NEWS YOU CAN USE. Maybe you saw these stories. Maybe you missed them, but these are among the pieces I’ve read recently that might elicit some form of short memoir – an op-ed, or personal essay – from you. Once a week I’ll bring you news pieces I find provocative.
Here are some that get me going:
- Burger King goes cage free
- I love it when fact supports fiction
- I’m sorry. The average wedding costs what?
- Violence in America reaches a new low — or high — but this is hideous
- As ever, we depend on the fabulous Frank Deford to ask the hard question
Surely you have something to say using one of these as your news peg.
Looking for inspiration or guidance on how to write a personal essay? Look at my categories for NPR essays, parenting essays, and several other topics. All of the pieces there have been published, or have aired on the radio. If those don’t work, see the interactive calendar for more inspiration. And write on.
See a typo, a grammar flub, my (ever-present) overuse of commas? Point it out, and I’ll throw you in the pool for a monthly free book giveaway. Which book? One of mine – your choice – all of which were professionally copy edited, thank goodness.
dawn says
a few years ago i heard about a woman who designed a workshop specifically to encourage women to write op-eds. do you happen to know who that is?