In this section you will find two LTEs written by Mark Crowley to help with the push for the Voters Choice Act. The first one (about 160 words) mentions the pay grab so it can be seasoned to taste with outrage. The second one (about 150 words) uses the standard "incumbent party" rhetoric and mentions the unfairness of the ballot access signature requirements. These are stand-alone LTEs and can be used as such. They also could be used as templates for writers to adjust as they see fit.

The sample letters to the editor are courtesy of Mark Crowley

Crash Course in Letters to the Editor

• For starters, read the letters that get printed. They give you clues as to what they want. I'm not talking about the opinions or subjects, but the wording. How long? Big words or little words? Formal or conversational? Read the letters for several weeks to look for successful templates.
• Letters when printed often have one or two sentences per paragraph. Editors will change the letter to make it that way. I think they do this because text is more inviting when there are several short paragraphs with white space in between them. Nobody want to read one big long paragraph. That said, why not try to write that way in the first place? It might give you another edge in getting printed.
• You probably have a better chance getting printed if you write about something that the paper's reporters wrote. They like to know someone is reading their stuff. This mean keep it reasonably current.
• For a letter, try to keep the number of words less than 200. You stand a better chance of getting printed. Most word processors have a word count feature. If your word processor also gives a "grade level" estimate of your writing, try to keep the words at the high school level or lower. Say 9th to 12th grade.
• You can also write about a high-interest story where they get a ton of letters, but you might need an angle to stand out from the crowd to make your point. For example, everyone wants to write about the legislature's pay raise. Find and angle to make it unique. My angle might be to not complain directly about the payraise. I might point out that some legislators say they work hard and put in long hours that should be compensated. (Avoid calling them "lazy" or "greedy" or "unprincipled" even though they might be.) Instead say that all those hours mean that our state government is too big, too intrusive and is in too many things. Their wanting a payraise is more a symptom of a too-big government than of greedy legislators. Thus, our legislators should cut government and not temporarily hide the real problem with a payraise.
• Email your letters. It's the fastest and best way. Don't fax or send by US mail. I only know of one local paper that doesn't list an email address for letters.
• Don't email your letter in an attachment. Simply put the text in the email and send it. Most papers will reject emails with attachments.
• Always include contact information in your letter so that they can contact you to confirm that you want the letter to be printed. They also want a local community name (Plum, Monroeville, Pittsburgh, Wilkinsburg, etc.) to put with your name. Give them a daytime phone number as a contact. If you're writing to a paper across the state just put your city.
• Occasionally the editor will change your letter when printed. I've found that when that happens, they usually improve the letter. I've seen them clean up some of my awkward wording. They are, after all, writing and/or journalism majors.
• Nearly all papers have a "one a month" policy on letters. That means, once you get a letter printed, you're under a blackout by that paper for a month. No conspiracy here -- they're just trying to give everyone a chance.
• If you don't hear from a paper in a few days, then normally they won't print it. They only call to get confirmation if they want to print it. (I say "normally" but the Pittsburgh Tribune Review often prints my letters and they don't call for confirmation. They must know me well enough to see if my words are "in character.")
• Look at not getting printed is an opportunity and don't get depressed. You can always "recycle" the letter and send it to another paper. I do that all the time. I usually will wait a week or so and try another paper, but make a few adjustments to the letter or try a different angle. Always save your old letters and have some way to retrieve them.