So I blew it. I wanted to develop Travel. Write. Live where I could talk about travel and writing that fell outside of a traditional travel article, something that explored the art of writing and included thoughts about how travel and writing pertained to life, but I blew it.

It was not that I ran out of creativity or topics. Instead, I started worrying about social media and keeping up with the googles. I found myself rushing to get articles done before they were fully fleshed out, because other bloggers were spitting out new content at alarming rates. I found myself spending more time partnering with legions of people trying to keep up with the googles, most of whom ran sites I only felt so-so about, and I strived to be more like them. I worried about competing with large corporations and SEO masters so my little site might be found by the masses, as if I were selling get rich quick schemes or miracle floor-wax. I also became less willing to point out how some of these corporations and organizations are ruining travel, so I might play “the game” with them. Travel. Write. Live. became more like a banal video game than a useful site, or, at least, a site I could be proud of writing. It all became a huge mistake on my part.

Once I figured out the mistake. I stopped maintaining Travel. Write. Live. I needed to step back and regroup, think about what I hoped to accomplish. I have done that. I have some clarity of vision. It has taken eight months to finally write this little article.

During this time I thought about what I wanted to do, how I wanted to rededicate myself to travel writings and life. The answers were easy.

1. Never again publish a story that is not completely baked. This might mean fewer stories in the beginning.
2. Let knowledgeable experts chime in and help us become better at traveling, writing, and even leading a better life.
3. Promote travel, but not always. I love travel, but there are plenty of companies that make the process of doing it terrible. Expect to hear a rant about the TSA in the future.
4. Criticize, when necessary.
5. Because I intend to explore social issues as it relates to travel, writing and leading a better life, TWL will now become “the No BS Blog about life.”

I know, maybe it does not seem like much, and do not get me wrong; there are still a number of stories that I am proud of presenting on TWL. I just am not willing to publish duds to keep up with the googles. I will take a few more chances.

Welcome to the new thoughts on travel, writing and life on Travel Write Live.

I was in the middle of my final packing for Mexico last night when I received a curious email from Google. It was an update to let me know who was linking in to Travel. Write. Live. I clicked the link and found this.
A list of the “top movers” on Technorati.com in the travel world. Actually, TWL was actually the number one “mover.” Not sure how or why it happened but I thought, “Pretty cool.”

I clicked around a little and then saw a small banner that listed Travel. Write. Live as a top 100 site in Technorati. Even cooler. So I clicked the link and went to a different page. and saw that not only was Travel. Write. Live. in the top 100 travel sites on Technorati, it was in the top ten! I went from pretty cool to super cool.

I took a moment to try to contain myself. Excited does not always describe a feeling well. I realized that rankings like these go up, and then come down, and I know that at some point, and in my case, may come down sooner than I would hope. Still, for the moment, I can claim a “top ten” status in the vast sea of competing web sites. It is a nice pat on the back.

It was at this moment I realized how grateful I am for the readers I have and the folks who stop by and think about travel with me. So, thank you all for taking the time from your lives to ponder about travel, and a writers life with me. I am not as alone as I sometimes think. And while I know the fickle analytics that govern my site will waver, I will gladly take that pat on the back and find gratitude that the ride is not alone.

And now to finish packing for Mexico City.

P.S. Sorry for the likely spelling and grammar mistakes. It is really early here. –dg–

Also, as I mentioned in my last check in, I had broken out the Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin America Level 1, version 3.0) for my upcoming trips south of the border. So far I have practiced every day for at least an hour. While I will reserve a final judgment and review until after my last trip in late October, Rosetta Stone is a smart program with a comfortable intuitive sense that makes learning straight forward. On the down side, the software uses a system that requires the user to speak (in some sections) and the computer evaluates the user’s ability to talk. The idea is great, but the technology is clearly not there yet. I have thought maybe my accent is throwing off the machine and I just need to work harder on my pronunciation. However, when I am screaming “hola” into the microphone and the machine repeatedly fails me in the most basic and common of Spanish words, there is a larger problem.

Still celebrating Mexico’s bicentennial, and learning Español, with some new shots from the Pueblos Magicos, the city of Parras.

Overall, a productive week, and now for the coming week of the business side of owning travel publishing.

