Letters should be brief and to the point. Different newspapers have
different tolerances for length and you should look at the letters page of
your newspaper to see how long their letters usually are. Or you can call
the letters editor to ask. If you send a 4-500 word letter you risk having
the bits you want to be included edited out, and the message that is left
might not be what you think is the most important point to make.

100-200 words is a good rule of thumb for a broadsheet, 50-100 for a
tabloid.

Your fast food remark below might be a snappy way to begin with a short
sentence or two about bf being normal and other alternatives being less
healthy for the baby. If your state has a law protecting the rights of bf
women, you could note that.

Focus on one or two key points and be emphatic. Use active instead of
passive language.

-- Jodine Chase
(PS - the above message is 162 words)


> From: Christy Van Orman <[log in to unmask]>
>
> Dear Friends at Lactnet,
>
> I read this letter to the editor in our local paper yesterday (Deseret News,
> Salt Lake City, UT).  As a breastfeeding advocate, I would like to respond.
> I find it very offensive that someone would suggest that breastfeeding would
> make someone lose their appetite.  (I suppose the person was jealous of the
> baby for getting much healthier food then their fast food meal!) I have
> never written a letter to the editor before, and would be interested in
> suggestions you have of how to best resond...

<snip>

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