Think relating to this: Every year people all around you spend thousands of dollars traveling to "exotic" destinations. Why is these destinations "exotic"? The point that they're different from the standard home environment. Which means wherever you live is an "exotic" locale for people 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 proper focus on where to look, just about 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 significantly less than 60,000. Still, There is numerous gems just waiting to be dug up, polished and marketed. Here are a few topics and resources to stimulate 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 can 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 can get 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 aswell. Assemble them right into a future reference scrapbook. Enter your town name and local sites key phrases from the postcards into several internet search 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're invaluable allies in your search for all types of knowledge. For the price of a cup of coffee rich rewards can be reaped as you speak to staff members informally. Require ideas for article ideas. Don't have a library card? Get one - and use it. Readers might 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 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 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 issue, but earn money from it too. An international magazine expressed its interest almost immediately. Tune in AM band talk radio broadcasts. Note the problems and contact information. Scrutinize them from different viewpoints. Talk to the station, friends, and family. get more info 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, law enforcement and insurance industry trade publications. Ghost tales can be both fascinating and profitable. Is 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: Nearly 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 ingredients only available locally? Can people ensure it is elsewhere? Can unavailable ingredients be substituted? Hotel, restaurant and bed & breakfast reviews may also be 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 perhaps 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 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. 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, 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 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 area 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 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 in addition to giving presentations at schools, trade shows and environmental conventions. Perhaps you have noticed a bizarre or curiously-shaped tree? Check with neighbors and the city planning commission. See if there is 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 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 attention to my late grandmother's fertilizing methods winning her amention 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 authoring 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 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 Want 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/Need professional, original content or articles for your blog, newsletter or website? Have a question, request, or desire to receive more information or to be added to his articles and teaching materials email list? Then contact the writer as of this website for a prompt response.