Travel Writing

I have a new updated “Submission Guidelines” due for ITKT that will hopefully allow new writers easier access to getting their travel stories online faster. I am hopeful that I can create an online form for travel writers to add articles they want to post directly to ITKT. I also want to have new articles prepared for TWL, the Huffington Post, Technorati and Travel Writing Rock Star.

Delegating

I am slowly removing myself from reading articles. And truthfully, this is a good idea. I think I slow down the process and take too much time deliberating over good, or not so good, writing.

Traveling

While still a ways off, China has crept into the picture for a possible November visit. As it would be a first for me and a place drenched in culture and history, China is one of the few places I can get particularly excited about.

My list of my most inspirational books continues with the books #45-41 that have helped me put pen to paper, travel with abandon and remind me that finding inspiration is not impossible when staring at a blank computer screen. As always, new sources of inspiration are always welcome.

#45. The Art of the Tale and The Art of the Story both edited by Daniel Halpern

These fantastic collections of short stories were my first my textbooks, from my first class, after returning to school as the “elder statesman” at my local community college. Both books are filled with some of the best short story writing of the last 100 years. Personally, these books introduced me to Ann Beattie, Haruki Murakami, and Sandra Cisneros; reintroduced me to James Baldwin and Flannery O’Connor; and reminded me that great writing takes many forms — maybe even your own.

#44. Golf in the Kingdom by Michael Murphy

A must read if you golf. At the time I was golfing, albeit poorly and this one made me believe that a guy could hit a feathery (a golf ball made of feathers and brine) 320 yards with a shillelagh (walking stick). Golfer or not, this would be hard to believe in any other circumstance and had me wanted to tell a tall tale.

#43. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Is it fiction? Is it nonfiction? Depends on whose opinion you believe. What is less up for debate is the brilliant prose and description throughout. Without question Capote created a his own genre about a true story in Holcomb, Kansas. In Cold Blood is one of those rare books that made me ask myself, will I ever write this well? Then I go and try.

#42. Sefer Yetzirah (the Book of Creation) by Aryeh Kaplan

I know that it might be more helpful to keep my book selections more commonplace and accessible. However, I have to keep it real and say I have found inspiration in all kinds of places. This book would be ideally suited for a scholar focusing on sacred Hebrew texts about mysticism (I can almost feel readers falling asleep now). However, Kaplan’s Sefer Yetzirah attempts to explain, and decipher, creation and the microcosm of all life. One amazing undertaking considering, I can get flustered by trying to string a few simple words together. Kaplan had an amazing ability to discuss ineffable ideas and organizing this vast subject well. This book is a combination of magic, science, philosophy and mythology in one writing. In this way, it has a little something for everyone, but it still is not for everyone.

#41. The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson by Emily Dickinson and edited by Thomas Johnson

I decided to do my grad school critical paper on Emily Dickinson and used this book as chief reference. Somehow 125 years after her death, she is still relevant. Dickinson was shut in, depressive, feminist, probably homosexual (there is some debate), and self-reflective in a time when most writers just weren’t. She also played with structure, timing, and grammar when almost no one did such things. Her voice is unique and challenging. She still manages to touch emotional spots that need to be stirred.

More coming soon

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I did not shoot for the stars, but I wanted to say thank you to the people who have been reading, commenting and, in general, showing an interest in travel and writing. So, thank you! Welcome to my 100th blog post. Here are the latest headlines in honor of 100.

In The Know Traveler Gets a Face Lift

Beyond the long overdue cosmetic upheaval and navigation redesign, I have added some functionality to those leaving comments and visitors looking for linkbacks to their own blogs by adding ComLuv, or CommentLuv. ComLuv is a system that allows visitors to leave a link to their personal blog posts within the comment section of any ITKT post. There is also an increasing community of sites using this service. I recommend using ComLuv any time you leave a comment. I have also added TwitterLink (also from ComLuv, which offers optional twitter contact information on all comments. I have found them both to be useful in developing an online community. It is my small way of giving back to In The know Traveler readers.

Honesty Till it Hurts

Because it is important that readers have an honest understanding about whose words they are reading, I wanted to offer a little more of myself on the Meet the Editor page. I have taken a small handful of thoughts that have started some compelling conversations and an occasional “frank exchange of ideas” (a quote from my friend Peter). I offer these ideas not as a reason to argue, but as a reason to be more honest about myself in a very public forum — these damn Internets. I want it all to just hang out. Yes, it is a gamble. I hope you won’t hold it against me and even consider challenging some of my ideas. There will be more “outrageous statements” on the way.

