How to write letters to the editor and op-eds

Craziness at the office this week meant I had the pleasure of adding parts of two jobs onto my regular one. Thankfully, I was given overtime, so no complaints beyond mild insanity. One of the jobs was putting together the opinion page; this means I did some op-ed reading.

Turns out people need help writing them.

I was the Opinion editor for my college newspaper for three and a half years. I have some suggestions when it comes to writing letters to the editor and op-eds (longer, but same concept as a letter to the editor).

1. Direct your rant. When most people take the time to write to a newspaper, it is because they are upset and want to bash some sense into everyone. That's all fine and good, but please don't ramble on and on. Rambling makes you sound less intelligent, frankly. It's like the difference between an attorney presenting an argument and an old man shouting from his front porch that he hates so and so.  Please refer back to school: Writing an opinion piece is essentially the same as writing an argumentative essay. Part 1) Introduce your subject. Part 2) Present your argument, and be sure to include examples and/or statistics. 3) Finish with a call to action. If you don't have a call to action, you are wasting space, because you aren't inviting change. You are just grumbling.

Example: This week, I nearly ran over the chicken crossing the road. I have heard many stories of others doing the same, so I think it is time the city rounds up its wild chickens and either relocates them or else distributes them among the farmers nearby, for their own safety and ours.

In real life, situations and arguments are more complex, but I think you get the point.

2. Stick to your point. This goes with the rambling. Please address one issue, and one issue only. Doing more than that paints you as a complainer and no one will listen to you. Plus, it undermines that beautiful essay format you had going on.

3. Sound like yourself. It will be more interesting to read and more people will read it. Include personal stories if applicable and ditch the third person. Tell people why you care; this best shows them why they should care.

4. Cut the excess. People are more likely to read it in its entirety if it is short, and if you can make your point with one example, don't use three. In the example above, I put in one example and said there are others; since the other examples are only needed to show that this wasn't an isolated incident, I didn't need to retell each.

Is each sentence necessary? What can you get rid of? This is usually one of the first things I edit for, and not just in opinion or newspaper pieces.

5. Don't write often. People give you less credence if you label yourself as a frequent complainer. I would say write in three times per year, maximum. Otherwise, you are writing for the sake of attention, not the issue. If you want to express your opinions more often, become a columnist, lobbyist, activist or politician.

Last: Have someone else read it before you submit it so you can be sure you don't sound like a jerk or an idiot.