Nicholas J. Klenske's Travel Writing Blog is on Holiday

Nicholas J. Klenske and Klenske, Ink's blogs are on holiday until the New Year. Check back in 2008 for more information on how to become a travel writer, travel writing tips and travel writing...along with some exciting new features.

From all of us at Klenske, Ink. Professional Writing Services- Happy Holidays!

See you in '08.

Nicholas J. Klenske

How to Become a Travel Writer: Mastering the Elements of the Travel Writing Article

Although every travel writing article is different, on the whole, all travel writing will contain the same basic elements. Thus, if you want to learn how to become a travel writer, one place to start is making sure your travel writing encompasses the following:

· Narrative. This is what makes the travel writing article interesting to read. Although this is the voice of the article, more often than not it will not be your voice as told via the first person point of view. Instead, the majority of travel writing publishers look for a third-person point of view with a narrative that takes the reader into a particular, unique aspect of the travel writer’s location.

Personality. Every travel writing narrative will invoke a personality. In order for the travel writing to be interesting, the travel writer must ensure that this personality is inserting. The easiest way to give your travel writing personality is to present people, especially through quotes.

Imagery. This is easily said, but not always as easily done- As a travel writer, your travel writing should show, not tell.

Background. Don’t allow the history of an event or place dominate your travel writing, but as a travel writer, you need to set the scene for the reader.

Gossip. Not that you want your travel writing to become the National Enquirer, but giving your reader a unique fact, odd piece of trivia or some legendary gossip not only makes the travel writing more enjoyable, it also allows you, the travel writer, the opportunity to give something others cannot- An insiders point of view.

Travel Writing Sample: The Personal Narrative

King of the Castle in Luxembourg
By Nicholas J. Klenske

As a child I used to play a popular game called King of the Castle. If I recall correctly, the game involved a significant amount of pushing, shoving and maneuvering in order to heave yourself to the top of an imaginary castle- which was usually nothing more than a dusty pile of dirt. Once you made it to the top you were bestowed with the power to declare yourself king and sing the noble jingle, “I’m the King of the castle, you’re a dirty rascal.”

This silly song is stuck on the scratchy forty-five of my mind as I heave myself up to a real castle perched high in the forested Ardennes that surround Vianden, Luxembourg. The castle itself is a restoration of the original eleventh-century behemoth that was once the home of counts, the House of Luxembourg, and King William I of Orange.

Cresting the plateau and standing under a heavy shadow cast by a mildewed stone tower, I am greeted with a commanding view of Luxembourg- stretching its timber arms to embrace neighboring Germany, Belgium and France. Looking over the mountains and valleys just beginning to flirt with the idea of autumn, I think, “When I’m the king of the castle, this is where I want to rule.”

Unfortunately, I will never be the king of this castle as it seems Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa are doing a fine job. In fact, Luxembourg is one of the only countries in Europe where continuing support for the Royal Family is seemingly universal.

And why not? For a country that looks like it could easily be flung off the map like an annoying little goober, things are surprisingly robust here. Financially, Luxembourg is the world’s wealthiest nation. Scenically, it has to be one of the world’s most pristine. Even its monotonously named capital sits atop a guarded plateau, romancing a valley crisscrossed with arched bridges and pierced by the points of pyramid church steeples.

“You ready to head back?,” Kara asks with a nudge, knowing she is pulling me away from an engaging conversation with myself. I take her hand and we begin our trek back towards the village.

Along the way we stop to order ice cream, in French, from a street-side vendor. We take a seat along a small stone veranda and watch several dogs playfully chase each other down the hill and a group of elderly Italian tourists slowly shuffle their way up. It’s late afternoon and the sun gracefully genuflects behind the horizon, casting a soft blanket of gold upon us. The surrounding hills take their evening smoke as the proprietors warm up the fireplaces of their tucked away homes, sending a potpourri scent of harvest spice into the air.

“You know, we’ve been in Europe for exactly two months.”

“I guess we have,” Kara replies. “Ca va?”

I take a moment to consider my answer. I am holding the hand of my love and speaking simplistic French while sitting within a castle’s shadow somewhere on the fringes of a Luxembourg autumn.

“I may not be the king of the castle,” I reply with a nod above. “But for now, I’m perfectly content with being the King of mine.”

More Information:

National Tourist Office: www.visitluxembourg.lu

Vianden Castle: www.castle-vianden.lu

Nicholas J. Klenske, formerly of Dubuque, is a freelance writer living in Brussels. His work has appeared in The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, New Haven Advocate and Renew Quarterly Magazine. Contact him through www.KlenskeInk.com.

Ten Quick Travel Writing Tips

When you know where you are going, send a quick heads up to editors you are use to working and see if they have any travel writing stories that need to be covered.

Don’t be a generalist, be a specialist. Pick a niche and become a travel writing expert on that area of travel.

Don’t think global, think local. Some of the travel writing best stories can be found in your own backyard.

A good travel writer never misses a deadline. A great travel writer gets their travel writing in well before the deadline.

Never leave your house without a notebook and pen. You never know when or where a travel writing opportunity might show up.

Keep in touch with your travel writing contacts and editors. Build a reputation as being an easy travel writer to work with.

Stay abreast on the news, always keeping an eye out for an event or happening that will make an ideal travel writing story.

Be the travel writer that goes off the beaten track and finds travel writing stories where nobody has even though of looking before.

Always research the travel writing market before pitching any kind of travel writing book.

