Get letters published | Enhance
getting your letters published
Get Viewpoints op-ed columns published
Enhance
getting your op-ed columns published
Please include your name, address with ZIP code and a daytime phone number.
You can submit your letter:
• By e-mail: letterstoeditor@dallasnews.com
• By fax: (972) 263-0456
• By mail:
Letters From Readers
The Dallas Morning News
P.O. Box 655237
Dallas, TX 75265
Phone number for questions: 214-977-8252
Here are the "Secret" Top 10 tips
1. Sign 'em. Include postal address and phone number. No pseudonyms, please. Our reporters face the world; you can, too. We haven't lost a letter writer yet.
2. Keep 'em short. Less than 200 words best. Less than 100 words better.
3. Be timely. Commenting on month-old news rarely cuts it.
4. Focus on the one thing you want to say. We edit for length, clarity and punctuation. We want everyone to shine!
5. School yourself by reading the Letters page to see what gets picked. Being funny, wise, pointed, emotive, civil, polite and accurate on diverse subjects is good. Using name-calling, list-making, or being dull, lengthy, incendiary and inaccurate is bad.
6. We publish a cross section of the mail we receive, including those that disagree with our views; our bias is only toward short letters.
7. Feel free to include extra information to buttress your arguments - but put it outside of the text of your letter.
8. You may write as often as you like, but due to the enormous mail we receive the letters editor Scrooge will only publish one example of your fabulous prose every 30 days.
9. Form letters are routed immediately to the wastebasket. Poetry, too. Sorry!
10. Make it interesting, not redundant of what other letter writers have already written.
Remember, we get 1,000 letters a week. As a result, most cannot be published. If you don't succeed the first time, try again and again!
Our op-ed columns run about 600 words, though we also like shorter pieces. We prefer that you e-mail your column.
You can submit your column:
• By e-mail: viewpoints@dallasnews.com
• By fax: 972-263-0456
• By mail:
Viewpoints
The Dallas Morning News
Box 655237
Dallas, TX 75265
Please include your name, address, phone number and a short description of what you do for a living.
Phone number for questions: 214-977-8946
So, you want to sit down and write that op-ed column you've had on your mind the last couple of weeks, but you're not sure how to get started.
Here are 10 tips for composing a column that's so persuasive it will convince even your mother-in-law:
1. Select a topic you feel passionate about. If you're not excited by it, you'll never get your readers interested in it.
2. Try to pick something happening in the news. If people already are talking about your topic, they'll be more likely to read your column.
3. Have an opinion. That's what makes an op-ed column different from a news story or a feature article: It expresses the view of the writer.
4. Express your opinion in the first paragraph or two. Let your readers know where you're headed; don't leave them guessing.
5. Provide concrete support for the points you make. Statistics and expert testimony are two ways to convince others that you're being reasonable.
6. But don't get carried away with numbers or quotes. While they can help make your argument, they're only the backup singers; you're the star.
7. Draw on your own personal experience, too, if it's relevant and helps to illustrate your viewpoint. That can be very persuasive.
8. Avoid sounding too preachy. You'll be more likely to convince others if you don't lecture them; just talk to them.
9. Give your writing some personality. People should have some sense of you after reading your words.
10. Have a good last line. It's your final chance to drive home your point. End with a bang, not a whimper.
Got that? OK, now get started. Collect your thoughts before you begin writing. Our op-ed columns run about 600 words, though we also like shorter pieces. After you're done, look over your writing to be sure it's as sharp and crisp as you can make it. Good writers are good editors, too. When you're satisfied with your work, send it to us.
We look forward to reading your opinions.
