What do I write about?

I see this question a lot. Has anyone considered non fiction? For example, I subscribe to a magazine, Organic Gardening which has a monthly column on mulch piles.
If people will pay to read about the different ways of of creating food scrap piles, it shows you don't need a degree to write. You do need knowledge though.

Do you have a hobby? You probably have magazines on the subject, so you have an idea on what they're lookin for. So you can't compete with what the contributing writers know? Then write about getting started. Write about how you share your hobby with others, or what you do to gain more knowledge on the subject, or even if you hope it will lead to a career, or add to an existing career (if you're working). Perhaps throw in how it helps you escape an job you don't like. My daughter has a BA in history and uses historical events as a plotline for science fiction.

These ideas not working for you? Take your hobby, and place it in a different time. My son and I are writing a story that begins with his love of coin collecting and ends in the Civil war. It will be a time travel story. With some historical facts and websites supplied by my daughter. It gives us all something to do together without dumbing down or talking over anyone. We contribute what we knnow and we're closer for it, whether it gets published or not.

Been on vacation to another culture? Travel mags are generally looking at two angles. One is places not frequented by tourists, and the other is how this trip changed you as a person. Another option could be a kids eye view of what you see, but keep the first two POV in mind. They will not be interested in 'we went to Disney land and had a blast!', but they might be interested in 'we went to Disneyland and met the guy who designs the rides.' This is where the query letter comes in. The risk is, can you deliver? Write the article first, send the query letter, then is they are interested, you can tweak it to put the slant they want on the story. That way you know what information you have on the designer and his works.

Since most of the writer's I meet want to write fantasy or possibly love stories, I'll contemplate my inspiration sources in the next post. If anyone is reading this blog, feel free to post. This post is dedicated to my daughter who bugs me to add to it.