Thinking About Writing an Op-Ed?

Writing an op-ed is a skill of its own, one we work on with authors all the time at Press Shop. We help them hone their essay to fit the major outlets and niche publications we pitch.

But op-ed writing is very different from writing a full-length book! So what makes for a good op-ed and what skills do you need to craft one?

Leah recommends Trish Hall’s Writing to Persuade every chance she can get–her copy of the book is completely dog-eared, post-it’ed, and thoroughly highlighted! Trish was the op-ed editor at the New York Times and her book is chock full of fabulous advice for anyone trying to write an op-ed that gets picked up.

Here are three tips as a teaser before you get reading for yourself! You can pick up a copy here.

• “The editor wants one of three things: to be surprised by something; to be given a new perspective on an old problem; or to be delighted and impressed by the writing.”

• “If you want to improve your own writing, find examples of the form that interests you and immerse yourself in it until something about its structure winds its way into your unconscious.”

• “How do you know whether something is ready to send to an editor or to your teacher? If it’s a short piece, look at the basics. Is it focused clearly on one or two points? Is it logically told, so that a reader doesn’t stop short and say, ‘I already read about that two paragraphs ago’? Is it original, and based on something you know or are expert in? And does it track? You never want your reader to think, ‘I have to reread that; I don’t quite get it’….If you make every effort to please the reader, you will inevitably find an editor who wants to publish your work.”