Writing for the Local Newspaper

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Its simple... my life is one gigantic research project trying to gather up the latest news worthy topics from around three circulating areas. Each area incorporates 10 to 15 small towns sometimes called hamlets or villages depending on a variety of things including population and zoning for commercial buildings. Its an interesting job, digging through paper files, sheets and sheets of municipal codes, bylaws and personal information only to be blocked out by dark sharpie lines in the interest of Privacy Acts.

There comes a time every week when the docket is full, handed into the publisher and I get to sit back for a moment and relive the events of the following week. Glowing with anticipation for tomorrow everything will be printed in black and white. The fun part for me, is wondering which articles the publisher will choose, what will end up being her favorite title and where within the newspaper print the articles will appear.

In the beginning (3 weeks ago), I had only a couple of articles in each published paper (we publish 3 papers). There is the biweekly covering what I like to call the Southern section known as Zone 3 around the office. It stretches from Drayton Valley south down to Alder Flats then spreads east passing into Mulhurst up into Thorsby and finishing off in Leduc and Nisku. Our Central section known as Zone 2, heads west beginning in Spruce Grove following Highway 16 (the Yellowhead) directly down the asphalt to Wildwood, just before Yellowhead County line. And finally, the Northern section or Zone 1. This paper begins just north of Spruce Grove/Stony Plain in a town called Onoway and heads northwest along Highway 43 up to Whitecourt including Barrhead, Rich Valley and Calahoo.

This week two of my articles were featured on the front cover of Zone 2 and 8 or 9 other articles throughout Zone 1 and 2. Sometimes all 10-articles are different. This week, I think 2 or maybe it was 3, articles repeated between the two papers. Titles like: Greener Technology and How to Recycle Your Cellphone. Real smart articles. Things that teach people. Oh you'll see because I've taken the liberty to photograph all my tear sheets since starting this job. Funny thing is, none of this is online. Its all paper publishing week in and week out. Its nice. Sometimes the articles work out well. Sometimes they fail. But at least I am publishing and getting paid for it too. And that's what counts. Practice. Practice. Practicing what I love to do: Write and Take Photographs.

Until the next issue, be safe and enjoy your days.

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