Feature Attraction
I have briefly mentioned Features in the previous modules because the Feature is a blanket term that covers a lot of different types of travel writing. Some features are very personal (think 80% personal, 20% place), whereas others are not (maybe 80% place, 20% personal). Regardless of the purpose, a feature is a longform in-depth piece. From the earliest travelogues to most of the current travel writing today, the feature is one of the most common types of travel writing.
In popular travel writing, features are often split into a few categories. “Journey” assignments ask for information about the travel itself, similar to a travelogue. A “Destination” assignment is one that asks for information about the place and the opportunities for adventure and exploration. Mostly personal writing is often more difficult to pitch unless you have a really unique angle because most travel writing assignments from publishers are looking for articles that will come up in a search about the place.
“Cuba Undistilled” follows a familiar Feature structure. It is plotted like a story, and begins with a hook (grafs 1-4), leading to a nut graf (graf 5) that describes the intention and conflict (i.e., experience Cuba before it is spoiled by the west), tells its tale and ends with a kicker that is a Callback (last three grafs, see module 6 for more about Callbacks).
Pico Iyer’s “Where Worlds Collide” describes LAX airport (this was pre-9/11, when one could hang out at the airport without much security or fuss). I find most of Iyer’s work too long, but this piece is particularly captivating in its ability to weave information about Los Angeles, LAX, and his own experience with international travel (he was born in England to Indian born parents, and they all moved to California when he was seven).
Paul Theroux has a line towards the beginning of “Taking the Great American Roadtrip” that reads, “Travel is mostly about dreams—dreaming of landscapes or cities, imagining yourself in them, murmuring the bewitching place names, and then finding a way to make the dream come true.” This is a fitting way to think about travel as we end this class. Our dreams and expectations drive us to travel, but those dreams and expectations are in turn driven by the images and words we read about a place. As travel writers, that is our job: To capture a place for an audience and to bewitch them into wanting to go there. However, he also comes to a realization at the end (I won’t spoil it) that is similar to one that I hold–seek adventure wherever you are and by whatever means you have.
Techniques
Samples
- I Went to Disney World by Graeme Wood [5,787; 45 minutes]
- Cuba Undistilled by Chris Ryan for WorldHum [2,000 words; 15 minutes]
- Where Worlds Collide by Pico Iyer for Harper’s magazine [5,659 words; 44 minutes]
- Taking the Great American Roadtrip by Paul Theroux for Smithsonian.com [4,400 words; 34 minutes]
Assignment
Due dates
- Feature draft due Wednesday, November 11
- Editorial Comments due Friday, November 13
- Feature revision due Monday, November 16