Last year I talked on Side Stand Up motorcycle radio (Episode 69)
about motorcycle travel books and how you might even manifest your own. Here
are some of the books I talked about in the episode, plus resources for
writing essays, developing dialogue, even self publishing. I'd love to
hear your thoughts on my list, additions, arguments, and favorites, in
the comments section, below. And I'll be on again later this month, so
stay tuned!
Carla
MOTORCYCLE TRAVEL WRITING
Really Good Travel Journalism-Writing that just happens to heavily feature motorcycle/ing as transport or character
The foibles of writers who thought, "Hey, it might be fun to do this trip on a motorcycle:"
Ted Simon: Jupiter's Travels
Christopher Baker: Mi Moto Fidel
Personal Narrative, featuring motorcycles
Journeys gone wrong and journeys to heal the heart
Allen Noren: Storm
Neil Pert: Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road
Hilarious Travel Writing, featuring motorcycles
This British writer is a fun, fast read
Geoff Hill: The Road to Gobblers Knob
Geoff Hill: Way To Go
Special-Crossover Market Interest, featuring motorcycles
Educational, even for the layperson
Jim Rogers: Investment Biker
Poetic, featuring motorcycles/ing
Lots of personal experience and intense introspection
Melissa Holbrook Pierson: The Perfect Vehicle
Philosophical, featuring motorcycles
Fiction, but based on the author's real-life experiences
Robert Pirsig: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Special Interest: Motorcycling Events
This account of a special event is an obvious audience-grabber
Ron Ayres: Against the Wind (Iron Butt)
Fast and Furious Motorcycle-centric Writing
The pace of the journey can sometimes carry a story through to success.
Lois Pryce: Lois on the Loose
Glen Heggstad: Two Wheels Through Terror
MODELS FOR WRITING & STORYTELLING IN GENERAL
Gonzo
Absolutely uninhibited
Hunter S. Thompson: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Travel
More could be added, but here are two greats for a start
William Least Heat Moon: Blue Highways
Robyn Davidson: Tracks
Funny
Funny is a special talent. If you've got it, you've got it. If you don't, well, then don't
Bill Bryson: I'm a Stranger Here Myself
Intensely Personal
How
much do you want people to know about your life, love, marriage,
divorce, weight-loss program, etc.? Gilbert gets personal and gets away
with it in a big way.
Elizabeth Gilbert: Eat Pray Love
Fabulous Dialog
The spare, simple style of this great American writer could be more often emulated
Earnest Hemingway: Short Stories
(esp short story: Hills Like White Elephants)
Descriptive Dialect
Dialect is difficult but very effective
Mark Twain: The Adventures of Mark Twain and Huckleberry Finn
Places to Find Just Plain Good Writing
Many more places could be listed, but here are two of my favorites
Atlantic Monthly
New Yorker
REFERENCE
How to Write an Essay
A staple
Phillip Lopate: The Art of the Personal Essay
How to Self-Publish
All the bits and bytes to getting your book out there
The Self Publishing Boot Camp Workbook and Workshops
Style
The editors indispensable guide
Chicago Manual of Style
Description
The
importance of being able to describe the place you're in can't be over
stated. Here's the ultimate reference, and also a great read in its own
right.
Barry Lopez (Editor): Home Ground: Language for an American Landscape
OTHER MOTORCYCLE TRAVEL BOOKS
Karen Larsen: Breaking the Limit
MOTORCYCLE BOOKS (not about motorcycle travel)
Hunter S. Thompson: Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga
You have a great compilation here, thank you.
I like the Life is a Road series by Daniel Meyer. I’m not exactly sure how to categorize his writing though. He has a lot of excerpts on his website.
http://lifeisaroad.com/
Also Bryan Duncan’s Hogwash Humor, motorcycle related. http://hogwashhumor.com/
Ride on,
Torch