I wrote a story for The Post recently that I'd been thinking about for quite some time - Recycling for Profit. I thought it to be a fairly straight forward profile about an older couple, Tom Cullums and Charlotte Buck, whose primary source of income besides government assistance is collecting cans from students and, more accurately, their parties.
The completed story was approximately 1,300 words long. The story that ran in The Post was 500 words shorter.
The items cut included details about their live that were deemed irrelevant to the story, anecdotes about their cumulative 40-plus years of scrap hauling and their "trials and tribulations with the outside world".
There are several items on my to-do list:
- I want to tell the story about these two Athens icons unknown by name, but known by title and service.
- I want to seek out and speak with their competitors in the can collecting realm.
- I want to hear and report about stories of the salvage owners and their interaction with the police who stop often looking for stolen catalytic converters, construction material and copper piping.
- Finally, in a related matter, I want to find who stole two grills from my porch. Whoever it was, they can keep them, but I want to know why and how much money they received from the scrap.
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5 comments:
I read your story in The Post and definitely want to know more about Cullums and Buck, and especially about the students who recognize them and save cans for them.
Also, have you been able to track down the man with the shopping cart who usually collects cans around Mill Street? I was always curious about him.
I was wondering if the items on your to-do list were among the material that was cut from your original Post article, or if this is additional material you would like to find. And if so, are you going to include the original article in its entirety?
I also like the comment at the end about your grill. The post has a lot of voice, which makes it that much more interesting. I'm excited to read more.
I'm not a huge fan of The Post, but that was a good story with an interesting subject. It's unfortunate that those personal details and anecdotes got cut, though. I think it will be those stories and bits of info that will make your blog exciting to read. Def. get some good pics too. I think we've all seen a can collector in Athens at some point; it would be cool to put a name with a face.
-Sam K.
Oh, also I would def. like to interview anyone who owns a dog on campus and takes it seriously, hook me up!...and btw, are you working at Perspectives next quarter? I'm a writer there and I thought I saw your name in one of the emails Andrea sent out recently
-sam k
Hey there Michael. I'm doing the same topic in the other j 314 class. I'm jealous you've already gotten to spend some serious time with Cullums and Buck though. That's been a big problem for me with my blog. Anyway, if you want to get some info about their competition, let me know and we can work together for a bit on this.
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