REVISITING ‘OUTDOORS IN THE INDOORS’

By Jeremy Cowen (Twitter: @JeremyCowen)

(Tags: Travel blogging, blogging, travel writing, writing, editing)

                At our first JMC 5273 class meeting, back in November 2016, I remember huddling over my keyboard wondering how I was going to turn (what seemed to me as) mundane into the sublime.

                Our task was to describe our own living room as a tourist destinations – portray it as a legitimate getaway spot for those who have never visited before. The duty seemed a bit herculean to me: although I love my house, specifically my living room, I couldn’t exactly classify it as a “tourist destination” of any sort.

                My first effort at it, in hindsight, appeared rough and unorganized. After studying travel blogging over the past few months, however, I can see it began to coalesce into its final form, which was handed in for a grade on Jan. 5. Even since then, however, I see language I wish I could revise – describing things IN to too-grandiose of terms to try to cover for the fact that I was, literally, attempting to make a common living room into the next Palm Springs.

                Travel blogging is more than simply enticing readers to visit a place: It’s trying to put the visitor IN that particular place. A good writer should let the readers decide if they should visit by bringing them to the place through their writing. Descriptive and exciting writing is only ONE of the weapons a good travel writer can wield on his or her quest to bring readers closer to their destination.

                I think I’ve learned a lot in the last few months and it was interesting to look back and over one of the first writings for this course. Here are some resources I came across over the past few months I found helpful in travel blogging:

·         https://expertvagabond.com/professional-travel-blogger/

·         https://travelblogsuccess.com/start-a-travel-blog/

·         http://indianajo.com/2013/05/so-you-want-to-start-a-travel-blog-10-things-i-wish-id-known.html

 

Before the storm — Jeremy Cowen’s living room stands mostly undecorated early in the move-in process. A rather bare living room belies what will soon become a haven for outdoor photos, paintings and other décor. Photo courtesy Jeremy Cowen.

Indoors/outdoors — Jeremy Cowen’s living room displays the many decorations he collects from his love of the outdoors. The décor stands as a testament to the room’s ability to be a proxy for being outside. Photo courtesy Jeremy Cowen.

Literary sense — Signs and photos from the famous novel “Lonesome” Dove adorn Jeremy Cowen’s living room walls. Besides actual first-person representation of Cowen’s love of the outdoors, books that glorify outdoor loving, such as Lonesome Dove, are prominently featured as showcase décor. Photo courtesy Jeremy Cowen.