Philadelphia Inquirer Guidelines for Opinion Pieces

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Philadelphia Inquirer Guidelines for Opinion
Pieces

• What we look for well-written, thought-provoking
  essays on all sorts of topics. We want vigorous,
  clear argumentation within the confines of the
  short essay -- the voices of well-informed and
  opinionated citizens speaking to others in the
  widest possible forum.

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Inquirer Editing

• Be ready to be edited. Our first concern is to
  preserve the essential voice, style, and
  viewpoint of each author, but sometimes we have
  to stick a 150-line essay (we talk about essay
  lengths in lines) into a 125-line space. Space
  wins every time.

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Triangle

• Personal Essay
• Creative Non-Fiction
• Opinion Writing

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The Market

• The Philadelphia Inquirer
• The Press of Atlantic City
• The Courier-Post
• Cape May County Herald
• Magazines
• http//www.writersmarket.com/

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Short and to the Point

• Know who the editor is
• Know something about the publication
• Title of the commentary
• of words
• Bio 1-2 sentences
• Summarize commentary in 1-2 sentences
• Paste it in to email

6
Short and to the Point

• Dont send attachments
• Dont include photos
• Make sure there are no grammatical or spelling
  errors
• Include contact info
• Have head shot ready

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Only Your Best

• Send only your best work.
• Even if your essay doesnt get used, you want to
  establish a positive relationship with the
  editor.
• Rejection is part of the process.
• Check your grammar rules.
• Follow AP Style.
• Always act like a professional.

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Look for News Hooks

• An essay can get in because of a news hook.
• Pay attention to current events.
• Read the paper.

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Free Form Essay

• Choose from one of the five genres we covered
  this semester
• Person
• Place
• Thing
• Issue
• Nostalgia
• Due Thursday, May 10 by 5 p.m. via email

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Published Writer

• There are many different routes a writer can
  follow to get published, but no matter which
  route you choose, the end is always the
  samebecoming a published writer.
• - 2004 Writers Market Guide

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Published Work

• Essays that are published have an audience and
  help to establish your professional credentials.

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Must Keep At It

• No matter how impressive your portfolio, you are
  only as good as your current essay.

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Newspaper Personal EssaysTo be successful, a
personal essay writer needs a journalists sharp
eye and a painters deft stroke. But we must
admit that is the writers telling of the event
that touches us, not the event itself.- Keith
Forrest in the Press of Atlantic City
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The Course

• In this class, the personal essay will be closely
  connected to journalism. We will emphasize
  personal essays written specifically for
  newspapers. These essays are generally 600 to
  1000 words and appear in the commentary sections
  of major daily newspapers. Newspaper personal
  essays combine all the tenets of journalism with
  many of the elements of fiction such as character
  and scene. It also borders on the genre of
  editorials and op-eds. This class will teach you
  to see the story in everyday events.

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Follow the Guidelines

• You must follow submission guidelines exactly.
• Always get back to editors quickly.

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Best Essay

• Next Week
• Everyone can bring one essay with them. It
  should be revised version, not the original.
• Must make enough copies for the whole class.
• You can provide a summary or anything else that
  you think might improve your chances of winning.
• Each student will get 5 minutes to make his/her
  case for why that essay is the best.
• Then we will read the essays.
• Each of us will rank each essay on a scale of
  0-100.
• Best total score for the class wins and will be
  submitted to The Inquirer.
• Winner may need to do some additional revising
  before I submit the essay on the class behalf.

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Nostalgia Essays

• Language that Sings
• Language that Screams
• Apparent Subject/Deeper Subject
• Fresh Metaphors
• Reaction as an editor
• Newsworthiness
• Emotion