Notes

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

"Here? There's nothing worth authoring around here," in ways about your hometown. With the proper focus on where you can look, virtually any locale can yield multiple gems ideal 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 are feeling 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 stimulate your thinking in even the littlest, plainest, most remote towns.

Starting: One indispensable resource is the telephone book. These pages contain enough starting information for you to 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 right away.

Buy every postcard you could find related to your neighborhood. Key names, dates and facts on local sites will be printed on the back. Be sure to have a look at any available antique postcards of the area as well. Assemble them right 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 unless you already. They're invaluable allies in your quest for all sorts of knowledge. For the price of a sit down elsewhere rich rewards could be reaped as you chat with staff members informally. Require ideas for article ideas. Additional info possess a library card? Get one - and use it. Readers is probably not writers, but writers are always readers. If you're not scanning the daily papers and historical archives at the local 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 serious problem in a small Latin American town, I queried European and Asian magazines about possible fascination with an article on which the townsfolk did never to only solve the problem, 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 to the station, friends, and family. Research radio or TV program featured sites, locations or businesses.

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

Food: Nearly every place includes a hometown recipe or concoction they're pleased with. What's its origin and special significance? Just how long has it been passed on? Are ingredients only available locally? Can people ensure it is elsewhere? Can unavailable ingredients be substituted? Hotel, restaurant and bed & breakfast reviews are also 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 even a recipe collection might 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 could 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, 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; 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 neighborhood area? If it exists elsewhere, compare your area with any others.

Nature: Are there seasonal invasions of bees, butterflies, bats, or other critters? Is 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 in addition to giving presentations at schools, trade shows and environmental conventions. Have you noticed a bizarre or curiously-shaped tree? Check with neighbors and the city planning commission. See if there's 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. Talk to category winners. Are they elderly, ethnic, or handicapped? Family secret sharers? Additional info in different 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 the 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 it is possible to. Keep a calendar of local and regional events. Stay abreast of 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 get paid while travelling for free.

To learn more 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 should know", immediate delivery details and no-obligation information are available online now at: http://bettereflteacher.blogspot.com/

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