Idea shopping in the classifieds

By Gloria Griepenstroh

Do you use newspapers to generate writing ideas? If you do, don’t just scan feature and news articles, check out the classified ads. They hold ample bits of yarn just waiting to be woven into the fabric of nonfiction writing.

Classified ads are generally divided into six areas: Help Wanted, For Sale, Legals, Business Opportunities, Notices and Personals. Each has its own special information, which can be converted into article ideas or possible fodder for interviews.

Help Wanted

In case you haven’t noticed, strange jobs lurk out there, which could be used as the basis for your nonfiction articles. Here are a few examples that I found in a local newspaper.

A local paper advertised for an "egg peeler for the hard cooked egg division". Now doesn’t that spark a few questions in a writer’s mind? What company has a hard cooked egg division? Furthermore, who would answer such an ad? What experience is needed or what kind of resume does one submit?

Here’s another one. "Wanted lumpers, call xxx-xxxx." What’s a lumper? I later found out that a lumper does manual labor, such as unloading semi-trailers. This find could translate into an article on this unusual occupation.

A pharmaceutical company conducting research was another interesting find. The company was looking for post-menopausal, non-smoking women, 45-70, who were not taking medications or hormones. The women had to stay away from home for 20 days and could earn compensation of $4,000. What kind of woman would answer such an ad? Have lawsuits stemmed from these research projects? The company might be willing to give an interview on their research or response to these ads.

A part-time funeral home greeter, a full time hitch installer for a trailer manufacturer, a life-flight nurse and a hand decorator for a furniture factory were all advertised in the help wanted ads. All are unique and offer a wealth of ideas.

Business Opportunities

Who sells a radio station or a microbrewery? Both of these businesses were advertised for sale in a local paper. There’s surely a unique story behind their sale. Why are they selling? How did they originally get into that business?

You can also find some of the rip-offs people should watch out for in this section. You might investigate one to see if it is legitimate and then write an expose for a local paper or regional magazine.

Notices

A notice ran by an attorney for a surrogate mother also piqued my interest, "All expenses paid, must previously have had a child, age 18-35." This could be material for a nonfiction piece on the surrogate mother program. The amount of people willing to do this and the couples needing the service would make an informative article.

Legal Notices/Court News

Few people read these notices because of the fine print, but sometimes a great-untold story lies beneath this six-point type. Bids by government entities or new ordinances that were passed could have a local hook. Newly filed lawsuits, civil and criminal, can also be topics for stories, or you might use them as background for your true crime novel.

For Sale

For sale items are amazing to research. Diamond rings, mink coats, Matterhorn boots never worn, and a 1959 Seeburg jukebox are a few I found listed that could translate into article sales.

While researching for a news article I was writing, I stumbled across an online ad by a lady selling puppies of a breed she created. After talking with her, I found she was selling raffle tickets on one of her unique puppies, as a way to raise money for her town’s sewer improvement project. Both the fundraiser and the new breed are unusual story ideas.

Personal ads

The personal ads are choked full of unusual character traits. Around Christmas a woman, depicted as "Santa bring me Mr. Right" had a poetic ad. "Santa please bring me Mr. Right so my next year will be merry and bright." And "New from Arizona" wanted a woman. This guy wanted someone to cook dinner for, spend time with and spoil. Sound interesting?

I hope you’re convinced of the usefulness of classified ads. These ads are an inexpensive way to find leads and ideas. If you don’t have access to newspapers, have a friend save them for you or glean the information from the papers lying around the local coffee shop or library. Online sources are also another option.

Most of the ads contain the names, phone numbers and addresses of contacts. The concise information is easily cut out and filed for future reference. So, if you are looking for ideas or unusual information, go shopping in the classifieds.