RICHARD RIDER GUIDE -- HOW TO WRITE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR -- Copyright, 1996, 2007

NOTE: This piece is lovingly prepared by me for the use of limited government advocates. So please don't post this guide on a general interest website that opponents might visit. If you DO post it, or distribute it to allies, just include my authorship and this note, and all will be in well in the universe.

Submitting letters to the editor is the single most cost effective thing an individual can do to influence an issue. The public, the media AND the politicians pay attention to letters to the editor. Indeed, some reports indicate that the letters section is the most frequently read section of a newspaper.

Here are some pointers on how to write and submit these all-important letters:

1. Short, concise letters are always more likely to be published than long, meandering ones. Try to keep them under 150 words -- for big papers, keep them under 100 words. The longer letters are also more likely to be edited -- it's better that you do your own editing.
2. Ever notice how you read letters to the editor in the paper? Most people read the shorter letters first, and then perhaps later they read the longer ones. Thus your shorter letter has a better chance of being both published and read.
3. WHAT TO WRITE? The key is a current topic of interest. Replying to editorials, agree or disagree, is very effective. Every day the news offers us all too many topics on which to comment.
4. Be timely. Try to respond within a day or two of the article's publication.
5. Pick an issue of particular importance to you. Don't be afraid to let some passion show through. And humor.
6. As briefly as possible, state the argument you're rebutting or responding to. Don't do a lengthy rehash -- it's a waste of valuable space, and boring to boot.
7. Stick to a single subject. Deal with one issue per letter.
8. Make two or three solid points for your position on the issue. We all have 23 reasons why our viewpoint is correct, but stifle the urge to list 'em all in a letter to the editor.
9. Don't be shrill or abusive. Editors tend to discard letters containing personal attacks. Even though you're dying to call Jesse Jackson a preachy parasite, stifle the urge.
10. Your letter should be logically organized. 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. For example: "Jimmy Breslin says possession of firearms should be limited to law enforcement officers. I say when only the police have guns, the police state is just around the corner."
11. Use facts, figures and expert testimony whenever possible. This raises your letters above the "sez you, sez me" category. For instance: "Anthony Lewis calls for taxing the rich as a way to balance the budget. Is he aware of the fact that if we confiscated the entire income of the top wage earners in this country (those with income above $200,000), this would run the federal government for exactly 8 days?"
12. Readers respect the opinions of people with special knowledge or expertise. Use expert testimony to bolster your case ("George Will claims we need to draft to defend America. But General Edward C. Meyer, Army Chief of Staff, recently stated . . .").
13. Proofread 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 right after it is written. Write, proofread and edit the piece. Then put it aside for an hour or more. Rereading your letter in a fresh light often helps you to spot errors in reasoning, stilted language and the like.

14. On the other hand, don't let the letter sit too long and lose it's timeliness. With the Internet, the prompt submission of letters has become much more important.
15. 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?
16. Should your letter be typed? In this day and age, yes.
17. If you send hard copy, try to FAX it in for timeliness. Ideally you submit your letter by email and FAX. Faxes have higher editorial visibility, while the email version makes it easy for the paper to "copy and paste" (and protects you from human error in transcription).
18. In newspaper column publishing (and most emails), a paragraph should seldom be longer than three sentences. Preferably two. People don't read long paragraphs -- including editors!
19. Direct your missives to "Letters to the Editor," or some similar sounding title. Ideally name the specific paper in the greeting so they don't think it has been sent to other publications.
20. Always include your name, address, day-time phone number and signature (if on paper). The papers will not publish this information, but they may use it to verify that you wrote the letter.
21. Most important -- WRITE! Do not try to do a perfect letter. Just give it a good effort and send it off.
22. 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!
23. Lastly, 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. Even if not published, your letter gives the editor a better sense of what the public is thinking about an issue -- and what arguments make good sense.