Video:
Write Now! Persuasive Writing Prompts:
Write a Vacation Postcard
Practice your copywriting skills with this prompt from The Professional Writers’ Alliance (PWA).
In this Write Now! exercise, you’ll discover how to write powerful copy in a very small space … where every word counts.
Watch this video by copywriter Christy Goldfeder to get your imagination going! You’ll write about a vacation spot or experience that left a great impression on you. (Or read the transcript below.)
Think about a favorite place that you’ve traveled to on vacation. Remember what it felt like to be on a break, away from your every day routines. And remember everything that that you loved about it.
What kind of place is it? Did you go to the beach, or the mountains or tour a city? What were your favorite parts of the trip?
In this Write Now! Exercise, use your memories to write a vivid postcard to a friend. Use as much descriptive language as you can and think about what words describing the sights, flavors, sounds, and scents paint the picture.
Remember, you only have a small space to write, so make your descriptions count.
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The mountain you can see through the large meadow is turning different shades of purple as the sun is replaced by the moon. The stars seem so close and twinkle like glitter. The air is cool, crisp and clean with the scent of pine trees and tall meadow grass. You can here a coyote in the distance and close by a river babbling over rocks.
Someone just stated the camp fire and the smoke currels and dances up into the night sky I can hear a guitar being played and voices joining in. Inhale, exhale.
Musick –
Bay shores. Quay and Huge Park. Sunny afternoon. Lots of people. Piers. Shops selling fish, crabs, lobsters. Picnic basket. 20 mile Sea wall around the Bay! Hiking trails, evergreens, lagoon. Ducks, sandpipers, Canada geese. Sandy shores. Melt-in-mouth salmon sandwiches, tangy slaw, sweet tangerines. Inside park small plaza. Fountains. Coffee and ice cream. Chocolate cake! Down another trail, to the shores. By the rocks. Sea gulls. Surf far out at sea. Visit again!
lisa25 –
Hi Mom,
The sea is blue! It really is. Like in those movies. Its nothing like our piss-gray colour sea we have at home. Its also warm, and really salty. And guess what they have ton of fish just swimming around, really colourful and pretty ones. I got myself swimming goggles and have been exploring the local lagoons here quite a bit. My friends think I'm crazy but I just cant get enough of it. I feel like I'm swimming in aquarium.
Oh and town is nice as well, white nice houses, good food and all that jazz. But still, I just love the sea!
I have been here for few days now and let me tell you, I just cant wipe the smile off from my face! Even if I tried. Its that great!
Guest (Kendrick ) –
My sister worked at a research company on the coast of the Indian Ocean. She got us a free vacation rental less than 20 feet from the ocean. All we had to do was get there.
It was the weekend of my daughters sixth birthday that we got to the beach house. The house had white washed stonewalls with high ceilings and large beautiful fans. The beach sand was smooth-soft and the weather was always warm with a cooling ocean breeze.
We spent most of our days at the beach making sand castles or finding shells. The sunrises were beautiful light orange and the sunsets had a strong red colour that filled the sky as the sun dipped behind the hills.
That week was one of my daughter’s favorite birthdays … unforgettable memories of the Indian Ocean.
Dodi –
Wish you were here to experience paradise with us! Like no other place I've been before, ocean awareness is everywhere from the mountaintop to the shore.
Summer strolling, smelling & almost tasting the salty sea air, wind wafting across the water.
Citrus & coconut as far as the eye can see, waterfalls, tropical flowers, and swaying palm trees.
Hike, paraglide, snorkel, swim, a bucket of possibility filled to the brim.
Much like the busy city back home, where it's never quiet, even when we snooze, the ocean orchestrates music as powerful water moves.
Splendid stars lighting up the night, no visual/audio pollution anywhere in sight.
Hand in hand making our way to bonfires in the sand, filling tummies with sizzle, pork, and mmmm.
Sara Scribes –
Aruba-just the name makes me smile. The soft white sand beaches leading to the aqua blue waters that gently hug the shores is irresistible. Its true what they say..One Happy Island.Everyone who lives here are willing to embrace all visitors. And the sea life viewed by snorkeling or diving is like putting yourself in a tropical fish tank! The multicolored bougainvillea trees line the roads leading to the downtown open markets at the Dutch Capital where one can try the native dishes, yummy.
Beth-el –
First one is awkward, the second too choppy. The third contains irrelevant information with no description. The fourth is the best so far with descriptions and complete sentences with a sequenced timeline of events, though this is more about her birthday than the trip. Number 5 creates a visual of the place, but is just a list. The last one nails it! The writer uses a conversational format with interesting and mood-evoking descriptors to visualize each activity explored to draw the reader in.
Guest (Maria Romano) –
Canada is the most beautiful country I’ve ever seen. I stayed in Vancouver, in a smart hotel on the waterfront. On one side was the vibrant city, a mix of modern and historic architecture, on the other side there were the Rockies, capped with snow even in July. From there I visited Lake Louise, a crystal clear aquamarine colour, icy cold from the glacier that fed into the lake. I enjoyed a cocktail, taking in the fresh air and watching the wildlife. It was a fantastic and memorable holiday.
Karen J –