Finding a Writing Topic

I believe it was Erma Bombeck who said she learned early in her writing career that there were two people she could safely make fun of: herself, and Hitler.

I can relate. There are a lot of funny things I could tell you about people I know, but I've found that writing about my friends tends to alienate them from me.

For instance, I would love to tell you about the time my sister almost ran over me with her car.

Or I would love to tell you about the time my dad's pants split while he was preaching a sermon.

Or I would love to tell you about the time my friend's pants fell spontaneously around his ankles while he was standing at a zoo exhibit.

Or I would love to tell you about the time my friend Anna spurted coffee out of her nose all over the celebrity she was interviewing for the newspaper.

Yes, I would love to tell you about all of these things-- but as you can imagine, it would alienate me from my friends.

(So... as you can see, fodder for good stories is everywhere. As long as you get permission, or change the details of the main character and story enough that your friends don't recognize themselves.)

If you could, what would you love to write about? Here's some practice at that mostly-fiction...

B.J.

****

B.J. Hamrick is a journalist, humorist, and Real Teen Faith Editorest.