I was pleased my letter to the editor on one of my interests – our natural environment – was published in The Sydney Morning Herald in July 2023 here. I have been a dedicated Herald reader since childhood, and had letters published on a range of topics over the years. I’ve also had letters published in my local paper. In the same month, Joan Brown of Orange reached the grand total of 500 letters published. What a record!

Writing a letter that is published reflects the writing and editing task at a small scale:

• thinking of a topic and what to say
• editing to keep the letter short and succinct
• meeting the requirements of the publisher
• being timely and relevant.

Writing with passion helps. See my blog here. A touch of humour always helps too and appeals to the Letters Editor, but that can be much harder to achieve.

The Sydney Morning Herald has guidelines for letters including a preferred word limit. Keep the letter short so readers can focus on the key words and message and not be distracted by too many words. When I edit material, I can usually reduce the word count without even trying through several different techniques:

• using the simplest form of a word or phrase
• deleting repetition
• deleting unnecessary linking words or phrases
• deleting distracting detail.

If you are struggling with writing, think of less is more. Write less, and make every word count.

See my related blogs to help write a letter that gets published:

• Writing with passion
• Less is more
• Impress with simplicity
• Writing to a word limit
• What I am really trying to say is.

To work with an accredited editor who has letters to the editor published, please contact me at rhdaniels@bigpond.com