Sometimes the best thing to write about is happening in your own backyard.

There is too much that goes on for every local newspaper or small-town journalist to cover — especially when it comes to covering local opinions and reactions.

That's where you come in. Breaking, or reacting to, local news on Odyssey is one of the best ways to build your creator profile. Some of the most successful articles on Odyssey happen when a creator uses our platform to share unique insight that you won't see anywhere else.

Here are some examples:

A Recent Sports Bra Suspension At Rowan University Has Female Athletes Outraged

Behind Closed Doors: Abuse In Northern Kentucky University Women's Basketball Program

Westboro Baptist Church Came To Spread Hate, But UWM Was Prepared To Spread Love

Here are some handy tips to consider if you are interested in creating local news content on Odyssey:

1. Follow local publications on Twitter (local news stations, local magazines, etc.)

2. Use Google Trends to see what topics people are searching for in your area.

3. Keep in mind "breaking news" on Odyssey is most likely to happen when you have a personal testimony that you are breaking yourself. If you are simply re-reporting breaking news in your area that's already been reported, it might not be worth it. If you can break or highlight local news that isn't big already, great. But if national outlets are already covering it, instead try to find an opinion angle, like this:

UK's Cheer Coaches Have Been Fired But Everyone Needs To Stop And Listen To The Cheerleaders

4. While it might be hard to "break news" you can always break your opinion. Sometimes sharing how you feel about something that just happened can be just as impactful as the news itself.

Here is how to differentiate between breaking local news, and reacting to it:

If you're breaking local news:

1. Make sure you identify yourself as the source of the news. If you conducted an interview, make sure you identify that the material is original and you were conducting the interview.

2. Make sure you are accurately citing factual claims or stating the level of evidence — is the news you're breaking independently verifiable? Is it an allegation? Has it been charged or ruled on in court?

If you're reacting to local news:

1. Make sure you cite the original source of the breaking news with a credible news outlet and hyperlink to it.

2. Make sure your opinion is clearly identified as an opinion and that it is featured in the headline of the article.

3. Make sure you identify yourself as part of the community affected by the news or with a local perspective on the news.