Travelpod Folks Helped Me Distill Essence

Travelpod is an online community for independent travellers and they offer free travel blogs as well as other features like obtaining travel insurance. (Here's my companion Travelpod blog for TsunamiAnniversary.com - with more of a traveling pilgrim's theme.)

As my sole sponsor to date, Travelpod, asked me great questions in preparation of their press release. I also loved the way they didn't want me to emblazon myself with Travelpod logos or change anything at all at their behest. They simply believed in the vision and wanted to support it. Period. That simple. And for their support, I'm deeply grateful.

I wanted to share this fantastic example of honing questions to boil down your project, product or whatever you are telling the world to its essence. Then you have something to work with to chisel it down into a one-pager. Lifted from Brett at Travelpod's email message:

Set the stage

• I am... (describe yourself with emphasis on the travel component and the writing component of "you"... but no "why" material)
• I was... (specific words that place you in the tsunami region, touch on the physical impact on you, and return you to your home-base)
• I changed/learned... (words that describe how the experience affected you spiritually)
• I resolved... (words that describe your larger vision of a better world)
• I plan to... (words about the anniversary tour as an example of what you are doing to implement your larger vision)
• I hope... (words that describe the concrete results you are hoping to produce)

My answers are distilled here.

p.s. Thanks to Stowe Boyd of Corante for making the introduction. Corante has been generous contributor to TsunamiAnniversary.com as well. (Disclosure: I write for the Corante Marketing Hub...but the donations and introductions ultimately stem from our friendship.)