The Girl, The Camper & The Story

_This Month’s Episode Features a Conversation with Kim Foley MacKinnon of Girl Camper_In this month’s episode, you will hear from a seasoned camper—both tent and RVer. Kim Foley MacKinnon is a journalist, author, and editor of Girl Camper Magazine. Kim has written books about travel—with an emphasis on the New England states. She has a range of experience in camping from tents and hammocks to RVs. 

With Kim’s travels she has a wide array of experiences, but food and camping are on the top of her list. She does her best to avoid chain restaurants, and brings her foodie palette to life in her writings. Check out everything by listening the podcast here:

What is the Difference Between a Reporter, a Journalist, and a Blogger?

This topic is a hot topic in the writing world. Kim gives a thoughtful response, but really boils it down to a good writer is a good writer. The key is you need to have an interesting topic that is backed up by facts and speak with authority. There is more to it than that, but it is the essence of being a good writer. Kim gives a more full explanation in the podcast, but definitely possesses an inclusive approach to her understanding of who is a writer.

What Advice Would You Give to Aspiring Writers?

Kim offers up some wisdom that was passed on to her at the early stages of her writing career. That advice is: “To be a good writer you need to be a good writer.” It is important to read all types of content too. From silly magazine pieces to historic biographies, it is all important. She says it all adds to your ability to write. Kim offers another key piece of information for writers too. She recommends that writers read their own content—out loud. She believes this helps the writer hear their own words. It exposes words you’ve skipped, the stumbling blocks in your language, and helps smooth it out. A second thing you might want to do is ask someone else to read it. Getting fresh eyes on your content is incredibly important. There are even more gems in this interview. It is worth taking the time to check it out.

Kim Explains Girl Camper

Girl Camper was the idea of Janine Pettit. She loved camping, but realized there wasn’t a lot of camping content geared specifically towards women. This led to Janine starting a podcast. It was a place for her to share her experience as a female camper and connected her to the experiences as a child and makes her feel like a girl.After this, she started a website and connected with different guides across the country to put on events for female campers—Girl Campers. After that she started a quarterly magazine—this is where Kim enters the picture as a writer.