From Blah, Blah, Blah to Brilliant: Mastering the Art of Culture and Lifestyle Storytelling

Expert strategies to power up any kind of storytelling

"The time has come," the Walrus said, "to talk of many things: Of shoes and ships and sealing wax— of cabbages and kings. And why the sea is boiling hot— and whether pigs have wings." Write so I feel it. (Photo by author)

It's so satisfying to answer questions from Pen2Profit subscribers. Here's a great request: "I'd appreciate some storytelling tips, particularly for culture & lifestyle writers," submitted by @europeincolour Europe in Colour. We can all use this!

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When we choose a niche for our creative works, we usually need to familiarize ourselves with its trends and conventions. We'll focus on travel and culture storytelling to determine strategies to enhance our writing in any topic or genre.

To begin, we go back to basic concepts that skilled writers always have in mind.

• Interview everyday people involved in the topic you're writing about. Reach out to community leaders, artists, and leaders for their perspectives and stories, too.

• Immerse yourself in the lifestyle you are exploring—get out in the brick-and-mortar world if at all possible. First-hand experience adds authentic insights.

• Do your research and be sure your sources are reliable. A topic's historical and social context adds perspective and deepens your mastery of the relevant ideas in your story.

Elevate your culture and lifestyle writing: Beyond the basics

Ibn Battuta said, “Traveling—it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”

Run-of-the-mill "Top 10 Tips" for travel writers drive you nuts and cheat your readers. Blah, blah, blah, know your audience, and find your voice, while somewhat valid, can't be called actionable. You're sitting in front of a blank page, itching to write something scintillating about a specific culture or lifestyle. This is the next piece you'll place with a paying customer

Let's get past the platitudes and fire up with the vibrancy and authenticity that will put you out in front of the hacks and the inauthentic pap.

Be an anthropologist—dig deep. Observing from afar will never spawn compelling prose. You gotta soak yourself in the lives, rituals, and beliefs of the people and places you want me to understand.

The most impactful way to write about a culture is to experience it. It isn't impossible to convey the general flavor of a place you've only researched and read about, but if your goal is to be a top-drawer lifestyle writer, you have to walk the walk.

Attend local events, festivals, and traditions. Talk to real people, listen to their stories, and understand their perspectives. Strike up conversations in cafes, markets, or parks. Learn a few phrases in the local language. Maybe you can define ice cream for me, but you can't describe the flavor if you've never put an icy, sweet, smooth bit in your mouth.

Great lifestyle writing demands that you wear the sombrero, taste the goulash, and get the feel of being crammed like a sardine on a train during peak season.

Even if travel isn't involved in your story and the focus is an alternate lifestyle, try a plant-based diet for a week if you're writing about veganism. If you're exploring minimalism, declutter your home and live without your stuff for a while. This firsthand experience will lend your writing a depth and credibility that can't be faked.

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. —Marcel Proust

Forget about being Lois Lane, turn yourself into Roald Dahl, and wake up the story

Facts and figures are important, but vivid stories stick with us. Find the narratives within the culture or lifestyle you're exploring. Mediocre travel and culture writers abound, so finding a unique angle that puts you right into the narrative is crucial.

A friend of mine decided to travel to South Korea, but he wanted more than the beautiful scenery or robust history. So he arranged to spend two weeks embedded with a family who has made classic Korean pottery for several centuries. My friend slept, ate, and socialized with them against an ever-present background of ceramic art. Twenty years later, he lights up when he's talking about those two weeks.

Had he written about his journey, I have no doubt the stories would be in high demand. Your unique experiences and perspective will make your stories evergreen and ever-popular.

Effective storytelling evokes emotions, too. Reflect on how your experiences made you feel and share those feelings. Whether it’s the joy of discovering a new place, the frustration of language barriers, or the awe of witnessing a cultural ritual, force readers to connect with your story on a deeper level.

Paint the word picture. If I had a nickel for every time I've heard someone say, "Show, don't tell," I'd be hobnobbing with Taylor Swift and her millions. But the advice may be one of the most important things a writer of any genre must learn. Read your work out loud to make sure you aren't resorting to, "At night, the city is dark and crowded." I want to read, "The cacophony of car horns, the flash of neon, and an endless stream of fascinating faces…."

If you truly want to understand show, don't tell, read Anne Tyler's 1985 masterpiece, The Accidental Tourist.

Two bonus writing strategies

Every culture and lifestyle has a history. Understanding that history provides significant context for your writing. Personal experiences are invaluable, but thorough research can add depth and credibility. At least skim the surface of the history, politics, and social dynamics of the places you’re writing about. Make sure to find reputable sources and subtly weave such information into your narrative. Less may be more.

Before we wrap this up, let me emphasize the importance of challenging your biases and assumptions. If you think all Germans are stubborn, Greenland is always 32 degrees F, or British food is not edible, exorcise those demons before you even think about writing. BTW, Greenland has a short but lovely summer with trees, flowers, grass, and temperatures that can soar to almost 70 degrees F.

Hammer your assumptions into submission and move around with your eyes and mind wide open. At the same time, be ruthlessly honest and authentic, unafraid to discuss the negatives and surprises you encounter. Editors, readers, and publishers will find you forthright and trustworthy.

The usual Pen2Profit admonishments

Practice, practice, practice—then polish. Storytelling is like playing pickleball. Okay, it isn't really, but it does require practice. Write a lot. Experiment with different styles and techniques, and challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zone. The more you write, the better you’ll become at crafting compelling narratives. The more you experiment, the more likely you will find your perfect process. The more you polish, the better your reputation.

If you intend to stand out and wow the audience, listen to Neil Gaiman's salient advice: “The main rule of writing is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you’re allowed to do whatever you like. So write your story as it needs to be written.”