Be your own editor. You can save yourself trouble and ingratiate yourself with your editor by taking some precautions before submitting your story. Here’s a 60-Second Travel Writer Tip from LA Times Travel Editor Catharine Hamm: --After you’ve finished your story, walk away for a couple of hours; then come back when you can look at it with fresh eyes. --Print out your story and read it aloud. You may find sentences that are too long or nouns and verbs that don’t agree. You may hear a word that “clunks. And don’t discount intuition; it’s experience at work. --Highlight your facts and recheck your sources. Are e-cigarettes allowed in carry-on bags or checked bags? An error caught in a recent LATimes blog post—but not before it made it online. When you’re pitching an editor, your credibility counts heavily in the decision. Think of self-editing as money in the bank. In the next installment, we’ll talk about reliable sources. For SATW professional development, I’m Westways Travel Editor Elizabeth Harryman. SaveSave