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Life of a Writer Mom Column May 2004 Column Loving Small Town Journalism by Carla Charter I love small town journalism. Everything about it; the selectmen's meetings, the little league, the politicians and the characters, and the unusual stories you sometimes cover. No one beat reporting with my job. Whether it be a fire, crime, government or religion. If it happens in your town, it's your story. When you cover a town issue, it can consume your day. Not only are there different aspects but people involved call you to get out their point of view. Feedback often comes not in the form of letters to the editor but face to face at a meeting or or while pumping gas at the local self-serve. When you're on top of a story you know it as you do when you get the budget figures wrong. The people you meet, become more than part of the job though, they become almost a second family. Their town becomes your town. When the town struggles you feel it yourself. You find yourself cheering inside when a new business moves into town or a department which was struggling suddenly receives a grant. The towns people not only recognize you but teach your kids and sell the paper to your husband. And you know their families too. The people you interview you meet again and again, usually at the store, at the baseball field or at your child's school. You are reminded that this is how democracy should be, individuals from the community working for the good of the whole community. You become more than a journalist you become a chronicler of a small town's history. You become part of the town's patchwork, a cog in the small town democratic process and for me I wouldn't have it any other way. Carla Charter is mom to Samantha (12), Halden (5), and Mathew (4). In addition to being a mom, Carla is a freelance writer specializing in newspaper and magazine journalism. Among her publication credits are Woman's World, American Indian Report and New England Business Journal. Online she has been published in Scubasource.com and Military.com. She teaches creative writing courses at Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner, Ma. Recently her novel Across Lots has been serialized at http://www.newenglandwow.com. She may be reached at cjfreelancewriter@earthlink.net. |
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