Notes

10 Strategies for Writing Exotic Articles About Where You Live
Think concerning this: Every year people all around you spend hundreds of thousands of dollars traveling to "exotic" destinations. Why is these destinations "exotic"? The point that they're different from the normal home environment. Which means wherever you live can be an "exotic" locale for folks in most of the rest of the world. So, reveal 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 suitable for articles and stories. Research may be the key. Listed below are offbeat and practical sources for generating new ideas no matter how small or dull you are feeling your hometown is. My colonial hometown of York, Pennsylvania includes a population of significantly less than 60,000. Still, There is numerous gems just waiting to be dug up, polished and marketed. Below are a few topics and resources to excite your thinking in even the tiniest, plainest, most remote towns.

Starting: One indispensable resource is the telephone book. These pages contain enough starting information that you 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 during 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 region aswell. Assemble Additional info 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 results, 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're invaluable allies in your quest for all sorts of knowledge. For the price of a sit down elsewhere rich rewards can be reaped as you chat with staff members informally. Ask for ideas for article ideas. Don't possess a library card? Get one - and utilize it. Readers might not be 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 tend to be mirrored at broader levels. Never assume a seemingly "local" problem is only of interest locally. When houseflies became a serious problem in a little Latin American town, I queried European and Asian magazines about possible interest in an article on what the townsfolk did never to only solve the problem, but make money from it too. A global 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 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? Today's re-telling of the events or a follow-up on the aftermath might be of interest to numerous crime magazines, police gazettes, law enforcement and insurance industry trade publications. Ghost tales could be both fascinating and profitable. Is a local site reputedly haunted? Cemeteries are a veritable cache of interesting ideas. Look for the unique, 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? Just 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 might be just the ticket.

Celebrity appearances: Maybe Elvis didn't sleep there (or maybe he did), but if ANYONE of note passed through, stopped or stayed, you can find 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; 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 attached to 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? 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 discovered a family-run business that cultures butterflies then releases them at weddings, parties and other special occasions as well as giving presentations at schools, industry events 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 mounted on that trunk or another natural wonders in your community.

Sports or Fairs: Cover city, county or state events with 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? View the events 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. When 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 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 up to date with happenings. You'll never again say, "Here? There is nothing worth writing about 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 free of charge.

For more 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, "If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You must know", immediate delivery details and no-obligation information are available online now at: http://bettereflteacher.blogspot.com/

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