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Writers in the Garden Route

According to Google Nikki Ridley is the only journalist and ghost writer on the Garden Route which for “a nook of the country that offers inspiration to the writers and artists whose presence gives it a trendy flavour”, this is a pretty poor showing. But at the same time it should be seen as both a challenge as well as an opportunity.

spiders-web

A challenge that took me all of three weeks to get this site to rank alongside hers and an opportunity to add some real value to what I have started. It’s not difficult to do. To the contrary anyone could do the same with little or no training.

And this brings me to the point of this post. What is it that is stopping us from making use of these sort of tools to open doors into the global market place? What is stopping us from setting up and and growing a local cottage based industry that is not driven by the erratic and unpredictable tourist traffic everyone sits back waiting for? And this is a direct challenge to every single one of those would be ghost writers to change the way it appears not to be.

We are looking for a newspaper that will be kind enough to mentor us. To track and record our little successes and more often than hoped for, failures. We are looking for writers who will let us have short sharp monthly features of two hundred words or less in return for us promoting and marketing their sites and or services. We want to build a workshop for emerging writers that does really work and it can be done if enough people have enough reasons to make it happen.

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CXpress

CXPRESS is a free fortnightly community newspaper offering both block advertising as well as classifed adverts in the Garden Route. Fifteen thousand copies are distributed free from the Tsitsikamma to George every second Wednesday. Brimful of news and views on a range of subjects pertinent to visitors and Garden Route locals alike, the paper strives to inform and entertain, with particular attention given to user-friendly, eye-pleasing presentation. Having published its first edition on 1 June 1998, this Plettenberg Bay-based newspaper has built up a large readership during the past 12 years, as well as a long list of loyal advertisers from every corner of the ever-burgeoning Garden Route and beyond. Each fortnightly edition is posted on www.cxpress.co.za by the Thursday after publication of the hard copy – both versions of CXPRESS offer excellent print media advertising and marketing opportunities . Phone the office on 044 533 1004 or visit the CXpress web site for more information.

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Mike

I’m in love with the power of words. As a child I’d take my magical sword to the enemy, my heart to the maiden and my hungry mind to a thousand worlds on offer. Words taught and entertained. Matric found me winning the English prize but despite having thought I’d be the adventuring journalist uncovering insidious plots by evil politicians, my journey of discovery was only beginning.

Where I’m now finds me as a freelance, music agent whose words often market bands and events, writing biographies, press releases and web content. I own several websites and it’s there where i write creatively for myself (blog, poetry) and the music industry (CD reviews, band interviews etc.).

mike@thedotshop.net