Opinion articles are also known as "editorials" and allow newspaper readers to voice their thoughts and proposals on topics ranging from local events to international controversies. If you'd like to try writing an opinion piece, learn how to pick a compelling topic, organize an effective project, and commit to refining your opinion piece like a professional columnist.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Choose a Topic
Step 1. Fishing from current events
Your article should discuss a topic that relates to current events, the latest trends and the latest opinions. Timeliness is absolutely essential when it comes to submitting an opinion article to an editorial team. The editors of the newspaper will be much more interested in a piece that refers to an ongoing debate or talks about an event that just happened, rather than a piece that focuses on something that happened several months ago.
- Scour the newspapers for compelling arguments for your article. If your article focuses on issues that the newspaper has recently published, it will immediately be more interesting for publishers and will have more chance of being published if you decide to submit it.
- If your city government has decided to close the local library, you could write a piece discussing the merits of the library and explaining why it is an absolutely vital institution for your community.
Step 2. Choose a topic you are passionate about
Opinion articles must be based on a very strong and convincing opinion. If you're not keen on the theme you've chosen, you should probably pick a different topic. When you have identified a topic on which you have a specific opinion, divide the topic by reducing it to a simpler form. Try to summarize it in a few clear points to express in a sentence or two. If you can do this, you've found a good topic for an opinion article.
Let's continue with the library example. Your reasoning could be: the library is historically a reference point for culture and for the community. It shouldn't be closed to make way for a fast food restaurant
Step 3. Choose a topic you are well informed about
To be convincing, you need to master the topic you are talking about. To know exactly what you are talking about, you may want to do some research. Articles full of data based on facts and evidence that corroborate one's thesis are much stronger than articles that simply state one's point of view. Search the internet, browse archives, talk to those directly involved, and gather first-hand news and information.
Why is the library closing? What is its history? How many people consult the books in the library every day? What activities take place in the library every day? What community events are hosted there?
Step 4. Choose a topic that is complex and controversial
Good editorials shouldn't consist of news that can be easily proven or disproved. There is no point in reading an opinion on something that is obvious, such as whether or not heroin is toxic. Rather, do addicts need to be treated or incarcerated? This is a more controversial issue. Go through the different facets and key information of a topic to make sure it's complex enough to warrant an editorial. For the library piece, the track might look something like this:
- The library is a beacon of culture and an opportunity to find yourself in a city that lacks a community center and has only a small school.
- You may have a personal connection with the library - if so, complement your personal experience with current events and local activities.
- Explore possible alternatives to closing the library, evaluating how the community can keep it open. Include tips for administrators in your city.
Part 2 of 3: Writing your Opinion Article
Step 1. Get right to the point
Unlike essays, opinion articles expose the subject in the very first lines. Starting from there, organize the various points you want to discuss, make the reader passionate about your cause and summarize what, in your opinion, should be done to put into practice the ideas expressed in the article. Here is a demonstration:
During the winters of my youth, when the days were short and people went out wrapped up from head to toe, my sister and I often took a short walk to the library. We spent the afternoons attending reading classes and browsing the shelves of that historic building. Unfortunately, next month the library will go the same way as many other buildings in our community, which have now closed. As far as I'm concerned, this is the straw that breaks the camel's back
Step 2. Use color notations, picturesque details and case studies to keep the reader's attention
Readers tend to remember the interesting details rather than the hard facts. Clearly the piece must not neglect the exposition of the real facts, but thanks to the brilliant and fascinating details the article will remain etched in the mind of the reader. The concrete examples will convince the reader that this is a topic worth reading and remembering.
The article about the library, for example. it could cite curious news, such as the fact that the library was founded by an important local figure, who believed that the city needed a place to gather to read and to discuss. You could tell the story of a librarian who worked in that library for sixty years and read all the fiction books that came with it
Step 3. Tell readers why they should care about the news
If readers think that the topic you are writing about is a fact that does not concern them, they will be less likely to read your article. Make it personal for them: explain how the news, and the recommendations you suggest, can affect their lives. For instance:
The closure of the library will mean no longer having more than 130,000 items of books and films available, forcing the inhabitants of the city to travel more than 50 km to reach the nearest library and bookstore or to rent a movie. Children and students will no longer be able to access a very useful service, as the school often takes them to the library to borrow books or DVDs and do research, and so on
Step 4. Make it personal
It means that in order to get the message across you have to speak in the first person, adding examples from your own life to convince the reader. Your lines must show all of your humanity, so that the reader can identify with you, reading them. You have to look like a real person who is genuinely interested in the topic and heavily involved.
