Two weeks ago, my editor called me with an assignment and I jumped on it. Both for the experience (since I am a new writer) and the fact that I got to interview an amazing woman who is doing a lot for people right in her community.
While I learn to balance my time between pitching my own ideas and completing assignments, I’ve noticed that I have a few half-baked queries I’ve put aside because they still need a little something extra. Actually, they need a story to tie in why my idea is informative and exciting for people to know. Now, I can just tell the editor in the letter why my idea is so great. But, showing an editor using someone’s story would be a bit more compelling.
So, I’ve committed myself to become a bit of a sleuth when it comes to scoring anecdotes. For starters, using experiences from my own life has been surprising. Like the time, I went in for an early morning appointment with my doctor. After reading even the sports section of the newspaper (not something I do) and shifting my body several times to shush the boxing match in my stomach (we’re doing some routine blood work), I have yet to see the doctor. If it wasn’t for his wonderful personality and the fact that I’ve been going to him for years, I swear I’d find another physician. But would that really solve my waiting room dilemma?
The idea of waiting forever in the doctor’s office is something many people experience. Voila! I have a great anecdote for a how-to article about optimizing your doctor’s office visit by putting your waiting time to good use.
Besides my own personal experiences, here are some other resources I’ve turned to in my quest for a good anecdote:
- Family/Friends – Lately, I’ve been pitching a few parenting articles on babies and my sister and a few friends have been great sources.
- Bloggers – People blog about so many things and sometimes I come across bloggers who may fit the profile for a story I am pitching.
- Social Networking Groups – I sometimes send out a request to my network of online friends (if they can’t help they usually have a source in mind who just might be able to).
I don’t include a story with all my queries. But, I find that leading a proposal with a great anecdote has given me some success. Scoring that great quote or finding a story for my pitch isn’t always easy. But, I find that some of my ideas need real stories about people that the reader can relate to in the article.
Where do you find anecdotes for your articles?
