Letters to the

Chatterbox: Inkwell

Letters to the

Letters to the editor....

No, this is not what you think, assuming you're thinking I'm going to write a letter to the Cricket editor. I'm sure you're a very nice person, but I'm completely satified with anything CRICKET related and have no current obligation to write you. Actually, the reason I started this thread is that I realised something:

"HOW AM I GOING TO WRITE A LETTER TO AN EDITOR?!"

I know, I know, "Isn't that what you just said this wasn't about?" Well, actually, I mean writing a letter when you are sumbiting something. Here's some things I already know:

--Be polite

--Don't be passive/agressive

--Don't sound demanding

--Adress the editor properly (Ms, Mrs, Mr)

--Don't mess up

AND YET, and yet, even as flawless as these rules might seem, there's something about I just can't place.

I'm from Minnesota. My sixth grade teacher said we were known for our passive agressiveness. I'm kind of looping that in with the polite/demanding thing. DON'T sound demanding DO sound polite but DON'T go ranting on for days. Or paragraphs, anyhow.

I have trouble with that. Take this whole essay thing as proff. 

Has anyone else got any advice about how to write a good letter to the editor? A letter is needed for the place I'm submitting my work to, and I don't want to sound overly polite and/or dry and demanding.

{Yeah, that's one of the reasons I haven't really been here--I've been so busy working on my portfollio. And HOMEWORK. Except a sudden return soon.} 

submitted by Theo W., age 13, Dark, poetic places
(December 10, 2013 - 6:33 pm)

back to the Inkwell

In a business letter you should always explain your purpose clearly and briefly, which might take a bit of word-play. I've never written a letter to an editor before, but I do email my teachers constantly.

I, also, feel very sensitive about making my letters seem too demanding, or rude. And not saying this is the proper way of etiquette, because it really isn't, but I tend to use a lot of exclamation marks. In any kind of letter. A sentence without one seems flat. In order for a sentence, in my eyes, to sound happy, it has to be !!!! a lot. Now, normal people, think this is shouting. I see otherwise.

submitted by Blackberry E., age 14
(December 10, 2013 - 7:56 pm)

Include where you have been previously published, and maybe point out your favorite poems/stories from other issues of this anthology, magazine, or whatever it is that your sending.

Kiss the envelope goodbye!

This is some advice I received from my writing teacher when I sent in poems to Stone Soup. Still waiting for an answer from there! 

submitted by Rose bud, age 12, sc
(February 2, 2015 - 9:23 am)