Words of the Week enters its second edition with a trio of interesting posts.
If you’re new to WotW, all you need to know is that each week we search travel posts for examples of writing which elevate the art and craft of words. The series lives by the motto: “Travel posts are many. Well-written words are not.”
If you have a suggestion for a sterling bit of composition, let us know! In the meantime, check out this week’s word artisans. Clicking on the photos or headlines will take you to the original post. Clicking on the author’s site/name will take you to their Twitter page.
1. Garrick Ramirez, The Bold Italic, “Northern California’s Best Roadside Attractions“
We loved Garrick’s piece because from the first paragraph on his story reads like a throwback fiction novel recounting the adventures of a 60’s traveler. We just loved it. Great incorporation of quotes, too. In this passage, he’s describing the moment he sees a wax-figure representation of “The Last Supper”:
Kurt led me into an eerie, pitch-dark viewing room and shut the door — while I tried to remember if I had told anyone where I was — before unveiling the life-size diorama. A little hazy on The Da Vinci Code plotline, I asked who the woman was stage right of Christ. “That’s John. He was very effeminate,” he stated in a don’t-cha-know tone of voice. I also wondered who else knows of this hidden gem. “Nuns and old people,” Kurt said. “Some ask me what the figures are saying to each other. That’s mostly the ones with dementia.”
2. Daniel Wildey, Sidetracked, “Best Laid Plans: Fatbiking the Tour Du Mont Blanc“
Wildey’s narrative follows Geoff Harper, a strength and condition coach who devotes his leisure time to insane bike rides across treacherous terrain in remote — and resplendent — locations. In this chunk of Wildey’s story, he is describing the narrative’s conflict. Harper has hit the wall:
How quickly the mountain compounds every problem. Geoff was now at the single most inaccessible – and inescapable – point of the Tour. The best laid schemes of mice and men are as nothing to a brain addled by altitude, hunger and fever.
3. Wanderlusters, “Leaving Sin City: Iconic Natural Wonders Near Las Vegas“
The key to a great piece of writing is the first sentence. Nail it and you’ve got your reader hooked. Fumble it and your reader may never get to the second paragraph. Wanderlusters deserve a spot on this week’s list for picking the perfect words to describe Las Vegas’ polarizing glitz.
Las Vegas, you’ll either love it or hate it. I really don’t think there are many for whom the thought of spending a week or two in Sin City inspires mediocre excitement or mild contempt.
…If you missed out on the first edition of Words of the Week, click here to check out our four winners and honorable mention.
