ANTHONY HOROWITZ:Hello, I'm Anthony Horowitz. When it comes to creative writing we're not limited to thinking about stories or poems.
ANTHONY HOROWITZ:Other types of writing like journalism, will benefit from a good injection of creativity to make it more engaging for the reader and to make it a more enjoyable experience for you, the writer.
ANTHONY HOROWITZ:Now, some of the best, most creative writers in newspapers can often be found in the travel section - an area where describing what you see and how you respond to it are crucial.
ANTHONY HOROWITZ:Here's presenter Kate Humble on a train journey in Wales with some good examples and great practical advice.
KATE HUMBLE:Whenever I go anywhere to write a travel piece I always bring three things with me - a notebook and pen, and a camera.
KATE HUMBLE:Now the notebook is absolutely vital so that you can literally write down notes, 'cause you won't have time to write full sentences when you're on the move.
KATE HUMBLE:So if you just jot things down it'll help jog your memory later when you come to write the full piece. I've already written some.
KATE HUMBLE:'It's good to think about words that describe 'sights, sounds and atmosphere.'
KATE HUMBLE:I find it helpful to think of writing a piece in terms of pictures so that each new view is a new paragraph, so… This opening shot will help me set the scene and establish that I am about to take a journey on the Ffestiniog railway.
KATE HUMBLE:'Boarding the train I was hit by a warm fug 'and that certain smell of old fabric and excited bodies.
KATE HUMBLE:'I sat down on a blue threadbare seat 'elaborately adorned with the Ffestiniog railway insignia 'and fringed with fraying cotton.
KATE HUMBLE:'I gazed at the wonderful view from my window 'as we left Porthmadog behind us. 'Over the cob, the train picked up speed, 'clouds of steam floating past the windows.
KATE HUMBLE:'The smell of smoke, coal dust and worn metal 'added to the excitement as I felt like I was travelling back in time.
KATE HUMBLE:'The landscape was so varied, 'with views of the sea, houses and stations. 'We approached Minffordd station 'and there were people on the platform anticipating our arrival.
KATE HUMBLE:'It looked exactly like a giant version of a model railway - 'the paintwork, immaculate. 'And spectators waved as we journeyed up the mountain.'
KATE HUMBLE:'We stopped at Tan-y-bwlch, 'where the train is filled up with water. 'The engine bubbled and spluttered and took on water 'as if it had a really dry throat.
KATE HUMBLE:'With a whistle and a lurch, we were off again. 'A series of jolts, squeaks and rattles 'before the train settled into that comforting steady chug.'
KATE HUMBLE:Writing a travel piece is a little like writing a diary and you can use, if you want to, the first person narrative. That's the 'I' word. So for example, I could sit here now and write, "I'm on a very wobbly train trying to write my notes."
KATE HUMBLE:Oops. "-Ish." Looks a bit like a spider's written them though. 'We climbed higher and higher, past a beautiful waterfall 'cascading from a crevice above the track.'
KATE HUMBLE:'I could even feel my ears popping, we were going so high.' Thank you.
ATTENDANT:Take sugar at all?
KATE HUMBLE:No, thanks. Brilliant.
ATTENDANT:There you go.
KATE HUMBLE:Thanks very much indeed.
KATE HUMBLE:'I sipped on a piping hot coffee and gazed out of the window.' 'As the train passed through narrow rocks, 'suddenly there was a blackness. 'A cold smell of damp stone and the tunnel had swallowed us up. 'Then spat us out back into the sunlight and familiar tall trees.'
KATE HUMBLE:What I've discovered, this is my own personal tip is that there really is a thing called writer's block. You can sit, you can chain yourself to your desk sit in front of your computer or your notebook trying to write nothing comes, your brain feels like it's been packed with cotton wool.
KATE HUMBLE:Go and have a bath. You can get back to your notebook and you'll be just scribbling away and suddenly look up and it's ten hours later and you just feel fantastic. It's the most wonderful feeling.
KATE HUMBLE:So there you are, my top tip - go and have a bath. 'Back down at sea level, spots of rain spattered on the window.'
KATE HUMBLE:'Porthmadog was waiting for us 'and the noise of the wheels screeching to a stop 'meant the journey had come to an end 'and I was back in the present day after my trip back in time 'on the railway.'
KATE HUMBLE:That was completely brilliant. I feel really uplifted and inspired so I'm going to run away and write about it before I lose the feeling. And that's quite a good point actually.
KATE HUMBLE:Always write about how you felt while you were on a journey because it will make your piece feel much more personal to you and it'll also allow the reader to feel part of your experience. See you later.
Video summary
Presenter Kate Humble offers detailed practical advice for making travel writing engaging for both reader and writer.
Journeying along the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways in Snowdonia National Park, she provides examples of how she uses notebook jottings whilst travelling to jog memory when it comes to writing up a full article.
Humble also advises on ways to use words that describe sights, sounds and atmosphere, and considers ways of structuring a travel piece in terms of individual pictures so that each new view is a new paragraph.
She considers the conventions of the genre and likens travel writing to keeping a diary, inviting first person narrative and encouraging recording feelings at each stage of a journey in order to allow the reader to feel part of the experience.
She also tackles the issue of writer’s block and how to overcome it.
Teacher Notes
Students could practice Kate Humble’s writing techniques by making jottings as they ‘journey’ around their school or local area and using them to write up a guide for visitors.
This clip will be relevant for teaching English Language at KS3 and KS4 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and National 4 and 5 in Scotland.
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