Notes

0 Tips for Writing Exotic Articles About Where You Live
Think concerning this: Each year people all around you may spend thousands of dollars planing a trip to "exotic" destinations. What makes these destinations "exotic"? The point that they're different from the normal home environment. That means wherever you live can be an "exotic" locale for folks in most of all of those other world. So, reveal it.

"Here? There's nothing worth authoring around here," you might say about your hometown. With the proper focus on where you can look, virtually any locale can yield multiple gems suitable for articles and stories. Research may be the key. Listed below are offbeat and practical sources for generating new ideas regardless of how small or dull you feel your hometown is. My colonial hometown of York, Pennsylvania has a population of significantly less than 60,000. Still, I've found numerous gems just waiting to be dug up, polished and marketed. Here are some topics and resources to excite your thinking in even the tiniest, plainest, most remote towns.

Starting: One indispensable resource may be the telephone book. These pages contain enough starting information that you should produce reams of articles, if you know where to look. The front 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 will discover related to your neighborhood. Key names, dates and facts on local sites will be printed on the trunk. Be sure to have a look at any available antique postcards of the area as well. Assemble them into a future reference scrapbook. Enter your town name and local sites key words from the postcards into several search on the internet engines. By following through to 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 if you don't already. They are invaluable allies in your search for all types of knowledge. For the price tag on a cup of coffee rich rewards can be reaped as you chat with staff members informally. Ask for suggestions for article ideas. Don't possess a library card? Get one - and use it. Readers is probably not writers, but writers are always readers. If you are 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 a seemingly "local" problem is only of interest locally. When houseflies became a serious problem in a small Latin American town, I queried European and Asian magazines about possible fascination with an article on what the townsfolk did to not only solve the issue, but make money from it too. An international magazine expressed its interest almost immediately. Tune in AM band talk radio broadcasts. Note the issues 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 perhaps a follow-up on the aftermath might be of interest to numerous crime magazines, police gazettes, police and insurance industry trade publications. Ghost tales could be both fascinating and profitable. Is really a local site reputedly haunted? Cemeteries are a veritable cache of interesting ideas. Search for the initial, researching facts by Internet or newspaper archives. Speak 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 down? 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 prefer to hear about it. The celebrity could be historic or modern, represent any walk of life from Art to Zen, or be their spouses, family and descendents. Having an advance schedule of events, it is possible to profile upcoming concert performers and try for interviews. Public relations and publicity offices carry stock bios on celebrities, used as a start.
Music is of worldwide interest; a unique type performed in your town could spiral into specialized pieces on local artists, artisans or exotic instruments just 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 an unusual 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 discovered a family-run business that cultures butterflies then releases them at weddings, parties and other special occasions besides giving presentations at schools, industry events and environmental conventions. Have you noticed a bizarre or curiously-shaped tree? Check with neighbors and the town planning commission. See if there is a tale attached to that trunk or another natural wonders in the area.

Sports or Fairs: Cover city, county or state events having an eye to unique angles and multiple marketing. Search 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 area proudly hosts some tournament, race, rally or marathon? How contestants prepare, interviews with sponsors, family and fans are possible article generating material. When a backyard row of huge collard greens drew attention to 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 all around you. Continually note ideas, brainstorm, observe, listen, converse and question everyone it is possible to. 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."

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