I enjoy reading travel guides, newspaper articles, and blogs about places I would like to visit and places I have visited or lived in myself. I like reading other people’s points of view about where I live. Sometimes they mention things that I didn’t notice. Other times I totally disagree with them. Sometimes I disagree so strongly that I write the author.
Try looking online for stories about your hometown or other places you have lived. The stories may be formal or conversational in style. Look for one that you can read easily enough. Of course, you’ll already know a lot of the words! If you spot an important mistake or if you have useful information to add, you should write a polite e-mail or post a polite comment to the author.
Here is an imaginary note I might send to someone who wrote an article about Fayetteville, the town where I went to college–
Dear Mr. Smith,
I really enjoyed your article about Fayetteville, Arkansas. I consider it one of my hometowns, but it’s not well-known. I appreciate your taking the time to write about it. You included several of my favorite places in Fayetteville, like Hugo’s (one of my favorite restaurants) and the University of Arkansas (where I went to college).
However, one place that I think should not be overlooked is Wilson Park, which includes the Wilson Park Castle. This is a miniature castle that visitors can walk around in. It’s handmade from stone, glass, and concrete. It looks like something from “The Lord of the Rings!” It’s a really surprising thing to find in a quiet place like Fayetteville. I hope you will add this to your recommendations. Thanks again for the article!
Basically, I start off with a compliment and end with a compliment or thank-you. I mention my connection to the place so the author knows why I’m writing. Then I add my suggestion or correction.
If you send in a correction such as the location of a restaurant, the correct name of a local food, etc., the author will probably be happy to receive it, if you’re nice about it. On the other hand, if you’re upset, it’s still good to be polite. If I were upset by something in an article, I might have said–
However, I object to your description of Fayetteville as a “country hick town.” In fact, although Fayetteville is small and surrounded by countryside, it is relatively cultured. For example, Fayetteville has its own symphony and an arts center which hosts world-famous performers–from rock stars to classical violinists. Fayetteville’s university has a respected creative writing program. Former president Bill Clinton used to teach at the university. The atmosphere on Dickson Street, which includes an excellent coffeehouse, a wonderful used book store, a New Age shop, art galleries, and even a safe-sex shop, is not the atmosphere of a “country hick town.” It’s true that Fayetteville is not as diverse or cosmopolitan as the San Francisco Bay Area, where I currently live, but I still feel that it’s unfair to depict Fayetteville as totally unsophisticated.
Today, the San Francisco Chronicle’s website has a series about Seoul, South Korea. There’s the main article about Seoul, an article about food, and a gallery ofphotos. Are you from Seoul? What do you think about the article?
Check out the Chronicle’s Travel page, or the Travel sections of other newspapers, for stories about other places, too.
