If you’d like to learn more about our programs, Lori suggests starting with the travel writing program. You can find more information and a video to see if travel writing is for you here: new.greatescapepublishing.com/start/travelwriting.
“Winners quit all the time, but they quit without fanfare. Winners are quick to realize what isn’t working for them and to move on to something else.” – Jeff Kontur
This week, host Jody Mayberry interviews one of our members member, Jeff Kontur about his experience with us and our programs.
Director, Lori Allen introduces us to Jeff…
“I first met Jeff at our DC Social Summit. This is an event we created to bring people together in the Washington DC area to help them get to know us and create networks with other writers and photographers in the DC area.”
Our members with the greatest success tend to be the ones who have formed networks with other writers and photographers. It provides a support system for encouragement and sharing ideas.
Even though this was Jeff’s first live event, he had already tried several of our programs– Leading Tours for Fun and Profit, Breakfast Stock Club, Photography and Travel Writing—and has had some success with all of them.
Jeff calls it his “Italian pasta concept of experimentation,” which involves throwing a bunch of stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks. For him, most everything has stuck…
He’s led two tours in the last year and had some success selling his photos to a variety of markets, but he’s recently realized that travel writing is where he’d like to focus his time.
He’s already had 17 articles published over 8 years and taken two press trips that were comped to Canada’s Bay of Fundy and Trinidad and Tobago, while just dabbling with writing on the side.
But doing this interview has prompted him to step up his game. He says, “I’m excited to find out what will happen now that I’ve decided to take this seriously.”
He offers this insight…
“I think that in American culture we were all brought up with the idea that winners never quit. But it’s not true. Winners quit all the time. But they quit without fanfare. Winners will try something and see right away and see that it isn’t for them.”
Because he is a bit of a dabbler, he approaches things somewhat casually, so it takes him a while to let go of things that aren’t worth his time, but he’s ready to zero in on writing now because it’s what he loves.
His advice to others…
“Zero in on the things you love and that you can feel passionate about. Even if something is working, be prepared to let it go in favor of something that works better.”
When a lot of things work, you’re forced to narrow it down.
If you’d like to learn more about our programs, Lori suggests starting with the travel writing program. You can find more information and a video to see if travel writing is for you here: new.greatescapepublishing.com/start/travelwriting.
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