A Sense
of Place
– thoughts on travel writing by Philippa Hawley.
I’ve just submitted my
first piece of formal travel writing; an article for the online magazine, the Literary
Bohemian. Doing this has made me realise that much of my writing over recent years
has been travel related. Travel writing overlaps with so many genres; memoir
writing, autobiography, blogging, or simply keeping a journal. It can form the
basis for a short story or a novel, and in my own case I realise travel has
frequently inspired my fictional attempts. My first book, ‘There’s No Sea in
Salford’ came out of a desire to write about some time I spent working in Sri
Lanka. ‘How They Met Themselves’, my second book, was inspired by a road trip I
once made with friends in California.
Traditional travel writing commonly results in articles for
magazines, newspapers or online blogs. It is usually written in the first
person, present or past tense. As with all writing description is important and
clichés should be avoided. A narrative thread can be helpful, maybe some quotes
and references included, but perhaps most importantly any facts have to be
researched and checked.
A different form of travel writing is the autobiographical book.
I’m thinking of the success of “A Year in Provence’ by Peter Mayle in 1989 and
also ‘A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush’, once described as the greatest travel
book of all time in both the Guardian and Telegraph listings. Written by Eric
Newby in 1959, this book stimulated travel ideas in many a young person in the 60s
and 70s.
In a similar vein Chris Stewart, the retired drummer of Genesis,
published “Driving Over Lemons’ in 1999, an account of his Andalucian
adventure. Wivenhoe writer, Jan Ward’s autobiographical book, ‘Travellers
Wanted…’ about her journey in 1968 from Sydney to London in a bus, was self-published
in 2012 and is well worth a look.
The transition from autobiography to fiction allows the constraints
of travel writing to shift. In ‘A Thousand days in Venice’, it's hard to know if
Marlena de Blasi is writing true biography or fiction as she describes an
unexpected romance in Venice and adds tasty snippets about food and recipes
along the way.
When travel inspires pure fiction the rules change further. In a
short story a sense of place often grounds a piece of writing, giving the
reader a greater understanding of a plot or character by showing not telling.
In longer pieces or novels, knowing where the story is set can add depth and
realism to the writing. But in fiction facts can be modified to suit your
story, reality and fantasy can merge and create a new place, or a new way of
looking at a known environment.
Placing your novel in a different part of the world or in a
specific city or town, can add interest for a reader, allowing them learn about
another country through the eyes of the characters within. It can rekindle
their own memories of travel or create a desire to visit and make their own
journeys.
I love reading stories set in places I’ve been to. ‘The
Miniaturist’ by Jess Burton reminded me of frequent trips to Amsterdam,
‘Brixton Beach’ by Roma Tearne took me back to my time in Sri Lanka, and
‘Brighton Rock’ by Graham Greene made me think of when my daughter lived in the
town, albeit decades later. Other novels I’ve read have taken me across the
USA, or into unknown areas of the Middle East. I’ve been transported to Sweden,
Africa and New Zealand as well as enjoying more familiar European places
through different eyes.
Reading can help you travel the world and as writers we can
encourage our readers to do just that. So next time you write, think about
place and setting and maybe add a little travel to your tale.
***
‘There’s No Sea in Salford’
‘How They Met Themselves’
&‘Travellers Wanted…’
are
available at Wivenhoe Bookshop and online.
