Think about this: Each year people all around you spend hundreds
of thousands of dollars to travel to “exotic” destinations. What
makes these destinations “exotic”? The fact that they’re
different from the normal home environment. That 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,” you might say about your hometown.
With the right focus on where to look, virtually 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 feel 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 some
topics and resources to stimulate your thinking in even the
tiniest, plainest, most remote towns.

Starting off: 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 can find related to your area. Key names,
dates and facts on local sites will be printed on the back. Be
sure to check out any available antique postcards of the area as
well. Assemble them 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 are invaluable allies in your quest for all types
of knowledge. For the price of a cup of coffee rich rewards can
be reaped as you chat with staff members informally. Ask for
suggestions for article ideas. Don’t have 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 local library you’re missing out 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 that a seemingly
“local” problem is only of interest locally. When houseflies
became a serious problem in a small Latin American town, I
queried European and Asian magazines about possible interest in
an article on what the townsfolk did to not 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 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 in
town? 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, 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. 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 proud of. What’s its origin and special significance?
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 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 maybe
he did), but if ANYONE of note passed through, stopped or
stayed, there are those who’d like 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, 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 area 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 local 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 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 with an eye
to unique angles and multiple marketing. Look 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. When a backyard row of huge collard greens
drew attention to 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 abreast
of happenings. You’ll never again say, “Here? There’s nothing
worth writing about around here.”

Larry M. Lynch is a writer and photographer specializing in
business, travel, food and education-related writing in South
America. His work has appeared in Transitions Abroad, South
American Explorer, Escape From America, Mexico News and Brazil
magazines in print and online. He travels researching articles
throughout Latin America and teaches at a university in Cali,
Colombia. To get original, exclusive articles and content for
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