self-publishing authors, including several who landed lucrative traditional-imprint contracts. Previously, he spent 24 years as a newspaper reporter and editor. Explore imagery and epiphanies apt to an area. Sharpen your eye for timely angles and compelling quests. Push your plot arcs further and master the interweaving of action, analysis and reflection. From broadcast basics to longer-form narrative, this online workshop helps intermediate to expert authors refine their games. We'll delve into the sound of words on the page, as well as how to capture the best quotes from locals and experts. The class will even touch upon investigative tactics: when to tuck that press pass in your hat band... and when to meditate and read poetry for inspiration. Finally, you'll refine your cutting, redrafting and repurposing skills, exploring the same material through different subgenres and editors. Past travel-writing students have taken this momentum into bylines at The Independent, The Guardian, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Toronto Sun and The Christian Science Monitor, among others. One landed three clips in national outlets – off her first pitches ever – before week six of the course. Another has won travel-writing's most prestigious prize, the Lowell Thomas. But awards and publications are just icing on the cake: wherever you start from, this online workshop will help you kick things up a few notches via detailed critiques. Not sure if the master class is for you? Take our quiz to find out. Next dates: September 25, 2013, $445, enroll now. Late-enrollment open until day ten, space permitting. Learn more at Writers.com. Writing for New Media (6 weeks) Every site owner has become a content provider now, from bloggers chronicling baby's first step to e-commerce entrepreneurs. Discover how to publish fresh, frequent and original content that not only attracts, but also retains readers. Dig deep into the mechanics of web copy, from snappy headlines to strong news angles. Learn to DJ your blog, social-media sites and authorial brand, mixing expertise and entertainment. Strengthen your posts with themes, plot arcs and other devices that lend a polished, professional veneer. Forthcoming dates: TBA Learn more at Writers.com.
Hugo House, Seattle, WA		Brave New Media World More than 133 million blogs lurk in cyberspace now. Discover how to make yours stand out—and earn money. Explore the genre''''s history and its future, ethics, syndication and traffic-generation. Learn how to promote your work through social media and microblogging tools. This workshop explores the basics of search engine optimization and revenue tools like Amazon Associates and Google AdSense, along with freeconomics theory. It also touches upon "other voices, other rooms": adding diversity though interviews, memes, images, links and multimedia. Additionally, we''''ll delve into the literary aspects: developing a distinctive voice, thematic continuity, content pacing and shaping short narrative. Instructor: Amanda Castleman Forthcoming dates: TBA Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Avenue, Seattle, WA; 206.3227030. Details here.
Hugo House, Seattle, WA		I also teach one- and four-day workshops in person for the Hugo House, in Seattle. The Written Road “We travel, initially, to lose ourselves,” Pico Iyer once said. “And we travel, next, to find ourselves.” Explore how to chronicle a journey—both exterior and interior, employing literary techniques such as plot and dialogue. Practice in terweaving narrative, insight and analysis to capture the adventure that is uniquely yours. Date: 2013 dates to be announced Time: 1–5pm Fee: Members $85.50, General $95.
Tutoring		Private instruction allows one-on-one relationships between instructors and writers at all levels. I can critique and hone texts; help with plot and structure; tune dialogue; aid research; teach the fundamentals of craft; or prepare a manuscript for submission. Fee: $60 per hour via Writers.com. I bill one hour for a detailed line-critique of 750 words or for a more holistic overview of larger texts, depending on the student's needs, budget and word count. Money permitting, I would recommend at least one line-critique (where I edit the piece thoroughly and explain the rationale behind each suggestion). Most pupils – even experienced journalists for publications like the Los Angeles Times – consider this the most valuable service I offer. Please contact Mark Dahlby for further details.
Writing Coaching		Even experienced authors sometimes need guidance: an external eye and cheerleading voice. I work with writers on voice development, plot structure, grammar and rhetoric, data mining, marketing, pitching (articles and book proposals) and – often the greatest hurdle of all – just getting started. We confer online or in coffeeshops in Ballard, Seattle. Fee: $60 an hour by arrangement with the instructor. For a larger, on-going projects, “bulk discounts” are available.
Manuscript Consultation		I devise a three- to five-page report, outlining suggestions for improved clarity, style and marketability. Most effectively, this is paired with a line-critique: a detailed edit, which reveals a writer's unconscious patterns and explains the rationale behind changing them. Fee: $1 per double-spaced page by arrangement with the instructor. Please note, this service is only available for longer projects, 50 pages or more. Line-critiques cost $50 per 750 words.
Payment		Writers.com accepts Visa, Mastercard and American Express for courses and tutoring. Personal checks in US dollars are accepted for independent study, coaching sessions and manuscript consultations. Paypal is also fine, but students are responsible for any related fees (usually 2.9%).
Comments		"I spent eight semesters in creative writing classes at UC Berkeley, and Amanda offered more guidance and carefully directed help than any professor there." – Jenny Williams "She is a dream teacher, just the right balance between a knuckle-rapping tutor and a mom full of hugs. Thanks again for Writers.com. The course fees are lots cheaper than a shrink!" – Linda Petrucelli "I learned a huge amount, have had four pieces published and paid for (including my very first assignment, in The Guardian) and have completed the course with a sense of expanded possibilities. Thank you so much – this is the most rewarding educational experience I've had." – Rachael Davey "What an amazing gift you've given us: personalized attention plus huge generosity in sharing practical knowledge from the trenches. Far better than courses at traditional institutions." – Anne Anderson "Amanda is an amazing line editor and quick to provide excellent answers to questions. She's very supportive and encouraging, and I consider her not only my teacher, but a mentor as well." – Audrey Medina "At the end of 10 weeks, I had arrived in the Blogosphere, made new friends and even bagged a job as a writer at a magazine – all thanks to this course!" – Nidhi Nayer "With the confidence and skills Amanda gave me, I was able to approach highly regarded publications, like The Washington Post and the Toronto Star, and succeed in getting published. Amanda's class is a good investment, for beginners, as well as for professionals who need to energize their work and look at it from a different perspective. – Gaston Lacombe "She encouraged me to work beyond my limitations as a writer to points I'd never before reached, and beyond to new ones. Studying with Amanda will improve your writing, no matter the genre, and you'll have fun doing it!" – Debra Borchert "To have my first article accepted by the first publication I approached ?The Christian Science Monitor ? was like rocket fuel for me, and I have Amanda Castleman's expertise to thank." – Anne Clippinger, PhD, Adjunct Lecturer, Department of English, Montgomery College, MD "Amanda is an inspiration, an ideal to aspire to." – James Polk Read more reviews
Resources		I've posted some advice here, as well as a list of books and sites useful for travel writing, part of my curriculum.
Updated March 2013		Back to the main page