Think Geek

To succeed in any medium, you've gotta know it. I've had countless travel writing students express an immediate, burning desire to be in one of National Geographic's magazines. Yet many of these ambitious souls couldn't even name their favorite author in the genre.

First off, that's the equivalent of someone declaring, "I've never had a ballet class, but I'd like the role of Clara in the Met's Nutcracker." Secondly, it's like an aspiring prima ballerina never having heard of Rudolf Nureyev or Margot Fonteyn.

How can you possibly succeed at a thing you know nothing about?

Read. Then read and read and read.