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In this post, the guidelines for submission are outlined with helpful hints on how to help your letter grab the attention it deserves.
Here are some ground rules for writing your letter or guest blog:
1. Do not criticize, condemn, or complain. ‘How,” you say, “can I possibly write my opinion without doing at least one of these things?” Well, there’s the trick. Keep a professional mindset and know that the world will be reading your letter. Speak of your concerns in a positive manner – which means no name calling, no put-downs or disparaging remarks, no swearing – chose your words carefully.
2. Length of less than 1000 words. This is necessary to keep the letters to a readable format, one that will not bore the reader to tears, but still gives you an opportunity to speak your piece. If you were to write to the newspaper, you are limited to 500 words, and that is a tough call to fill. With that said, again, you ask, “How do I write my thoughts in less than 1000 words?” For your first draft, write, and do not worry about how many words. After you create your first draft, then highlight the most important thoughts, and put them into a mind map or an outline.
3. Use each thought as the first sentences to a paragraph and write a little bit about each topic. Add an introduction and conclusion, and there you have your letter. With three to five points, you can write three to five paragraphs. Then write your introduction – tell them what you are going to tell them, and the conclusion – tell them what you told them.
4. Visuals are great in getting the point across. If you have a video or other visual you would like to share, attach them to your letter and they will be included in the post. Be careful, though, not to submit anything that would identify you if you want to stay anonymous.
5. All letters and guest blogs are confidential. This is necessary to allow people to speak their mind and not be afraid of recrimination or back-lash. We will not share your information with anyone, regardless of who is asking.
6. Use the comment section on this website, if you prefer, instead of submitting a letter. If you chose this route, you identity cannot be protected. Your avatar and web-name will appear beside your comment. Comments will also be monitored and we ask you to keep them short and professional.
7. There are three categories to which you can submit.
Police and the courts, medical and mental health, and community.
Once your article is submitted, the staff at T-Ragg will get out their editing tools to make your story the best reading 
material around. This approval and editing of all written work before it is published is standard procedure for all submissions.
After the editors read your letter, you will receive a proof with the corrections and suggestions for your final approval. Newspapers do not do this. They edit your letter, delete parts they don’t want, and publish it. Their say is final and you have no input once it hits the paper.
Here at The Thermopolis Ragg, we understand how disheartening and frustrating that can be. The newspaper editor puts qualifiers and disclaimers in you letter which negates whatever point you are trying to make. Or they change the words around which changes the meaning. Not so here — You have a chance to approve the edits.
If you have something to say, but are not comfortable with your writing skills, the staff at T-Ragg is happy to assist you in any way. Submit your newsworthy idea with a note saying you want your story written by our staff, and we will be happy to do so. As with any other letter, before publishing, you have the opportunity to read your article and make any changes to it.
How do you know your submissions will be read by the public? We have the highest quality SEO and keyword searches working behind the scenes to ensure high ranks on Google. By the nature of the beast, though, in order to rank on Google, the website needs interaction from it’s readers. That is you. The more often you share the posts, the more comments and submissions we get, the faster the ranking, the better read the site becomes.
