Here is a pretty nice Tutorial for those who are just starting the freelancing world.
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Suite University INTRO: Welcome to the Suite University course on writing newspaper editorials. In this course, you can learn effective techniques for writing letters to the editor, then submit your opinions to everything from your local newspaper to national publications. Valuable for anyone interested in public affairs, current events, and pop-culture, this course will help the student to develop a writing interest, as well as hone argumentative and persuasive writing skills. This course is great for beginning writers, as well as those interested in scientific disciplinary writing, print journalism, editorial processes, and public policy discourse. Writing newspaper opinions is a great way to gains expression for your writing. With relatively little time invested, you can learn to produce concise, effective and persuasive editorials on a regular basis. Perhaps the most exciting element is that YOU can choose your subject based upon public interest and current relevancy. By learning what subjects are most important to your target community, whether it’s local property taxes or “American Idol,” you become part of the public discourse when your opinion is published. This course can help you get there. There is no greater satisfaction, for a writer, than seeing your work in print. Why not start with a letter to the editor? The first time someone approaches you in public, and says, “about that letter you wrote…” you’ll be hooked on op-ed writing and all that it entails. Learn the satisfaction of a well-written opinion; it’s all inside this course.
SYLLABUS LESSON 1: Getting Ready to Write -Developing your interests. Starting at suite101.com, examine the list of communities in order to get an idea of what you might like to right about. -Looking at newspapers. Read the same newspaper every day for two weeks. Suggestions are the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (www.pittsburghlive.com), or the Boston Globe (www.boston.com/globe). Learn to navigate these sites, understanding the scope of stories, what seems important to the target audience, and how the paper and the readers interact on the Op-Ed pages. -Setting a strategy. Techniques for getting published, including basic strategies for letters to the editor, using the link (www.apa.org/science/editorialtips) -Researching your subject. Reading two or three different sources on one subject. Using two competing papers, ie., (www.pittsburghlive.com) and (www.post-gazette.com) for different angles on a story, seeing how a story is composed, how headlines differ, how a paper slants a story. -Tips from an expert. How I learned to get published. Includes references to the Youngstown (Ohio) Vindicator (www.vindy.com) newspaper. Exercise: Pick a topic, using the techniques and pointers above.
LESSON 2: Writing a Letter to the Editor -Targeting a paper. Picking a suitable publication for your opinion. Ibid newspaper links above. -Finding the “hot topics” in your paper of choice. Ibid newspaper links above. -Starting to write. Being precise and concise. Reference to link (school.eb.com/student/passport/op_ed.pdf), for tips on editorial processes, selection for publication, narrowing a topic. -Four-step process for letter to the editor format: Introduce topic, provide background, provide your opinion, close with force. Refers to (www.webenglishteacher.com/argument) for persuasive wording and argumentative prose. -Exercise: Write a letter based on our formula above.
LESSON 3: Constructing long-form editorials, or “forum” articles. -Introduction to forums, definition and usage. -Conducting a general search. Refers to (www.yahoo.com), conducting effective searches online, and narrowing a topic to a suitable size. -Citing resources, definition of plagiarism, and things to avoid, with reference to “The plague of plagiarism,” by suite101 member Rebecca Kojetin
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/teachi...epartment/60755 -Examining material, organizing an outline, (www.parkwise.schoolaccess.net/students/worksheets/persuasiveletter1.pdf) -Writing your forum article, with a formula for success. Refers to www.townhall.com for example. Exercise: Write a forum article using the tips from above.
LESSON 4: Targeting a national publication. -Examining national magazines and newspapers. Looking at Time magazine (www.time.com) and the USA Today (www.usatoday.com). What kinds of letters do they publish, what is their audience, scope, etc. -Looking at big-city newspapers with a nation scope. www.washingtontimes.com , opinion pieces focus, solicitation of manuscripts. -Discussion of length of letter, and strategy for publication. Ibid above sources. My own experience, with reference to USA Today and The Week magazine. -Exercise: Target a national publication, and submit a suitable letter to the editor with a nationwide scope.
LESSON FIVE: Writing Reviews and Critiques. -Introduction and Definitions. -Learning from the master: Roger Ebert, the greatest film critic of our times (www.suntimes.com/index/ebert) -Form and technique, with concentration on film reviews, and application to different art forms. Reference to www.epinions.com -Exercise: Write a film review by creating your own fictitious film and characters.