Thursday, May 24, 2012

Tackling Letters & Op-eds

Letter to Editor 
  1. Newspapers receive up to 1,000 submissions/day from around the world, of which 10-15 get published.
  2. A letter must respond to a specific article in the newspaper to which you are writing.
  3. Be quick! Letters have a 1-day turnover, meaning if an article is published on Monday morning, you have till late Monday night to have a good shot to get published.
  4. Do not exceed 150 words, and the less words the better.

Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed)
  1. Newspapers receive up to 1,200 submissions/week from around the world, of which 20-30 get published.
  2. An op-ed must address a relevant issue but take a stance that the newspaper has not already taken - i.e. your chances of publishing an op-ed increase if you take the opposite view of the editorial page.
  3. Aside from offering a new vantage point on a relevant topic, the argument must be clever, well-argued, insightful, clearly written, and have a long shelf life.
  4. You can use a chart, graphic, illustration or photograph in your op-ed
  5. Do not exceed 600 words, unless the newspaper allows it.

Style Tips
  1. Do not use terms such as “Islamist”, “jihadist”, “Islamic extremism”, “Muslim extremist”. Instead simply use “extremist” or “terrorist”. Terms like “Islamist” or “Muslim extremist” attempt to demonize Islam and Muslims by attaching an “-ist” suffix, subtly associating Islam, jihad, etc. with words like “fundamentalist”.
  2. Do not use a “fancy” word where a simple word will do. The forced usage of fancy words is off putting. In general, the better the writer, the simpler the words. The Qur'an, Hadith, and writings of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) exemplify Jawami al-Kalim - the most efficient and simultaneously profound language possible. As V S Naipaul notes, “Good writing should not attract attention to itself.”
  3. Study great writers' works in order to understand how an argument is constructed.
  4. Mix and match: make your article fun to read by citing Bill Cosby and David Hume
  5. Avoid, as much as possible, clichéd speech, hackneyed phrases, metaphors, etc.
  6. Avoid “pious” or technical jargon that alienates those unfamiliar with the subject - e.g. "Prophet Muhammad" instead of "Holy Prophet Muhammad", "apostate" instead of "murtad"
  7. Use logic, not faith-based argumentation
  8. Do not be offensive
  9. Avoid contractions – e.g. “do not” is better than “don’t”
  10. If you can do without a word, delete it
  11. Use cultural references that the audience can relate to where possible – e.g. if possible, cite Ralph Waldo Emerson instead of Omar Khayyam
  12. In letters, introduce the topic very early on, preferably the first sentence; in op-ed’s, mention it within the 1st paragraph
  13. Use a contrast in length of sentences where possible – a two-word sentence following a two-line sentence attracts the eye
  14. Treat you’re writing as a conversation with a bit more polished language – just tell a story to your audience almost like you would if they were sitting in front of you.
  15. Each word should stand on its own. If you repeatedly need italics or exclamation points to make a point, you're probably not making it.
  16. Acknowledge where your opponents' argument has some weight - this does not weaken your position.
  17. Write and rewrite: “When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing” (Enrique Jardiel Poncela).
  18. "Do not put statements in the negative form" (William Safire)
  19. Keep sentences to a maximum of 2 lines and mix the usage of short and long sentences.
  20. Buy Strunk and White's The Elements of Style

Publishing Tips

  1. Pitch ideas, not whole op-eds to newspapers. If they don’t like the idea, why write an op-ed that will never be published? The pitch must be short (2-3 sentences).
  2. Start locally and build your portfolio so you have more leverage when pitching to a major newspaper.
  3. Submit your piece to the appropriate newspaper/periodical. If your opinion is more conservative, publishing in a far-left journal may prove very difficult.
  4. Submit op-eds at the right time – if your topic relates to patriotism, send it a few days before July 4th.
  5. Write and submit more in August – journalists often go on vacations in late summer, leaving more opportunities for free-lance writers. Write op-eds geared to events that happen in August. This means pitch your idea in July to see if the newspaper likes it.
  6. Sending Friday afternoon is the best time because the least amount of letters come in then
  7. Op-eds published during the week are more argumentative while those op-eds published in the Sunday column are more analytical.
  8. Mention any quality you have that makes you an expert – if healthcare is the topic, mention you’re an MD-Ph.D.

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