10 Tips for Writing Exotic Articles About Where You Live

Think relating to this: Each year people all around you spend hundreds of thousands of dollars traveling to "exotic" destinations. What makes these destinations "exotic"? The truth that they're different from the normal home environment. That means wherever you live is an "exotic" locale for folks 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 right focus on where to look, just about any locale can yield multiple gems suitable for articles and stories. Research is the key. Here 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. Below are a few 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. 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 right away.

Buy every postcard you will find related to your area. Key names, dates and facts on local sites will undoubtedly be printed on the back. Be sure to check out any available antique postcards of the region as well. Assemble them into a future reference scrapbook. Enter your town name and local sites key term 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 search for all types of knowledge. For the price tag on a sit down elsewhere rich rewards could be reaped as you speak to staff members informally. Require suggestions for article ideas. Don't possess 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 local 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 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 earn money from it too. An international magazine expressed its interest almost immediately. Listen in AM band talk radio broadcasts. Note the problems 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 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 numerous crime magazines, police gazettes, police 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. 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? 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 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 may 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, there are those who'd prefer to hear about 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, 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; 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 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 like the story. Zoos, insect museums, pet shops and university departments are good starting sources. I came across a family-run business that cultures butterflies then releases them at weddings, parties along with other special occasions along with giving presentations at schools, trade shows 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. 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. 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 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 free of charge.

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