Short, concise letters are always more likely to
be published than long, meandering ones; try to keep
them under 150 words. The longer letters are also
more likely to be edited. It's better that you do
your own editing. The fewer words you use the better.
Wordiness weakens writing. Simplicity has the power
to change minds and change the world.
Be timely; try to respond within two or three days
of the article's publication. Don't be afraid to let
some passion show through.
State the argument you're rebutting or responding
to, as briefly as possible, in the letter's
introduction. Don't do a lengthy rehash; it's a waste
of valuable space and boring to boot.
Stick to a single subject. Deal with one issue per
letter.
Don't be shrill or abusive. Editors tend to
discard letters containing personal attacks.
Your letter should be logically organised. First a
brief recitation of the argument you are opposing,
followed by a statement of your own position. Then
present your evidence. Close with a short restatement
of your position or a pithy comment.
Use statistics, quotes and common-sense whenever
possible. This raises your letters above the "sez
you, sez me" category.
Proof read your letter carefully for errors in
spelling, punctuation and grammar. Newspapers will
usually edit to correct these mistakes, but your
piece is more likely to be published if it is "clean"
to begin with. Read your letter to a friend, for
objective input. One suggestion is that a letter
shouldn't be mailed the same day it is written.
Write, proof-read and edit the piece. Then put it
aside until the next day. Rereading your letter in a
fresh light often helps you to spot errors in
reasoning, stilted language and the like. On the
other hand, don't let the letter sit too long and
lose it's timeliness.
Try to view the letter from the reader's
perspective. Will the arguments make sense to someone
without a special background on this issue. Did you
use technical terms not familiar to the average
reader?
Should your letter be typed? In this day and age,
generally yes. Double or triple space the letter if
it is short.
Direct your missives to "Letters to the
Editor," or some similar sounding title.
Always include your name, address, day-time phone
number. The papers will not publish this information,
but they may use it to verify that you wrote the
letter.
Local newspapers are far more likely to publish
letters than out of national papers. Adding local
relevance helps.
Tailor letters for specific newspapers.
Use an organisational affiliation if possible.
Consider starting a local drug policy organisation,
if only to get the reform message out.
Most newspapers require that letters submitted be
exclusive. When recycling letters make slight edits.
It's important to keep track of when you last sent
a particular newspaper a letter. Likewise, avoid
sending the same letter to the same newspaper twice.
Anything that indicates you've got a system in place
will hurt your chances of getting published.
Last but definitely not least, visit the
newspaper's website and find out what their policy is
for publishing letters.
Most important - WRITE! Do not try to do a perfect
letter. Just give it a good effort and send it off.
Letter writing is the one thing that any one of us
can do on our own without the need to work through a
group. No committees are necessary. Just do it!
Don't be discouraged if your letter isn't
published. The editor may have received more
responses on that issue than he feels he can handle.
Pyramid Style:
Here's how the pyramid style
works. Put your most important fact or conclusion in
the FIRST sentence. The most spectacular thought in
your letter should be spelled out in the very first
sentence if at all possible. Layout the most
important thought in the first paragraph and then
relate your proofs in order of importance. Almost all
news stories are done in the pyramid style.
If you want further instruction, get a newspaper and
go through the NEWS. Invariably, the header over the
item is repeated in the first sentence. From there
the ideas go down the scale in importance. Very
simple really.
The reason reporters use the pyramid style
is because the item can be cut at almost any point
after the first couple of paragraphs and still make
sense. This is essential when you don't know
beforehand how much space you'll have for the item.
You might need half a page or three paragraphs when
the paper goes to press. Try cutting a few news items
and you'll see how easy it is to fit a story in when
you don't know ahead of time how much space there
will be for it. The best examples of the pyramid
style can be cut at ANY point after the
first paragraph and still make sense.
When a piece is finished read it several times
correcting typos and grammatical errors and
eliminating unnecessary words. If possible rewrite it
four or five times. After cutting out all the
deadwood, do another outline and rearrange the
thoughts, add and delete and generally play around
with the ideas. When time permits, set the piece
aside for a day or two and check it again. Mistakes
you didn't see often jump out like neon signs then.