My New eBook

Because writers have been asking me about breaking in to the travel industry (and other industries) for years, I have decided to boil my successes down and mistakes to create a practical guide for getting the most from the travel world from the inside-out. I have reached out to my travel friends who are experts in their fields and who have agreed to help me give readers a step forward in the right direction at getting what you want from a travel writing hobby or career. Learn exactly what the travel industry is looking for from writers and know the rules of the system to help put your best foot forward. This information will come directly from decision makers for national tourism offices, media contacts specialists and public relations firms who work directly with the media. What are the mistakes writers make, and how can you avoid them.

While I have yet to come up with a name, I have been putting together interviews with some of the most experienced and important experts in the travel industry to offer you advice and give you a leg up on the travel writing competition.

And now to march forward into the next 100 posts with more travel philosophy, travel writing tips, and living the writers life. Thank you so much for being part of this trip with me.

Happy travels,
devin

Fortunately, my inspiration is never far away. The books are piled upon other books and then crammed into every possible nook to fill my bookcase. In fact, all my bookcases look the same, too many books for too little space.

One of my favorite ways to find inspiration is by reading someone else’s writing. It does not matter what the subject, genre, style or tone is to me, as long as the writer is talented, passionate, knowledgeable or funny I get inspired. I am not sure how it all works, but while I am reading something I am enjoying pictures and thoughts just come. For a moment, I tap into something beyond myself.

Here are my top 50 books that take have given me a lot of reason to fill blank notebooks and computer screen. These works have also helped me get off the couch, make the bed, and have a better day. While many of these books are not any precise order, the last ten really are my best of the best. Enjoy.

50. The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie

This was the first grown up book I ever read. I would eventually go on a brief but intense Agatha Christie compulsion when I was 12. Not sure how I feel about her writing now, but she sure got me reading then.

49. The Cosmic Serpent by Jeremy Narby

A compelling read about the Ayahuasca people from the jungles of Peru and how intelligence and consciousness come together. Narby is academic without being dense and made me rethink what I know about primitive cultures.

48. Lonely Planet’s Iceland

It was an older addition that included a fascinating sidebar about the chess fanatics of Grimsey. The story inspired me to take a tiny plane to a small island in the Arctic Circle north of Iceland to discover the story was bogus. I was stranded on the boring little island for several days until the weather improved.

47. On Golden Porch by Tatiana Tolstaya

I was turned on to this obscure writer by one of the best writing teachers I have ever had. Tolstaya’s writing is about childhood boredom, sorrow and 30 other emotions that made me want to do nothing but write.

46. A Beginner’s Guide to Constructing the Universe by Michael S. Schneider

This book is on the philosophy of numbers and how they work in nature. There are also bits of math, science, and a sense that there really is order to the world.

More of the inspirational 50 coming next week.

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As the chatter went around the room, the subject of blogging came up. One of the writer’s took the opportunity to express his disdain about blogging and bloggers, “…bloggers don’t know what they are talking about,” and went on to describe his traditional journalism background and old school ethics as being more important and reliable than people who blog. He then finished by saying, “I write articles!” I thought the guy was a self-important idiot, but it was not the first time I had heard these sentiments about blogging, especially from “old school” writers.

While I agree to an extent, Internet writing still has a ways to go before being taken more seriously – at least by traditional journalism types. There is no denying, blogging is unlikely to be going away any time soon and has already made a huge impact as highly immediate, topical and interactive writing. Personally, I wanted to defend blogging as a new form that will take time to develop, and many bloggers are strong, relevant writers already. Before I had a chance to mount my argument that would have disintegrated into name-calling, a handful of the other writers just booed him.

While I am pretty certain his shot at bloggers was intended to boost his ego or put down others, I actually felt a little sad for him. The Internet has changed publishing and how information gets shared, which is good – and bad to folks who prefer one system to another. This means that traditional magazine writers and journalists have to play catch up or get left behind. There are fewer and fewer avenues for longer feature stories in paper magazines – there are fewer paper magazines, period. We, as a society, are devouring more snappy headlines than multiple pages of thoughtful prose. So some traditional writers have had to jump in and start learning about keyword optimization and writing shorter articles geared toward a rapidly changing readership.

