Notes

10 Strategies for Writing Exotic Articles About Where You Live
Think relating to this: Each year people all around you may spend hundreds of thousands of dollars planing a trip to "exotic" destinations. Why is these destinations "exotic"? The fact that they're different from the normal home environment. Which means wherever you live is an "exotic" locale for people in most of the rest of the world. So, reveal it.

"Here? There is nothing worth writing about around here," in ways about your hometown. With the proper 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 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 littlest, plainest, most remote towns.

Starting: One indispensable resource is the telephone book. These pages contain enough starting information so you might 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 during your directory, you'll start generating ideas immediately.

Buy every postcard you could find related to your area. 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 as well. Assemble them right into a future reference scrapbook. Enter your town name and local sites key term from the postcards into several internet search engines. By following through to 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 become familiar with the reference department staff if you don't already. They are invaluable allies in your quest for all types of knowledge. For the price tag on a cup of coffee 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 use 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 passing up 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 of interest locally. When houseflies became a significant problem in a little 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 issue, but make money from it too. A global 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? Today's 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 could be both fascinating and profitable. Is a local site reputedly haunted? Cemeteries are a veritable cache of interesting ideas. Search 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 pleased with. What's its origin and special significance? How long has it been passed down? 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 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, 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. 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; an unusual 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? Why is the instrument attached to the neighborhood area? If it exists elsewhere, compare your neighborhood with any others.

Nature: Are 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 besides giving presentations at schools, industry events and environmental conventions. Perhaps you have noticed a bizarre or curiously-shaped tree? Talk 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 with 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 area 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 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'll never again say, "Here? There is 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.

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, "To be able to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know", immediate delivery details and no-obligation information are available online now at: http://bettereflteacher.blogspot.com/

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