By: Anna Lee
“Op-ed,” or opinion editorials, is a type of writing that’s common in newspaper and magazines and are from authors who aren’t associated with the publication company. For example, in the New York Times, it’s the Opinion section. In short, Op-eds are articles that comes with an opinion, popular or not.
At first for me, writing op-eds seemed completely antithetical to everything I learned. Writing school essays or fact-based journalistic articles have been such a norm for such a long time, that when I had the opportunity to write my first op-ed, I was completely taken off guard. The amount of first-person “I” or even “we” that you can liberally sprinkle in, the fact that no topic is off limits solely based on the fact that this is an opinion-based piece seemed all wrong at first. I was stuck in the mindset of having evidence and passages and sources to claim every statement I made. While op-ed pieces do rely on support and evidence from an outside source, these references are there for you to dispute, to wrestle with. So I think one of the most important things for anyone writing their first op-ed is to abandon- or at least, set aside- the traditional methodology of writing, and to find your passions.
Finding what you are passionate about is incredibly important. There is probably nothing more important in op-ed writing. Though this can apply to all writing genres, you can write an article about something you are dispassionate about for a journalism piece. For op-ed pieces, the amount of passion dictates how long and how eloquent the piece ends up. Living up to its namesake, op-ed pieces turn out flat and lifeless without the opinion aspect.
Another requisite thing for an op-ed piece is background research, preferable before the writing process. Although you may know a lot of information, that information can have a certain bias, which is fine in the long run, but can pose a problem in overviewing the topic objectively. I find that the most helpful research method includes both having a firm opinion of a topic and having a plethora of resources that allow me to see both sides of the issue. With this general background information, I am more confident to write as a credible, opinionated writer rather than just a biased one.
Although the structure of op-eds are pretty free-form, the introductory paragraphs should explain the topic at hand for a larger audience. I always visualized this genre as a pyramid, and at the bottom, there needs to be a strong foundation of the knowledge of the topic. Without this, the audience can easily doubt not only your opinions but the topic as a whole, which is exactly opposite of what op-ed writers want.
Once the topic has been established well, then the writer has free reins to set the parameters for their opinions and biases. There can be links and evidences to support your opinion at hand, just like any other writing. However, like a pyramid, it has to build up both the audience’s trust and one’s argument to get to the point of it all. This may seem confusing, but I think by allowing the audience to digest bits and pieces of information – that are all point to your own opinions- and reaching the definitive conclusion at the end is far more convincing than throwing a statement at them without any evidence to support it.
However, although this may seem contradictory, op-ed pieces’ goals aren’t purely meant to persuade, although they often have the power to. For me, writing op-ed pieces mean that I have an opinion, a thought, that I want to share with my audience, and by doing that, it could open a larger forum of discussion and ideas. So in essence, it’s impossible to “fail” at writing op-ed pieces, because the virtue of having presented your idea to someone else- regardless of how the other person takes it- is a success. I suppose this simple beauty of just writing mentality that op-ed pieces promote has been what’s drawn me to write them in the first place.
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Hi Anna Lee,
I appreciate your article and have often had the desire to write Op-ed pieces. I did have some success writing a weekly article for Robber’s Cave State Park in southeastern Oklahoma and even had a little success with having it published in several Sunday issues of the Oklahoma City, Oklahoman and 52 articles a year in 8 small town newspapers in the surrounding area. But writing a column about park happenings is nothing compared to writing Op-ed stories. Since I’m an old guy, 75 years of age, I don’t have a lot of years to spend on improving my craft, but just trying keeps me alive and well. Your article gives me encouragement to continue working and maybe before I croak I’ll have a few articles published. Not that it really means anything to those mentioned in my will, but expressing myself on the printed page is something I enjoy doing. I also love to write poetry and I’m working on a book of my poems. Having said that, I’m from the old school of poetic thought where poems rhyme and most people don’t seem to like words to fit together, so it’s doubtful that my works will go anywhere but in someone’s trash can. Below is a sample of my latest poem written this evening.
The Image at Seraph’s Swamp
by Daniel Parks
I came upon the statured sculpt,
perhaps ten years ago.
A perfect form of soldier’s woe
carved by the rain and snow.
It looked to me like ebony,
with twisted trunk and arms.
And on its face was agony,
with fear and great alarm.
I shuddered at the lifeless form
postured in the pond.
And wondered how it came to be,
this symbol from beyond?
No blade had cut the twisted shape,
no sawn or chiseled strokes.
It seemed that nature’s artisan
had formed the cruel hoax.
Or could it speak of tragedy
for those who happen by?
Each person feeling misery
awaiting when the die.
And as I viewed the grotesque form,
I wondered of my days.
Was it telling, without words
of wasted times and ways?
I’ll ne’r forget that cold, damp day,
out in those silent woods.
And hope my life has been preserved,
and turned from bad to good.
And even if that mottled form
there standing in the pond,
was nothing more than all by chance,
I now have hope for life beyond.
Thanks again
Hi Daniel,
Thanks for reading my posting and for leaving kind words! I think that regardless of anyone’s age, the art of writing doesn’t really care as long as the content is still there. I would love to read any op-ed pieces you may publish, (and I have absolute faith that you will) and I am sure that the world would want to read them too. Because the breadth of topic for an ‘op-ed’ piece is, quite literally, endless, anything that you write with a certain lens or perspective would be fascinating to read.
Also, your poem is beautiful and no doubt the rest of the poems in your book of poem are too. Please don’t go in with that cynical view of your work ending in someone else’s trash can. I think if that were to happen, it would be a reflection more on that other person rather than you as a writer.
Write on!
Anna
Thank you for the info.