Some of us at the media lunch felt comfortable diving into the uncharted Internet waters years ago. Others waited and now sound like a droopy sack of sour grapes looking to take a shot at the new bloggers on the block. Next week, I will offer a few thoughts to consider before transitioning from magazine writer to Internet blogger without losing journalism while blogging. The truth is that writing will remain writing. Blogging is only a form of writing worth learning for a changing climate with little room for sour grapes.

Here are my personal top three culprits that take up space and eat my time that need to go.

1. Any program featuring the doctors
Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, House, ER to name just a few. I want to see noble, caring doctors that are willing to go beyond the call of duty to help people while showcasing an ethical reasoning tempered by social justice. I want to see this because I have never seen it before in real life. Sadly, I have never met a nice and friendly doctor. Most of them walk in 25 minutes late after I have been sitting in my underwear and given a quart of blood. When they finally arrive they are looking at their watch and clipboard crushed for time. So why waste my time further with a social fairy tale? For the record, this is a tough one to admit to as I have a friend who writes one of these shows. She is a good person and I can’t think of anyone nicer to have some writing success. I am still waiting for the fairy tale about the insurance company who cares.

2. Any program featuring Ryan Seacrest or another sound alike, act alike TV host
He is everyone’s pal and just the tip of the iceberg of pleasant looking television hosts who encourage sad high school popularity contests as entertainment. There are a slew of these seemingly benign show hosts on gossip programs including Mario Lopez, that blond guy with the smooth voice, that dark haired guy with the smooth voice, the blond woman with the smooth all offering round-table discussions of the nonsense of a famous person’s personal life. The urgency in their rehearsed tones let’s us know they must be saying something important. Their usual presentations include pearly white teeth and a thick layer of judgment. Their main job is to be likable and remind us to buy their floor wax, tampons and carbonated drinks during sponsored time-outs. After watching them, I can actually feel my brain cells imploding and a dry heave coming on.

3. Any Internet video sites offering user uploads
You Tube is the biggest offender but there are a ton of college sites offering the same genius. While many users create socially conscious and informative news bits, most don’t. These are the ones that have headlines reading: Kitten in Paper Bag, Child Hits Man in the Nads/Jewels/Nether Region with tennis ball/hockey puck/wooden block/Kitten in Paper Bag, Hot Chicks Cat Fight or some other intellectually stimulating topic. It usually starts innocently enough. I find a video explaining thermodynamics (I do want to know about that), and then after the video is over the “related video” section promotes: Death Fight in Manila, Lady Back flip Gone Wrong, Dog Licks Own Nuts (Apparently, I want to know about that, too). Then the descent into hell begins.

I initially added social networking to this short list, but I have to acknowledge, as a small business, most of my new traffic comes from people I meet through social networking channels.

It is my fault for ever allowing the ridiculous in, and now it is time to wish these space fillers out — into the corn field. If you have any of your own guilty pleasure or pillars of distraction that it is time to say goodbye to, leave a comment below. And now to work on my next project, putting something in the new space.

For more on this subject visit The Creative Writer’s Bill of Rights and The Creative Writer’s Bill of Rights

As much as I hate to admit it, I have sat in front of many computer screens hoping for a flash of brilliance to appear in my brain and then coherently crawl out of my fingertips filling the blank computer screen. It rarely happens and I have to acknowledge the hard truth. Writing is mostly perspiration and a drop of occasional inspiration.

Then I remembered what Chick Corea, a famous jazz pianist, once wrote, “Create space – then place something in it.” This quote comes from a list he put together called “Cheap but Good Advice for Playing Music in a Group.” The whole list is worthwhile, but it is this one line that has always stood out for me. I love how it speaks to music and collaboration. I know that Chick was referring to musical notes. However, I have always used his list entry as a pearl of wisdom for solitary writing.

While Corea left out the details of the process, he provide the instructions. “Create a space.” Thinking about space is exactly what I needed. While I sat in front of that empty Word doc and flashing cursor, I realized how much stuff I planned to do with my day. I realized that writing was only one of many actions I hoped to make. I did not give myself space to write. I inadvertently made my writing suffer by piling on too many things to do and made it impossible for ideas to flow. And sometimes my time is just packed with nonsense, anything from television to eating chocolate chip cookies as a diversion from space and placing something new in it.

