Friday, March 22, 2013

Finding A Topic To Write About


Writers frequently whine about finding an inspiration to write, searching for that perfect topic. Sometimes, it's right under your nose and you look past it. This picture of sunflowers got me to thinking about my state. Kansas is known as the Sunflower State so why not incorporate the sunflower into a story or poem? Even a nonfiction piece. 

When you're stumped for a subject, take a hard look around you. What is your state known for? What great tourist attractions does it have? Do you have controversial politicians? Are you known for a major disaster? Do you have professional football, basketball or baseball teams that are worth writing about? Does your state have a presidential museum? What about the historical events in your state? There are any number of subjects related to the state you live in that you can write about. 

Our Kansas Authors Club sponsors an annual contest. The theme this year is Our Town. Besides the usual short story, feature article, inspirational and memoir categories, there is a theme category which gives better prizes than the others. Same in the Poetry Division. So, I'm going to narrow my thoughts to my town rather than my state for this one. If you reside in Kansas and are interested in submitting to this contest, see info here.

Give some thought to writing about your own town, state, or even the county you live in. All you need to do is open your eyes and see what's there.

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