CLHUMCW008 - Travel Writing
“You think you are making a trip, but soon it is making you—or unmaking you.” —Nicolas Bouvier
Travel writing is one of the most popular types of creative nonfiction. Whether portraying Patagonia, Provence or the Pacific Crest Trail, great travel writers do not simply tell readers how amazing a place is, they show them and make them feel as if they are there. Skilled travel writing includes vivid description, concrete detail, character development and narrative arcs. It uses the techniques expected in creative nonfiction essays, such as enlivening scenes with action and dialogue, selecting the most effective points of view, projecting a strong voice and ensuring that necessary research supports the essay. In this workshop, we read and discuss a range of travel writing. Students strengthen their skills through exercises and short essay assignments with instructor and peer feedback. Learn to craft compelling travel tales, whether you are chronicling recent journeys, reminiscing about past adventures or experiencing local places with fresh eyes.
Course Details
Deborah Barrett, Ph.D., is a professor in the practice of writing and communication at Rice University, where she teaches graduate courses in creative writing and literature. She was awarded the John H. Freeman Faculty Teaching Award in 2019 in the Graduate Liberal Studies program, which she joined as faculty in 2009. She has served as the director of MBA communication at the Jones School of Business and director of the Communication Excellence program for Rice undergraduates. Dr. Barrett holds a Ph.D. in English from Rice and has published scholarly articles on literature, communication and leadership as well as a textbook, “Leadership Communication” (McGraw-Hill). She has participated in several major writing conferences, including the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conferences for creative nonfiction, fiction and poetry. She has also published creative nonfiction essays as Deborah Burch-Lavis and a chapbook of poetry, “The Desert Speaks to the Dreamer.”
Online--Synchronous
This course will be delivered in a synchronous format online. Registered participants will receive login instructions to the course page which will provide access to the virtual classroom link and other resources. All online classes are held at Central Standard Time.
- Types of travel writing, including destination articles and memoirs
- Place description, scenes, dialogue
- Voice, point of view, language usage
- Portraying customs and culture
- Research techniques
- Polishing and publishing