Writers' Checklist (before you send us your stuff)

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Tell us how you would like your name to appear on this article on In the Know Traveler.

This address will be used for all correspondence with ITKT. This email address will not be published for any reason. Please check our Privacy Statement.

Be creative and concise, but remember we may need to change it in order to help with SEO (search engine optimization), which will help more people find and read you articles.

Where does the story take place? We prefer stories focusing within a single country or location. However, if you have a strong idea for a series of articles covering a wider range of travel, please contact us.

Stay focused on the story you want to tell, but an occasional aside that is relevant to your story can be fun.

To reduce the chances that we will edit your story (or return it to you because there is too much to edit), consider these pointers:

• Use a word processor. Text programs like Microsoft Word offer you the ability to check spelling and grammar. However, do not rely on them too heavily. We expect finished work. Proper names should be capitalized, appropriate grammar and accurate facts are a must. Please include street and web addresses, when applicable.
• Read your story aloud to yourself and others. If the story does not flow to your ear, it will not flow to your reader... this technique also helps eliminate small mistakes frequently missed by your word processor.
• When in doubt of a specific fact, verify it or leave it out. If you want to say that Nagoya is the sister city to Los Angeles, be prepared to site a source for accuracy or ask yourself if this is crucial information to your story and its readers. Your brilliant memory will not suffice.
• Show us, do not tell us. "The man with the red beret offered us directions by pointing to the Eiffel Tower and flapping his arms like a goose", says more than, "The man tried to help us with directions but could not".
• Always tell the truth.

If you have any other thoughts for us outside of the realm of your story, let us know here at the bottom of your letter to us.

Feel free to send us any photos to accompany your story. Please watch the file sizes: most email programs choke on anything more than 3 MB. When in doubt, feel free to email us: editor[at]intheknowtraveler.com.

Choose what might be the most important information to include.

• Who are these people?
• What are we seeing? Shrine, monument, traditional Japanese kimono etc.?
• Where is this place? Spain, Los Angeles, Carpathian Mountains, etc.
• Why is this picture important to the story?

Please note that you will retain all rights to your original work. We retain the right to publish it and the ability to mildly edit the article, for submission to our site. For more information check out our Submission Guidelines.