To continue with the library example: Tell a personal story about how the first book you ever read from top to bottom is right in that library, or about the friendship with the elderly loan lady, or about like the library was your golden refuge during your difficult childhood
Step 5. Avoid using impersonal or overly technical language
The purpose of your article is to educate readers on the subject and invite them to mobilize for the cause, not just think about it. Write in the first person. Also remember that if you use too technical language you risk frightening and confusing the reader or appearing pretentious.
- Example of impersonal language: "It is hoped that the city administration will take a step backwards about its intention to close the library".
- Example of writing in the first person: "I hope the city administration understands what this wonderful library means for the community and reconsiders its horrible decision to close this pole of culture and socialization."
Step 6. Plan your moves well in advance and ask the library director if a meeting at the library can be arranged
Choose the date and time and print the flyers that you will distribute to your fellow citizens, inviting them to discuss the future of the library. You can also think about inviting a journalist to record people's opinion and a photographer to raise awareness.
Step 7. It is important to acknowledge that there are people who oppose your opinion
Include voices to the contrary in the article as well: this way the piece looks more attractive and respectful (even if you have the feeling that the opposing faction is made up of idiots). Recognize when your opponents are making correct and partially shareable reasoning. For instance:
To be sure, those who want to close the library are right when they say our local economy is suffering. Businesses are closing down everywhere, because purchases have dropped. But to think that the closure of the library solves the problem of the local economy is certainly a wrong idea
Step 8. Indicate possible solutions
An article that simply launches invectives and does not seek solutions (or at least indicate steps to take towards a possible solution) is less likely to be published than an article that identifies alternatives and solutions. When you come to the conclusion, discuss improvements and other steps stakeholders can take to address the problem in the best possible way.
For example: if we act as a united community, we still have a good chance to save our library. If we organize a fundraiser and submit a petition, I think the city administration will understand that it needs to reconsider the closure of this historic and very active library. If the municipality took part of the funds it had allocated for the construction of the new mega-shopping center and allocated it to the maintenance of the library, this beautiful landmark would not be closed
Part 3 of 3: Concluding the Article
Step 1. Close with a strong affirmation
To conclude your piece, you need a solid final paragraph that reaffirms your thesis and remains etched in the reader after he has finished reading the article. For example:
The library of our city is not only a building that houses the brilliant works of authors from all over the world, but it is also a place where citizens come together to learn, discuss, appreciate and find inspiration. expected, should it close, we would lose a splendid testimony of the history of our city and a point of reference for the curious minds of our young and old
Step 2. Pay attention to the length of the text
Generally speaking, sentences and paragraphs should be short and smooth. Rely on short and simple declarative sentences if you want to get great results with your article. Each newspaper is different, but most have a maximum of 750 words that cannot be exceeded in opinion articles and editorials.
Newspapers almost always modify the articles that arrive in the editorial office, but they usually maintain the tone, style and point of view of the author. That doesn't mean, however, that you can send in a long piece and count on the editors to cut it down to your liking. Newspapers often trash articles that do not meet the specified word count
Step 3. Don't waste time worrying about which title to give your article
It will be the editorial staff of the newspaper itself that will choose a title for your article, regardless of whether you have indicated one, which is why it is not worth puzzling to find the right title.
Step 4. Collect your data
You should also send a short bio of yourself to the editors that relates to the topic you talk about in the article and that helps build your credibility. You should also add the phone number, email address and mailing address.
Example of a short biography linked to the library article: Mario Rossi is an avid reader, with a master's degree in creative writing and political science. He has always lived and worked in this city
Step 5. Also send the graphics you have available
Historically, the pages hosting the opinion articles had few images. Now, with newspapers turning more and more into online publications, photos, videos and other multimedia content that can be linked with opinion articles are widely accepted. In your initial email specify that you also have graphic materials, so scan them and send them along with the article.
Step 6. Consult the newspaper to find out how to submit the article
Each newspaper has its own requirements and guidelines on how to submit pieces and what information to attach. Consult the newspaper's website or, if you have a paper copy of the newspaper, go to the page that hosts the opinions of the readers and look for the box with information on how to submit articles to the editorial office. Most of the time you have to send them to an e-mail address.
Step 7. Keep insisting and trying
Don't be discouraged if you don't get any immediate responses from the newspaper. After a week of submitting your article, write a new email or call the newspaper. The editors of the Opinion Papers page are notoriously busy, which is why if they received your letter at an inopportune time, it may have escaped them. Furthermore, by phoning and writing e-mails, you have the opportunity to get in touch directly with the editorial staff, and this gives you a better chance than the competition.
Advice
- If you deem it appropriate and if your topic allows it, use irony, humor and wit.
- If the topic touches on national or international issues, send the article to multiple newspapers, don't limit yourself to just one.
