Notes

10 Strategies for Writing Exotic Articles About Where You Live
Think concerning this: Every year people all around you may spend thousands of dollars traveling to "exotic" destinations. What makes these destinations "exotic"? The point that they're different from the standard home environment. Which means wherever you live can be an "exotic" locale for folks in most of the rest of the world. So, write about it.

"Here? There's nothing worth writing about around here," in ways about your hometown. With the right focus on where you can look, virtually any locale can yield multiple gems suitable for articles and stories. Research is 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 includes a population of less than 60,000. Still, There is 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 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. 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. Additional info during your directory, you'll start generating ideas right away.

Buy every postcard you will find related to your neighborhood. Key names, dates and facts on local sites will undoubtedly be printed on the back. 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 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 become familiar with the reference department staff if you don't already. They're invaluable allies in your quest for all sorts of knowledge. For the price tag on a sit down elsewhere rich rewards can be reaped as you speak to staff members informally. Require ideas 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 tend to be mirrored at broader levels. Never assume that a seemingly "local" problem is of interest locally. When houseflies became a significant problem in a small Latin American town, I queried European and Asian magazines about possible interest in an article on what 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 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 probably 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, police and insurance industry trade publications. Ghost tales could 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 includes a hometown recipe or concoction they're proud of. What's its origin and special significance? Just how long has it been passed on? Are Primark Luggage Review ? Can people make it elsewhere? Can unavailable ingredients be substituted? Hotel, restaurant and bed & breakfast reviews may also be marketable. In my 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 perhaps 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, you can find those who'd prefer to hear about it. The celebrity can 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. Pr and publicity offices carry stock bios on celebrities, used as a start.
Music is of worldwide interest; a unique type performed in your area 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? How come the instrument mounted on the neighborhood area? If it exists elsewhere, compare your neighborhood with any others.

Nature: Is there seasonal invasions of bees, butterflies, bats, or other critters? Is 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 discovered a family-run business that cultures butterflies then releases them at weddings, parties along with other special occasions as well as giving presentations at schools, trade shows and environmental conventions. Perhaps you have noticed a bizarre or curiously-shaped tree? Talk with neighbors and the city planning commission. See if there's 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. Search for interesting viewpoints. Speak to category winners. Are they elderly, ethnic, or handicapped? Family secret sharers? View the events in different ways. Take photos. Surely read more 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 the 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 you can. Keep a calendar of local and regional events. Stay up to date with happenings. You may never again say, "Here? There's nothing worth writing about around here."

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is 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 obtain paid while travelling for free.

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

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