Notes

10 Tips for Writing Exotic Articles About Where You Live
Think about this: Every year people all around you spend thousands of dollars traveling to "exotic" destinations. What makes get more info "? The point that they're different from the normal home environment. That means wherever you live is an "exotic" locale for folks in most of the rest of the world. So, write about it.

"Here? There's nothing worth authoring around here," you might say about your hometown. With the right focus on where you can look, just about any locale can yield multiple gems ideal for articles and stories. Research is the key. Here are offbeat and practical sources for generating new ideas no matter how small or dull you feel your hometown is. My colonial hometown of York, Pennsylvania has a population of less than 60,000. Still, I've found numerous gems just waiting to be dug up, polished and marketed. Here are several topics and resources to excite your thinking in even the tiniest, plainest, most remote towns.

Starting off: One indispensable resource is the telephone book. These pages contain enough starting information so that you can produce reams of articles, if you know where to look. Leading pages often contain maps, contact data for government agencies, museums, libraries, other reference sites and key organizations. Listings under clubs, fraternities, and organizations yield special interest groups just clamoring for promotional or human interest pieces. Thumb through your directory, you'll start generating ideas immediately.

Buy every postcard you can find related to your neighborhood. Key names, dates and facts on local sites will undoubtedly be printed on the trunk. Be sure to check out any available antique postcards of the region as well. Assemble them right into a future reference scrapbook. Enter your town name and local sites key words from the postcards into several internet search engines. By following up on the outcomes, points you'd never imagined can generate article ideas or new slants on "old" stories.

You'll doubtless be spending eons of time at the library anyway, so get to know the reference department staff unless you already. They are invaluable allies in your quest for all types of knowledge. For the price of a sit down elsewhere rich rewards could be reaped as you speak to staff members informally. Ask for suggestions for article ideas. Don't possess a library card? Get one - and utilize it. Readers may not be writers, but writers are always readers. If you're not scanning the daily papers and historical archives at the neighborhood library you're missing out on a treasure trove of idea-starting news pieces.

The TV/radio news and commentary: Local events are often mirrored at broader levels. Never assume that a seemingly "local" problem is of interest locally. When houseflies became a serious problem in a small Latin American town, I queried European and Asian magazines about possible interest in an article on which the townsfolk did to not only solve the problem, but earn money from it too. An international magazine expressed its interest almost immediately. Listen in AM band talk radio broadcasts. Note the problems and contact information. Scrutinize them from different viewpoints. Talk with the station, friends, and family. Research radio or TV program featured sites, locations or businesses.

Crime: What was the most publicized, infamous crime committed around? A robbery? Kidnapping? Arson? Murder? A modern re-telling of the events or a follow-up on the aftermath might be of interest to varied crime magazines, police gazettes, law enforcement and insurance industry trade publications. Ghost tales can be both fascinating and profitable. Is really a local site reputedly haunted? Cemeteries certainly are a veritable cache of interesting ideas. Look for the initial, researching facts by Internet or newspaper archives. Talk to caretakers too.

Food: Almost every place has a hometown recipe or concoction they're pleased with. What's its origin and special significance? How long has it been passed on? Are ingredients only available locally? Can people make it elsewhere? Can unavailable ingredients be substituted? Hotel, restaurant and bed & breakfast reviews are also marketable. In my own hometown, eighteenth century Pennsylvania Dutch specialties like shoo-fly pie, apple butter, three bean salad, and chicken corn soup grace our tourist- attracting menus. An informative or historical piece, or even a recipe collection may be just the ticket.

Celebrity appearances: Maybe Elvis didn't sleep there (or possibly he did), but if ANYONE of note passed through, stopped or stayed, there are those who'd like to hear about any of it. The celebrity can be historic or modern, represent any walk of life from Art to Zen, or be their spouses, family and descendents. With an advance schedule of events, you can profile upcoming concert performers and try for interviews. Public relations and publicity offices carry stock bios on celebrities, which you can use as a start.
Music is of worldwide interest; an unusual type performed in your town could spiral into specialized pieces on local artists, artisans or exotic instruments like the accordion, harmonica, dulcimer, harp or zither. Where and how are they crafted? Are lessons available? Why is the instrument mounted on the local area? If it exists elsewhere, compare your neighborhood with any others.

Nature: Are there seasonal invasions of bees, butterflies, bats, or other critters? Can be your area home to a unique species? A haven for hummingbirds? A wildlife sanctuary? Wildlife and environmental publications might just like the story. Zoos, insect museums, pet shops and university departments are good starting sources. I came across a family-run business that cultures butterflies then releases them at weddings, parties and other special occasions along with giving presentations at schools, industry events and environmental conventions. Have you noticed a bizarre or curiously-shaped tree? Talk with neighbors and the town planning commission. See if there is a tale mounted on that trunk or another natural wonders in your community.

Sports or Fairs: Cover city, county or state events having an eye to unique angles and multiple marketing. Look for interesting viewpoints. Speak to category winners. Are they elderly, ethnic, or handicapped? Family secret sharers? View the events in various ways. Take photos. Surely your neighborhood proudly hosts some tournament, race, rally or marathon? How contestants prepare, interviews with sponsors, family and fans are possible article generating material. Whenever a backyard row of huge collard greens drew focus on my late grandmother's fertilizing methods winning her a
mention at the county fair, I wrote it up. (She'd used free elephant dung from a visiting circus as fertilizer.)

Whatever your writing genre, diamonds-in-the-rough ideas for articles abound throughout you. Continually note ideas, brainstorm, observe, listen, converse and question everyone you can. Keep a calendar of local and regional events. Stay abreast of happenings. You'll never again say, "Here? There is nothing worth authoring around here."

Prof. Larry M. Lynch can be an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free.

For additional information on entering or advancing in the fascinating field of teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language send for his no-cost PDF Ebook, "In order to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You must know", immediate delivery details and no-obligation information can be found online now at: http://bettereflteacher.blogspot.com/

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