After I crossed out three entries on my “thing to do” list and freed up some time and head space, I had my inspiration for my note for today, and tomorrow. Tomorrow morning, I will write up some of my favorite diversions (inspiration killers and time devourers), share them with you and then wish them into the cornfields.

For more on this subject visit Taking Out the Trash and The Creative Writer’s Bill of Rights

1. Not Planning

I knew I wanted to inspire people to travel and I wanted to have a million readers. I knew I wanted to make a difference and have some integrity while doing it. However, what I made up for with enthusiasm, I completely lacked in organized execution. It made working on my web site unnecessarily complicated.

How to fix it
I eventually wrote down a plan that included everything I could think of that I needed to do and what readers would need to know. I included a mission statement, topics I planned to cover, what days articles would be released, a collection of emergency articles for when life happened, and what I hoped to accomplish over the next year. The planning stage saved a huge amount of time because I didn’t have to spend time guessing at what I needed to do next as I continued to work on the site.

2. You Can’t Please Everyone, So Don’t Bother

Every time I write an article, part of me is back in high school. I want all my readers to love me and think I am cool. It’s embarrassing, but true. There have been times when I have changed my site in the hopes of making it something it was not to try to please everyone, at least a little. I discovered this confused readers and took me away from being real with people.

How to fix it
I now only write for an audience of one, me. If I am not being authentic, then I might be spewing garbage. This is why I never really trust large corporations and politicians, because they are always trying to offer what people want to hear rather than being honest about what they can really do. This kind of inauthentic communication may be one way to run a business, but it is not a way to build a real relationship with real people for a global community, which is exactly what I hope to do at Travel. Write. Live. and In The Know Traveler. It may not please everyone, but I can live with that.

3. Focus

My mission on ITKT is to inspire travel and promote cultural exchange.
However, I also like a good political debate, playing guitar, and books about conspiracy. There are so many thoughts to have about so many topics. Once in a while it seems appropriate to drop one of these topics into my travel site. While it made sense at the time, I now think it was a ridiculous idea. It would be like going to the store to buy a box of Ding Dongs, but all the store has is steamed brussel sprouts. It might be good for me, but it wouldn’t make sense for the reader.

How to fix it
Once I had defined my sites in 25 words or less, I had specific guidelines for the topics I could cover. Here are my definitions for In The Know Traveler: “dedicated to promoting international travel and cultural exchange,” and for Travel. Write. Live.: “The No B.S. Blog about Travel and Writing to support the creation of a better Life.” Anything outside of these margins becomes a story for another site.

4. Stagnation from Overwhelm

Let’s face it, blogging can be overwhelming. I had to teach myself Photoshop, WordPress, html, a little php, social networking, marketing, stat interpretation, how to check out the competition and model the success of others — not to mention still having family, friends, work and time to do my personal writing. It is easy to look at this huge pile of stuff and say, I am going to eat a giant sack of Ding Dongs and take a nap on the sofa.

How to fix it
I have learned to cope with the pile by doing a little everyday and making lists of small things I can easily finish and check off. Seeing what I have accomplished takes away from all that I think I have not.

5. Checking Numbers and Checking Everything Else

For brief periods (I am in one right now), I have spent too much time seeing if anyone is visiting my site , who they are, how they are doing it. Then I check my email, maybe someone wrote me something in the last thirty seconds. Maybe a Prince from Bahrain who wants to send me $75,000,000 for no reason, and writes in ALL CAPS so it must be important, is trying to reach me. This has been the single greatest time-waster, ever.

How to fix it
This is a tough nut to crack because it is easy to justify constantly checking my stats and email all the damn time, especially when I have a new site just launching. Truth is, numbers fluctuate, sometimes wildly, from day to day based upon a bunch of tech things I have no control over. I receive 150 emails a day. 149 of these emails are not really important and can wait until later in the day. Still I want to look.

I have learned to schedule Facebook, Twitter and email for twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. Ideally, I look at the numbers once at the beginning of the month. I include an hour (timed if necessary) of Facebook, Twitter and emails that require a little more attention per day. I include an hour of numbers, which is more than I need. Again, the last month has been a trying time.

Overall, these five simple rules give me more time and increase my production five-fold, which allows for more time to work on better articles and writing. It has also given me something I didn’t expect, a little piece of mind. Piece of mind that I have got myself organized to be efficient and get it all done.