Topic Ideas Up for Grabs

[Ed]

There are about a million timely topics that a writer here could address that could sell just as readily as public requests, especially if you're the only person writing on that topic. Those off the top of my head:

Stem cells to cure blindness
Face transplants (one was done in Cleveland) - Complications, successes, candidates for . . .
Natural/naturalized lawns
The White House Lawn
Fast food chains that are offering "natural" or "organic" food
The switch from HFCS to sugar in some drinks like Snapple
The future of car companies
The future of public transportation in the States

Two that I'm surprised that I haven't seen:
-Why generic/store brands are not the same as brand name products and how they may be different (If you've looked at ingredients when comparing the two, you'll find that the store brand often uses mystery ingredients, the sodium per serving may be higher, etc.)
-New and different ways to save money (Okay - everyone already knows you shouldn't buy a chocolate latte with whipped cream every day and that you should make your coffee and invest in a thermos. This advice appears in at least half of money-saving articles. How about something new? Saw an article about how to save with electric appliances by changing the plugs or buying smarter . . . really useful info!)

If I think of more, I'll post them here.

Requests are no guarantee of a sale, especially since many people are writing on the same topic. Authors here have just as much chance of selling an article they have written on spec as they do an article for a request that only requires 2-3 articles - and many authors who are successful here do not write for requests at all.

Ed

[BarryDavidson]

As for the latte comment, I found an even better way to save money on that. I got a job in a book store café. The job didn't pay a lot, but I got all the free coffee I could drink, and 33% off all books. So not only did I save money on coffee and books, but I actually made money in the process.

Someone might also think about an article which compares the costs of propane vs. natural gas. I know that propane costs about 2.42 a gallon (higher or lower depending on the state), but natural gas is measured differently. It would be interesting to see these two put into terms a layman like myself could understand. I mean, what is the difference in cost between a gallon and a cubic foot?

People can buy generators which will run the whole house and runs off either natural gas, propane, or gasoline. They're pretty costly, but companies are making hybrids now which have hydrogen boosters on them - and some companies boast that their generators could be set up to run completely off hydrogen (or Browns gas) in the case of boosters. In some states electric companies will even pay you if you generate more electricity that you use, and it is pushed back into the grid.

Someone might also think about articles on heat on demand vs. solar hot water heaters. I do know that a heat on demand electric water heater which covers the whole house requires a dedicated 440v power line. It is also mounted outside.

[Ed]

Like Barry just did, if you have ideas that you won't write about, you can post them here as well.


Time Management -
Dads - How to spend more time with your kids
How to clean the house/cook dinner during commercials

How Does the Recession Affect -
Children?
Pets?
The elderly (your elderly parents)?
Depression/Other health issues?
(And what can you do about it?)

Bikes -
Biking in the big city
How to bike to work without working up a sweat
Bike rental facilities around the world
More bike for your buck

What Do You Do If -
You see an animal being abused?
Suspect a child is being abused?
Suspect an elderly person/person with disabilities is being abused?

Gardening -
No-fail garden plants for Zone X
Best fresh-cut flowers
Fresh-cut flowers on the cheap

Relationships
Men - how to be more sensitive/how to show more sensitivity
Women - how to show/be more patient
Sexual taboos around the world
Honeymoons on the cheap
Romantic dinners for less
Everyday romance

Children -
Make kids' childhoods memorable (read to them, observe birthdays, visit grandparents often, treat them with respect, whatever)
Gardening for kids
Activities you can learn together (a language? a musical instrument? painting? woodworking? plant identification?)

Kindle vs. Books
Hybrid vs. Non-Hybrid
Propane vs. Natural Gas (Barry's idea)
Apartment vs. Condo vs. House (lots of different slants can be taken here)
Home Improvement Show vs. Reality
Driveways - Gravel vs. Blacktop
A Job You Love vs. A Job that Pays

[BarryDavidson]

Recently, there was a news report about one of Ed's suggestions (What do you do if you: Suspect a child is being abused?). Well, it was more about groups which encourage perfect strangers to step in if they see a parent and child arguing, etc. This group advocates strangers stepping in if they "feel" that a parent is being too harsh, or even if the parent looks frustrated. An example they gave was: If you see a parent having an altercation with a child, and the parent looks to be flustered, that someone should approach the parent and say things like, "You should really calm down..."

