The place where you came/come from can be your own vessel of writing ideas. You may start by writing about your growing-up years in your hometown or about other things close to your heart. The possibilities are endless -- you may write about your childhood friends or you may describe your town market, or probably you may even talk about the local politics in your area.
Sometimes, there are stories that are worth writing about, but the locals fail to recognize their potential. I found one story of this sort in San Roque, Northern Samar, my hometown. We have this plant called
bagong or
Amorphophallus paeoniifolius which we associate with the Christmas season.
Bagong is San Roque's famous Christmas delicacy, yet no one from my place had written about it before my article,
Amorphophallus paeoniifolius: A Famous Christmas Delicacy in San Roque, Northern Samar, Philippines, came out. I got the support -- I mean, I had instant readers -- of the residents of San Roque when said article was published online.
A bagong (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius) farm in Barangay Bantayan, San Roque, Northern Samar, Philippines.
Meanwhile, if you are as lucky as Ima Vee, a Triond writer who hails from Dapitan City, you can do a lot of interesting articles related to your place. Dapitan was Jose Rizal's place of exile from 1892 to 1896 and being the Philippine National Hero, Rizal is one figure that interests every Filipino.
Relief Map of Mindanao. Rizal made this map in his attempt to show to his students and to the people of Dapitan the map of Mindanao. Photo by Ima Vee.
Ima Vee featured Dapitan's scenic spots in
Tour to the Shrine City of the Philippines. One will see Dapitan beyond that particular Philippine history lesson -- that it was Rizal's place of exile -- after reading the article. Not everyone can go to Dapitan for a visit; hence, a write-up describing the place through words and photographs is a great alternative.
The same article inspired Ima Vee to write
15 Interesting Things Most Filipinos Don't Know About Rizal. She capitalized on the idea that Rizal was formerly "a neighbor" and wrote about him.
So, what are you waiting for? Explore your hometown, go out for a walk, and talk to people in your place. You might find an inspiration for a topic somewhere. Remember, ideas abound everywhere. You just have to look around, be inspired, and write about it.
