A New Travel Article Series and All Writers Are Invited To Participate

“If it ain’t broke don’t fix it!”

I can still hear my dad saying that after I had taken apart a toy during one of my many curious moments. My perfectly good toy, one that was operating quite nicely prior to my attack of curiosity, now lay on the floor in several pieces, not working at all. Since dad had forked out $4.99 for that particular toy, and since money was always an issue in our family, I guess I can see why he was a bit miffed at me.

I can’t imagine how he would feel about his only son almost six decades later because I am still taking things apart and trying to make them better.

Take writing for instance. I am fascinated by writing. I am passionate about writing. Writing, for me, is a thrill, and I am constantly tinkering with it to get better results. I have friends who tell me that I am a very good writer….but….I tell myself I could be so much better….if only I did this, or if only I did that….see what I mean?

I am also fascinated by this new world of online marketing that we find ourselves in. I don’t know exactly how it works but that does not keep me from being curious, from taking it apart, and from trying to get better results.

And so it is that we are here now, in this place, with me looking at travel articles and wondering what could be done to make them more effective in the online world. What new approach could be used that would greatly appeal to the Google gods and earn more views for travel writers?

For my birthday a couple weeks back, my wife, lover and best friend Bev gave me a new Nikon D3200 digital camera. It is the piece that had been missing from my professional world ever since my old digital camera breathed its last breath. I had been waiting patiently, and at times not patiently at all, for a new camera so I could begin a new travel series in Washington State where I live…..now I have the camera…and now…..

I took apart the idea. There is nothing new about a travel article. There are tens of millions out there and the number is rising daily. There are hundreds of thousands of articles about Washington State, just as there are hundreds of thousands of articles about Iowa, Pennsylvania, Florida and Arizona….just as there are hundreds of thousands of travel articles about Nepal, Thailand, Manilla and any other destination you can name.

So let’s take it apart. Let’s find a new way for better results.

And that is what this article is about….a new way!

I was going to call my new travel series “Exploring the Back Roads of Washington State,” and each month I would travel to a new town off-the-beaten-path, write about it, interview people, take some pictures, and begin my own travel series.

BUT WAIT! Then it dawned on me. What if a number of writers from around the United States and around the world started the same series? Every travel article that they wrote would begin with the worlds “Exploring the Back Roads of……” and then fill in the state or country that they are writing about. Would that not increase the chances that Google would notice those articles, because of the recurring theme of the same title?

But we have linking to consider as well; every single time I write one of these travel articles, I can link to a travel article written by one of my collaborators, and they can do the same, so that we will have a linking network of travel articles all sporting the same name for easy recognition.

I can even envision a Facebook page named “Exploring the Back Roads” and even a website where all of the related articles could be found.

The possibilities are endless, and the benefits seem, to me, to be bountiful.

As often as you want and isn’t that cool? You could write one each month, or one every three months. Heck, it really wouldn’t make any difference now would it? Every article in the series is a bonus to everyone, so how can we lose?

If you are a HubPages writer then just follow the normal layout for a normal travel article. There are only two requirements so that we help each other: one, use the same title and two, link to fellow contributors. That’s it. How you write the article is up to you; I certainly don’t want restrictions on your writing style, so use your own voice and do the great job you always do.

Well, I haven’t actually written one yet; Bev and I are going to a nearby town of Pe Ell next weekend and gather information, so I’m a week away from my first article. The title will be:

Exploring the Back Roads of Washington State: The Historic Town of Pe Ell

Then, when one of you decides to give it a try….let’s say you live in Iowa….your first article will be titled:

Exploring the Back Roads of Iowa: The Charm of Charles City (or some such name about the town you are writing about).

And on and on we go, building up Google points and helping each other.

What do you think?

I’m going this alone so whether you jump on this bandwagon or not really won’t affect my decision to go forward, but I would love to have you along for the ride. Who knows what will happen? If you write travel articles already you really have nothing to lose by trying my system. If you have never written a travel article, then maybe this will be the perfect format to get your feet wet in.

So here I sit in my writing studio, taking apart yet another toy. The pieces are all laid out before me. All I have to do is follow my vision and assemble them in a way that will increase my online views. I like the challenge. I like being able to determine a new path and see where that path will lead me. Anybody can do it the old established way; there are currently millions doing it daily. Do I want to be one of those millions trying desperately to gain a little piece of that pie? Or do I bake my own pie and eat until I’m overflowing with the sweet taste of success?

Are you with me? Will you give it a try?

I’m a dreamer and always will be. I believe the status quo is for those who have no vision, no grand plan, and if that’s what they want then more power to them. Me, I see things that have never been tried and ask “why not?” What have I got to lose? Nothing! What have I got to gain? Everything!

Seems like a pretty simple choice to me. J

2013 William D. Holland (aka billybuc)

“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”