Writers, especially when beginning in the business, are told repeatedly to write "what you know." And while that adage has its perks, I've discovered that it's not always what I know, but WHO I know.Think about it. More than likely, you have a lot of friends and those friends have friends. At work, you see colleagues daily. They undoubtedly have lives beyond the office, and I bet if you ponder for just a moment, you'll think about a work associate who would make a great feature subject. Plus, you have family, and somewhere in that cast of colorful characters, a story is waiting to take shape.
Think about the possible story ideas begging to be investigated!
I've made a fair amount of money penning feature stories for local, regional, and even national publications. And many of these stories featured people I know. For example,
- Our neighbor's teenage son wrote a rap song and entered a contest. He won! His story made the front page of the local newspaper.
- An 80-year old woman rounded up a group of friends, and together, they send care packages to our troops overseas. She just happened to be a friend of my in-laws. Story printed in a regional newspaper.
- One day while eating lunch in a local cafe, the owner (friend of mine) let me know about a lady who designed and made the Homecoming crowns for the king and queen every year. The story ran in the local paper, a regional publication, and went out on the AP wire.
- Another friend's daughter conducted a major fundraiser to keep the town's swimming pool afloat. You guessed it! Another sale.
- A few years ago, I contracted a severe case of food poisoning - salmonella - that required a hospital stay (three days before my daughter's high school graduation). I told my story to a statewide magazine and received a hefty paycheck.
- When a regional magazine solicited a Christmas story via Twitter, I jumped at the chance. They were looking for Christmas cooking traditions. I parlayed my family tradition into a double page spread that included multiple photos and three original recipes.
By writing WHO you know, you'll have a plethora of story ideas.
And that means money in the bank.