As a parent, I'd have a few choice words for someone like that, but there are other factors. Sometimes, people will follow the parent home and then call the police or DFS/CPS. In these cases all it takes is for the child to be angry at the parent, and the parent will lose their child and/or go to jail.

[Suzyarie24]

Wow thanks Ed!! Thanks for posting all of those excellent ideas. As a newbie, it's hard to know what topics are selling well at the moment so this is really useful. I think it's going to be very good to challenge myself to write about topics I know relatively little about too.

Better get cracking!

Thanks
Suzyarie

[Suzyarie24]

And thanks for the 'congratulations' Hayley! It means a lot that people on this forum and are so supportive. I'm really enjoying reading the posts and have got a lot of useful information from them. For example, I just got a rejection because of capitalization errors - going back and reading it again (having read Ed's recent post on capitalization) I pretty much kicked myself for some of my stupid errors! Have resubmitted so fingers crossed.... let's hope I haven't made any more stupid errors.

Good luck with building up the rest of your portfolio, that's a good idea. As a newbie it's been very tempting to stick to what I know, so going to push myself outside of my comfort zone this week and post some articles on the topics Ed has suggested maybe.

Suzyarie

[Celeste Stewart]

Here's an idea to add to the list. I've been wanting that "upside down tomato plant" since I saw the commercial - and of course wanting to write about the science (if any) behind such a thing. Does it work? Benefits - hard for critters to steal your tomatoes. Disadvantages - ? Haven't gotten around to researching it. Maybe something along the lines of "Upside Down Planters: Gimmick or Bounty?" I think an article like this would be attractive to buyers.

[Suzyarie24]

[quote="Celeste Stewart"]Here's an idea to add to the list. I've been wanting that "upside down tomato plant" since I saw the commercial - and of course wanting to write about the science (if any) behind such a thing. Does it work? Benefits - hard for critters to steal your tomatoes. Disadvantages - ? Haven't gotten around to researching it. Maybe something along the lines of "Upside Down Planters: Gimmick or Bounty?" I think an article like this would be attractive to buyers.[/quote]

I'm missing out here! Never heard of it - though I do live in Sardinia, Italy so I think we have substantially different adverts! I've noticed that both you and Ed have picked up on a plant/gardening theme. Is this pretty popular at the moment?

[Ed]

"Victory" gardens are in. A way to save money, eat healthier, follow a current trend followed and/or set by the Obamas. It's also spring.

[Celeste Stewart]

I love how international this site is! Italy. Sigh.

Being spring, gardening is on a lot of our minds. I know some writers have done well with garden articles in the past. I haven't done too many myself.

[Suzyarie24]

hmmm interesting. My personal gardening experience isn't very wide, but I am trying to build up a bit of a herb garden on my balcony, which is a great way to save money on shop-bought herbs if you use a lot of them... (ideas for blog articles on window boxes and herbs starting to form... thanks guys!)

(Re: International site Celeste, I completely agree. It's a great site for 'internationals' as we can't post on AC or a couple of others. I'm English but moved to Italy in February.)

[audrabianca]

I recently got one of my articles rejected.

[audrabianca]

We could definitely use more sports articles!

[Ed]

Pet Airways
Avoiding luggage fees
Why your local recycling facility can't accept #5 plastics
Evolutionary psychology
Environmentally friendly fashion
Starting perennials from seed
Natural pest control
iPod apps - how they work, how you can find them, who creates them, problems
Shopping for wine online
5 foods for male/female health
Maintaining garden tools
Reducing pet anxiety
New luxury fabrics
$65,000 handbags
Luxury car options (wooden interior paneling, leather options . . . )
Most exclusive vacation destinations

[JD]

Great suggestions - many thanks all.

Celeste - the upside down tomato plant ('tumbler tomato') does work. Mine didn't grow from a hole in the bottom of a suspended plant pot though, it was in a big pot placed on top of a bucket turned upside down. As long as the tomatoes can tumble over (or 'drop down') from their pot as they grow then they're happy. And you're right, being suspended keeps the garden pests away. Remember not to position the pot too high that it makes watering it a problem though. Worth growing as they tasted delicious (cherry tomatoes).

Jane