BASEDtraveler Guide for Guest Writing Contributions Thank you so much for your interest in contributing to the BASEDtraveler Books & Media website! We are delighted that you have agreed to share your story, insights, advice, and delights with our avid readers. We have chosen you to write with us because of who you are. We want you to be creative, use your voice, and speak from your heart. Please use this document to help guide your writing process. Unless you have discussed variations in the following structure with a member of the BASEDtraveler team, please follow the details herein closely. Your BASEDtraveler representative is happy to answer any questions. Moreover, we welcome your feedback on this guide and working with the BASEDtraveler team. We want to be the best company for readers, writers, and communities. Tone Observant (not ignorant)
Friendly (not overbearing)
Forgiving (not pitying)
Modern (not techy)
Honest (not perfect)
Accessible (not average)
Informative (not effervescent)
Infectious (not forceful)
Clever (not genius)
Relaxed (not bored)
Delighted (not ecstatic)
“Should”-free (not patronizing)
Content/ Copy Write in your native style. We love hosting blogs by non-Native English speakers. Please do not sacrifice the content of your piece because you are worried that you are not conveying an idea correctly in English. Your BASEDtraveler representative will help you clarify any confusion. Write in first person. Speak only for yourself. One of the fastest ways to reduce a piece’s believability is by generalizing about the reader. This protects the piece from reductionism, generalizations, and untruths. If you don’t know, say so! BASEDtraveler writes from the heart and from the ground. Include juicy tidbits even if you cannot verify the factual elements. Explain the situation and allow the reader to judge for themselves. We are our market: imperfect and unknowing. Watch blog comments closely and correct any fallacies your readers note. Thank them immediately for the corrections. Start in the middle. When considering and planning your story find the section that is most grabbing. At what point did you think, this is unexpected/ delightful/ a good story? Choose that point as the beginning to your piece. After grabbing the reader’s attention, back-track to explain. Make serious fun. Some content is more serious or informative while others are purely for delight. BASEDtraveler is a clever mix of serious and fun. Inform and guide your readers like your friends. BASEDtraveler Baselines 3.1
Be present. Even if you do not use present-tense throughout the piece be sure that the verb tense is consistent. If you open “in the middle” clearly state when you transition away from the account into the reflective or past-tense portion of the article. Using present tense keeps the piece engaging. Plan your work before you write. Even if planning is only in your brain be sure that you understand the intention of your piece before you begin writing. If appropriate, use a veiled thesis statement to help the reader orient themselves to the content. End delightfully. Is there a moral to glean from the circumstance? Will you change your actions because of what you learned? Can you call the reader to action? Always end on a positive note. Use dialogue. Whether it’s peppered throughout the piece to capture voice or comprises the entirety of an article (i.e., an interview), dialogue helps the reader feel present. Use at least one hyperlink within the body or as a resource at the end. Your writing inspires the reader to learn more. Hyperlinking within web content is a quick way to boost the company’s SEO and builds stakeholder investment. Be a little contentious. BASEDtraveler encourages debate, reflection, and excitement. We want the reader to question the pieces, actively applying your ideas to their own experiences. Being contentious does not mean being aggressive. Use something other than writing. Writing is only one method of expression. Feel empowered to consider other forms. Consider YouTube videos, hand-drawn images, and poems. This is an excellent tool when experiencing writer’s block. Use less connector phrases and pointer words. Words like “if, then, that, those, them, and, to” clutter and distract. Use nouns, verbs, and adverbs more frequently. Rephrase and break down sentences to portray ideas in a manner concise and direct. No travel jargon! BASEDtraveler is not a blog. It is not travel journalism. It is not “an insider’s guide to…” It is a lifestyles website and series of guidebook-meet-narrative accounts named Primers. Our readers represent a variety of backgrounds, industries, and experiences. Respect this. Audience BASEDtraveler defines its readers as expat-locals. Expat= expatriate; local=they have an address in this place. BASEDtraveler identifies expat-locals as international citizens and relocated people in general. As one BASEDtraveler Plymouth Musing describes, expat-local is a relative term. One can feel alien in the next town, state, or country over. Our readers move to such locations for a set period of time, usually contractual and project-related, intending to leave when their term is up. They need help finding resources. They want to engage with their community. And they’re going to do their best to find delight in their new home despite a dearth of resources. Our readers learn information and communicate with each other using the internet, their voices, printed media, publicly-displayed notices, and more. They are constantly seeking new sources of information, then sharing it with each other on in social media and personal connections. The following demographic breakdown is a result of an Expat-Locals Survey. Respondents represented expatriates and locals from the USA, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The “Expat-Locals Survey” continues to receive responses. Other details translate from social media and website analytics. Please note that the demographics below are based on majority statistics. As expressed before, BASEDtraveler enjoys a diverse following tied closely to the identities of its writers, location, and global appeal. Expat-locals reading BASEDtraveler are… BASEDtraveler Baselines 3.1
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Between the age of 25 and 34 50% female, 50% male Mostly American and European Professional or married to a professional Educated Excited about art, fitness, travel, nature, and engaging with the local community Middle class Multilingual In a relationship Physically and intellectually active Formatting and Submitting
1) Use your native spelling/ grammar/ punctuation/ syntax. 2) Length: 500-2,000 words. 3) Submit pieces in Word Documents. Font is Calibri. Size is 11. 4) Single-spaced with an extra space between paragraphs. 5) Title should be less than 10 words. 6) Include a 3-sentence blurb explaining the contents of our post (we will list this before “Read More…” to entice readers). 7) Include a 3-sentence personal detail. Can include anything you desire--name, country of origin, how you met your BASEDtraveler representative, why you are knowledgeable on the topic, etc. 8) Optional: Include ONE link to your website/ Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram, etc. and a thumbnailsize image.
BASEDtraveler Baselines 3.1