Even before taking this course, I spent several years writing on a variety of topics but, at some point, I realized travel writing was my greatest passion. It allowed me to travel to places I had been all over again and to use words to paint a picture of what I had seen. Being able to transport a reader to a place and have them vividly see the places and people you are writing about is a skill that I always admired in others and that I wanted to learn. But the biggest obstacle to my doing so was my self-criticism, an insidious self-sabotage mechanism that blocked me to the point I rarely shared what I wrote with anyone.
If I had to pick just one lesson that The Ultimate Journalism Course has taught me is to be a kinder critic of myself. But I learned so much more. I learned how to write about a well-known place from a unique angle and how to structure an article. I practiced using new verbs and adjectives to describe places in original ways, avoiding clichés. I also learned how to find writing opportunities, how to write a great pitch, and how to transform my passion into a business.
My tutor was nothing short of encouraging and empowering. He has given me precious feedback that has allowed me to work on my weaknesses and use my strengths to my advantage. I realized that some of my perceived shortcomings were qualities that only needed to be polished, and I figured out what other aspects of my writing needed more practice and refinement. While the tutorials are rich in useful information, what really helped me was working on the assignments and carefully reading the feedback I got and putting that advice into practice with each new assignment I completed.
In conclusion, this course has given me that push that I needed, that confidence to put my work out there and share it with others. The result was realizing that others found my writing engaging and inspiring. After just the first few lessons of the course, I started publishing articles on my blog and writing for a few small clients in my free time. My goal, and what I am currently working towards, is to transform this side job into a career. I am still working on getting my articles published in some of those famous travel magazines I aspire to write for, but now I am confident I can do it. I finally dare to consider myself a travel journalist, and this self-confidence is worth more than anything.
I recommend this course to anyone who aspires to refine their writing skills and learn everything there is to know about being a travel journalist, whether they do it as a hobby or they want to turn it into a job. Having a tutor read your work and give you honest and constructive feedback is priceless and what makes this course stand out from the many others you may find online.
