“Dear editor . . .”

This month’s editorial is by guest writer Wally Kroeker.

What do editors talk about when they get together?

One thing is letters. We love ’em.

The letter is one of the great forms of communication. A third of the New Testament, and a good deal of its doctrinal teaching, comes to us as letters.

Letters to the editor are churchly democracy in action. Even the unhappy ones show that readers care about our publication. Editors dread being ignored, and sometimes wonder, “If an article falls in the forest and no one writes a letter, has it really been read?”

Readers love letters, too. Many will say, “The first thing I turn to is the letters to the editor.”

I received some memorable missives when I was a denominational editor, like the one that began, “Dear pacifist puke” (unsigned, of course). Another, dripping with venom, closed with, “In the bonds of Christian love.”

Then there was this cryptic note: “Normally I don’t write letters to the editor, but in this case I felt I had to.” End of letter.

One “pen pal” was a meek and gentle soul who became transformed when writing to editors. The act of sitting down before a keyboard seemed to pull out the stopper of decorum, releasing a gush of bile from his fingertips.

Another writer sent a generally thoughtful letter marred by two profanities. One was a non-theological reference to an unpleasant afterlife and the other was a barnyard term. When I deleted them, the writer complained I had “cut out the best parts.” I couldn’t help replying, “You mean those two words were the best parts of your letter?”

Well, what about the charge that editors cut out the best part? Do people really think that when a letter or article arrives we read it over carefully, searching for the best part? And when we find it, we pounce, exclaiming, “Aha, there it is – the best part. Out it comes”? Do some readers really think we aim to shield them from the best parts of anyone’s writing, and give them something bland instead? (That would make it difficult to sensationalize, which we also are accused of doing. It takes a creative genius to sensationalize bland.)

Most churchly editors love putting out an issue with plenty of letters. But that doesn’t mean anything goes.

Sometimes we have to cut off debate, and that rankles readers, especially those who waited too long to send their own comments. Editors rarely invoke the cut-off. Trust me on this – they really don’t want to deprive you of material that’s interesting, instructive, and inspirational. But periodically they have to ask, “Will yet another letter on Topic A, no matter how precious it may seem to the writer, make readers’ eyes glaze over with boredom?” One more letter may indeed hold the last great insight that no one else has yet considered, but sometimes it’s just another fly buzzing over a horse long dead.

Want to be an effective letter writer?

1. Keep them short. Can you say it in 200 words or less? That takes work. As Samuel Johnson wrote to a friend, “I’m sorry to send you such a long letter. I didn’t have time to write a shorter one.” A Mennonite editor recently received an 1,800-word “letter” with strict instructions not to edit. Ever compliant, she didn’t edit a single word. Nor did she print it.
2. Sign your name. Only in rare cases will editors publish a “name withheld.”
3. When signing off don’t cite your employer or institution unless there’s a good reason.
4. Before you hit SEND, take one more look, maybe set it aside for a bit. Not to spoil your fun, but is this “a word aptly spoken” (Proverbs 25:11)? Will it persuade anyone? Think about the last time your mind was changed by a letter to the editor. What worked best? A rant, or reasoned discourse? Getting something off your chest may feel good for an hour, but how will it look when you see it in public print?

Ask if you have simply reacted or if you’ve actually advanced and illumined the discussion. Learn to do that and editors will love you – and will be happy to open your email the next time you write.

Wally Kroeker is editor of The Marketplace, a publication of MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Associates).