Tips for writing letters

• Keep it brief: Consider how long you would spend reading a letter. A good benchmark is about 150 to 250 words.

• Keep it local, topical and timely: Letters should be issue-oriented, addressing topics that are currently in the news affecting West Islanders.

• Make your point: Long rants mean little to readers. In fact, they tend to turn them off. Arguments that are well thought out provide new perspectives on issues, giving readers pause for thought. Always back up your arguments with facts and figures that support your opinion.

• Send it on time: The final deadline for letters to the editor is Monday at 11 a.m.

• Expect to be edited: Letters will be edited for clarity and length, but care will be taken to preserve the writer’s point. Letters written with these tips in mind, however, should require little or no editing.

• If you can say it, you can sign it: All letters must include the author’s full name, municipality and daytime telephone number. The Chronicle does not publish anonymous letters. Those that are unsigned will be discarded.