Summertime and fairs go hand in hand What's there not to like? Fairs offer food, rides, 4H displays, talent shows, animals, concerts, and much more. No matter what your age you'll always find something of interest at a state or county fair. For a writer it's also a great place to explore new story ideas.
Yesterday began the first day of our county fair where I live in Minnesota. As I strolled through the fair with friends, I was bombarded with topics for stories, be it non-fiction, science fiction, historical, romance, or mystery.
If you're a non-fiction writer you might explore the history of carnival rides or select one in particular, the Ferris Wheel. Research how the first fair came about and how it changed throughout the years. If your fair had a huge butterfly house to walk through or exotic animals on display you could write a short story specifically about them or about the current fair in general and submit the story to a local newspaper.
For a history buff (fiction and non-fiction), besides carnivals and rides piquing your interest at the fair, you might delve into animal husbandry, 4H, or discover the wealth of history in old buildings on display. Our fair offers two to go through: the first schoolhouse from the area and a log home. But something else we found just as interesting inside the Curling building, used for artwork displays during the fair, was a photographer giving a slide presentation on kayaking from the headwaters of the Mississippi River to Iowa. His talk spanned the earliest explorers discovery of the headwaters in Minnesota and the changes made along the Mississippi due to logging, paper mill industries, and dams.
Of course there's plenty of fair topics to explore for those of you writing fiction. Is Mary having an affair with Stan while they operate the barbecue food hut owned by Stan's father-in-law? Can a monster from outer space be captured before he destroys the fair completely? Was the footlong hot dog to blame for Troy's untimely death or something more sinister? Who kidnapped the very talented sixteen year old member of a famous rock'n roll band right before she was to appear on stage?
Well, I hope the ideas I generated today stir your imagination this summer when exploring topics at your own county or state fair. If you wish to share other writing ideas, or a snippet of a fair story on my next blog in two weeks, please leave a comment on this blog site.
Until Next Time
This is Marlene Chabot
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