A letter to the editor is a way to share your opinion with a newspaper, magazine or other regularly printed publication. These letters can take a stand for or against an issue, or they can inform and persuade through facts and emotions. They are a great way to generate community discussion about an issue or program and can lead to more media coverage for the issue.
Keep your letter short – editors usually print only a few hundred words of letters to the editor. It is important to keep in mind that many papers have a specific word count or a policy regarding the length of letters (check the editorial page for this). Your best bet is to keep your letter under 300 words, and it is a good idea to make sure your most important points are stated in the first paragraph. Also, be sure to reference the topic or article you are responding to, and use local statistics and personal stories to better illustrate your point.
Editorial letters offer a wide range of feedback on your writing and are typically more broad in scope than line-by-line editing. The editor may mention a pattern that is problematic or brings the quality of your work down, such as repetitive phrases, passive voice, inconsistent characterization or structural issues that greatly hinder the flow and clarity of your narrative. They may also evaluate the effectiveness of your world-building and setting descriptions, providing suggestions to improve them so they are more immersive for your readership.