If
at all practical, get someone to read your draft and make comments.
Fresh eyes see things you missed.
Why All the Bother?
Editors at OEN approach submissions in the queue much as readers
approach the
front page. They scan for something interesting to edit. Then they
glance at
the lede or the description of the article. If it looks poorly written
or
uninteresting, they ignore the rest and move on to something else.
Obviously if
you can get the editor to read the whole submission, the odds of her
hitting
the publish button are greatly improved.
Graphics and photos also add to the publish-appeal
of your work. Look here for
tips on how and where to get photos if you don't have original work of
your own.
If the story seems interesting, the editer looks at your bio to see why
your point of view
is credible or authoritative. If a bio is too scanty or vague it
may cause rejection of an otherwise acceptable piece. You bio should
show your respect for your reader.
Once an editor has read the story he or she decides to accept or
reject. If
accepted, the title and the description (blurb) gets edited, the tags
and
category are verified, and then it's published. Finally the editor
decides
about headlining the story. "H1" or the top of the front page of the
site is first prize. If it is an important topic with a strong lede,
you have a
good chance. Making the headlines is the payoff for crafting a good
op-ed or
article. Writers that consistently submit high quality articles
attract attention
in the queue, and their articles get published faster. No surprise here
-- good
articles build the reputation of the site and draw visitors to
OpEdNews.com.
All it takes is a good lede, a compelling and logically developed body,
and a
memorable close. With ruthless elimination of the flab that doesn't
enhance the
theme, your article will stand out from the 30 to 50 others competing
with it.
It really is that easy.
