Starting any project can be daunting or exhilarating. If you’re interested in a topic, go for it. Do an article or a story.
Research must be done for either direction. If a story is in the offing, the research might be as simple as researching the type of setting planned for your character’s use. Locale is important and you want to get it right the first time around.
Before you put away that interest in locale, look at the broader picture of that real-world setting. Does the town have unique properties to boast? Are there any gripping crimes in its past. How about outlaws? What about famous people from the locale? Hundreds of questions could be asked about the place, each of which could give answers that could spark more new projects for your delight.
How so? Let me give you some examples pulled from the news. Remember, the audience defines the angle as much as the subject’s facts.
Each of the following headlines was found on Yahoo! News this morning. Each has the potential to provide several articles/stories for the writer who has learned to change angles when presented with a small bit of information. Addition research might be necessary, but it doesn’t have to arduous. Few common articles require in-depth digging.
1. “Biggest solar storm in years hits, so far so good”–This headline could lead a writer into many directions.
Article for children—how solar activity affects weather and communications on Earth.
Science Article for adults/children (depending on language and depth of information)—Explanation of how the balance of Earth’s magnetic field is affected by solar flares and storms.
Article for communications mag—what is the exact culprit within a solar storm that disrupts communication satellites?
Article for electronics mag—what steps can be taken with today’s technology to safeguard sensitive electronic equipment?
Article for news mag—how vulnerable is military electronics systems and communications to extreme solar activity and what is the likelihood of future disaster?
Science Fiction Urban Fantasy/other world stories using the scientific data about how solar flares work and what they can mean to a planet/population.
2. “Johnny Depp’s Cool New Tonto in ‘The Lone Ranger”—this is one to have fun with.
Article for entertainment mag about Depp’s past forays into character development.
Article for teens/adults about Tonto as an icon and how it’s remembered by an entire generation of Americans
Article about the constant revising, retelling, refilming of old movies and TV shows rather than developing unique, fresh material/stories.
Use the premise of the Lone Ranger story to create a new story for children/adults. Star Wars did very well, if you’ll remember. Luke was the Lone Ranger, after all.
3.
Starting any project can be daunting or exhilarating. If you’re interested in a topic, go for it. Do an article or a story.
Research must be done for either direction. If a story is in the offing, the research might be as simple as researching the type of setting planned for your character’s use. Locale is important and you want to get it right the first time around.
Before you put away that interest in locale, look at the broader picture of that real-world setting. Does the town have unique properties to boast? Are there any gripping crimes in its past. How about outlaws? What about famous people from the locale? Hundreds of questions could be asked about the place, each of which could give answers that could spark more new projects for your delight.
How so? Let me give you some examples pulled from the news. Remember, the audience defines the angle as much as the subject’s facts.
Each of the following headlines was found on Yahoo! News this morning. Each has the potential to provide several articles/stories for the writer who has learned to change angles when presented with a small bit of information. Addition research might be necessary, but it doesn’t have to arduous. Few common articles require in-depth digging.
1. “Biggest solar storm in years hits, so far so good”–This headline could lead a writer into many directions.
Article for children—how solar activity affects weather and communications on Earth.
Science Article for adults/children (depending on language and depth of information)—Explanation of how the balance of Earth’s magnetic field is affected by solar flares and storms.
Article for communications mag—what is the exact culprit within a solar storm that disrupts communication satellites?
Article for electronics mag—what steps can be taken with today’s technology to safeguard sensitive electronic equipment?
Article for news mag—how vulnerable is military electronics systems and communications to extreme solar activity and what is the likelihood of future disaster?
Science Fiction Urban Fantasy/other world stories using the scientific data about how solar flares work and what they can mean to a planet/population.
2. “Johnny Depp’s Cool New Tonto in ‘The Lone Ranger”—this is one to have fun with.
Article for entertainment mag about Depp’s past forays into character development.
Article for teens/adults about Tonto as an icon and how it’s remembered by an entire generation of Americans
Article about the constant revising, retelling, refilming of old movies and TV shows rather than developing unique, fresh material/stories.
Use the premise of the Lone Ranger story to create a new story for children/adults. Star Wars did very well, if you’ll remember. Luke was the Lone Ranger, after all.
3.
'Blah Girls' on CBS (Ashton Kutcher's celeb skewering animated web series launches on TV as one-minute segments during "Insider." Plus, TV remains the most effective medium for reaching youth and to introduce brands) (Variety) (MediaPost, Reg.... Read the rest of this post
Ahhh – I love your post. I’ve been toying with all these thoughts and have a good week coming up when my in-laws will be here to watch my kids and I’d LOVE to use that time to explore writing options. I will be back to read more.
I’m so glad that you enjoyed your visit here, Elise. Please stop by anytime. I’ll be posting about writing for the entire month of March. Hope to see you around.
Claudsy
Thank you for your well-thought out post and the resource links, Clauds! Smiles!
You’re more than welcome, Hannah. We’re all in this game together.
Claudsy
We sure are and I’m so blessed by it, thank you!
Thanks you, Hannah.