If writing an extensive travel writing piece, send portions to the editor as you go.

Travel Writing: Bequia

Of Man and Turtles
By Nicholas J. Klenske

A man of the sea lays fast asleep, alone in the sand. Suddenly, his eyes snap open as he realizes he is no longer alone. Whatever is with him, it is leathery, large and silent. “Maybe it will go away?,” he thinks. Instead of leaving, however, the creature begins throwing sand up onto his body. After a brief pause in the sand blast, he feels soft, round stones falling, brushing his hairy shins and nestling in the sand by his feet. The sailor cautiously looks down towards his feet and sees a rare, hawksbill sea turtle, large and dark like a shadow on the sand, laying her eggs.

Fast-forward 12 years and that sailor, a bit older, a bit grayer, is welcoming guests to his Oldhegg Turtle Sanctuary with this fairytale about his first encounter with a sea turtle. Located on the same beach where he first met the mystery reptile of the sea, Orton King now spends his life raising, nursing and releasing sea turtles. Orton King, known as Brother King to the respecting locals, takes a young French girl, with her excited and quizzical blue eyes brightened by her bleached blond curls, to introduce her to Busy Body, a 7 year old Hawksbill sea turtle.

Located near Industry Bay, on Bequia’s rugged and isolated northern coast, the open aired cement agricultural-looking shelter that houses the Oldhegg Turtle Sanctuary is perhaps Bequia’s best, if not only, bonafide tourist attraction. Oldhegg is a local term used to refer to a ‘runt’ or a ‘nuisance’. Brother King chose this name for his sanctuary because it is a nickname given by sailors to injured turtles. Since injured turtles reside in the shallow reefs popular for commercial fishing, they often get caught in nets and thus are a nuisance to the fisherman. It’s also a nod to his grandfather, also a fisherman, who referred to everyone as an oldhegg, especially Orton.

Reached via a beautiful walk through Spring starting from Port Elizabeth or via taxi, visitors will gain a unique opportunity to meet these amazing creatures in all stages of their life. Not only will visitors see turtles up close, they will also learn about their triumphant life cycle and the dangers they now face from Brother King, who is always eager to discuss his full-time hobby.

A full-grown hawksbill turtle can reach three feet in length and weigh up to three-hundred pounds, although the average weight is more likely between one-hundred and one-hundred and fifty pounds. They are named for their hawk-like beak and can be distinguished by their clawed flippers. Every year between April and November the female turtle returns to the same nesting spot to lay her clutch of roughly 140 eggs. They do this four times every season. The incubation period last around sixty days, at which time the 35-centimeter hatchlings break through their shells and, guided by the light of the moon, head straight for the ocean.

The hawksbill turtle has been considered an endangered species since 1970. Their main source of food is sponges, commonly found among coral reefs- also endangered. Over the past century the hawksbill population has experienced a decrease of at least 80%. This genocide of their species is due to continued illegal poaching for their shells, loss of habitation for coastal development, disorientation by hatchlings trying to reach the ocean as a result of beach lights, hungry predators, watercraft injuries and commercial fishing. It was these startling facts that inspired Brother King to dedicate his life to reversing this trend.

Brother King’s relationship with turtles began much earlier than his beachside encounter. As a local Bequian skin diver, he was always bumping into these underwater creatures and as a child he use to keep them as pets. In this light it really doesn’t seem odd to see him put Busy Body, his current pet turtle, on a leash and go snorkeling together. To Brother King, this is natural due to the bond he has developed with the species.

The turtle rescue process begins upon the turtle’s laying of the eggs. After the female turtle returns to the sea, Orton combs the beach and gathers the eggs. Back at the sanctuary he nurtures the eggs until they hatch and then cares for the turtles until they are three years old. The reason for his gathering of the eggs is to increase the turtle’s chances of survival. Only a select few turtles actually survive to reach three years of age, not nearly enough to maintain the overall population. By raising the turtle until three and then releasing them back to their natural home, Orton increases the chance of not only the individual turtle’s survival, but that of the species. When questioned on his practice of denying turtles their natural habitat he casually replies, “Because of me they will live up to 200 years old, what is three years to them?” Between the turtles he has hatched and the others he has rescued, Brother King is responsible for over 1,000 turtle success stories.

But it’s not only the fascination of the rescue process that brings travelers to Brother King’s Oldhegg Turtle Sanctuary. What draws people here is the desire to discover the secret of the turtle. This desire to understand and to learn is what draws travelers from all over, including the old sailor Brother King, to the Hawksbill turtle.

The legendary sea turtle is perhaps the greatest traveler of all. Since the prehistoric times of the dinosaurs, when the landmasses that we now traverse formed and reformed again, year after year these great travelers of the sea set sail and, guided by the light of the moon, end up here. And like the sea turtle, Brother King and the thousands of travelers who have come to visit him, arrive here in this remote corner of an isolated island in hopes of learning the secret of these ancient travelers of time- the secrets of survival, the secrets of the sea, and the secrets of traveling by the light of the moon.

For More Information:

Oldhegg Turtle Sanctuary: 784-458-3245 Oldhegg@vincysurf.com

Bequia Sweet: www.bequiasweet.com

Bequia Toursim: www.bequiatourism.com

Author Nicholas J. Klenske is an attorney and freelance writer. His work has been featured in The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 365 Ink, The Telegraph Herald, Sports Look and The Daily Iowan. He can be reached at nickklenske@yahoo.com