NPR INFORMAL GUIDELINES FOR COMMENTARIES - From Sara Sarasohn

Some people ask, "How can I submit a commentary for ALL THINGS CONSIDERED or another NPR Show?" Here's a document Sara Sarasohn, commentary editor from ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, shares to help aspiring commentators. ALL THINGS CONSIDERED Commentator Paul Ford took careful notes during a conversation he had with Sara on Monday, March 6th, 2003, and put this together.

What makes a good commentary?

It's pretty simple:

1. A good idea. "An idea is not just an opinion, but an insight or original observation."

2. Good writing. "Writing for radio is different than writing for print." More on this later.

3. Good delivery. "Reading a piece aloud isn't just window-dressing; it's an essential part of communicating a commentary on the radio." Without all three, it won't go on the show.

Even more importantly, the commentary must support the mission of ATC. That mission, as Sara sees it as a long-time producer and editor, is:

1. Report the news.

2. Disseminate ideas into the culture.

3. Introduce people to people they wouldn't meet.

Commentaries address (2) and (3): they disseminate ideas and introduce people. As a commentator, you will talk about an experience many have had and give the audience a new insight into that experience, or you describe a new or unusual experience that the audience is unlikely to have had. Sara says: "If I walked into a restaurant and threw out the basic idea to a table of six and they riff on it for ten minutes and they could come up with everything in the commentary, it's not enough."

How it Works

1. You pitch your ideas. ATC takes very little of what is pitched. If you pitch 5 pieces and ATC doesn't like any of them, they don't take one just to be nice.

Here's the raw math: 30 pitches a day, one or two slots on the show. There are some topics that are really hard to get on: children and child-raising, nature, signs of hope in nature, something that somebody else is doing that annoys the commentator. It's not that these topics never get on, just that they are even harder to get on than anything else. That sort of rejection doesn't mean stop pitching. It just means that those 5 don't work for the program.

Paul Ford, in a touching voice: …and my girlfriend and I were standing there in New Mexico, negotiating at that moment what our life would be like, trying to plan for our future together.

Sara: That's important to you, not to the audience. Next pitch!

Sara notes: This is one of my most common reasons for rejecting an idea. It's something that's very important to the commentator, but the rest of America doesn't really need to hear about it. The other big reason: I could have thought it up myself. You have to be able to share a truly original idea, experience, or insight.

2. You write the piece, email it, and get an edit. The number one rule in writing for radio is: don't use a lot of adjectives to describe the physical, visual world. While it may seem paradoxical, verbose description is hard for listeners to hold in their head. Elton John works with a lyricist, Bernie Taupin, and Elton John describes Taupin's lyrics as "a little movie." The best commentaries are little movies listeners can play in their own heads, a movie they remember the next day. Aim for that feeling. The best way to make a little movie in the mind of the listeners is to use lots of active verbs and to keep the storytelling chronological whenever possible.

Also, try to write a host intro to your piece. You've heard the show; you know what it sounds like. The host reads a couple of sentences to introduce you and your piece. Knowing what it going to be in the intro can help you write a snappier first sentence for yourself.

Pacing is essential. People experience radio in time; don't bore them, because once their minds drift you've lost them. Similarly, if you say something that raises a question in the listener's mind, they start wondering about that thing and stop listening to you and again, you've lost them; they are thinking their own thoughts instead of making your movie.

While the final length may be 2 to 3 minutes long, it's better if you write long to start. ATC would rather see the whole piece as you conceive of it, and cut from there. At the same time, it may become obvious that your piece is a short work crying out to be long, at which point it's going to be killed right then, no hard feelings, and you go back to Step #1.

You can title your piece if you want, but titles mean nothing to ATC; they give it their own slug.

Paul Ford notes: I found it really hard not to write my first piece in my best approximation of "what NPR wants." But what NPR wants is your own voice, which they'll edit to fit their needs. That's why they're hiring you. Don't try to write for the ages, or for the Nation; just write the piece and hand it over.

Paul Ford notes: Microsoft Word format, single-spaced, with your contact information and word count at the top, page numbers, and no other frills seems to work fine, or at least no one complained. No fonts, no foolishness, maybe some italics. Or you can paste the text of the commentary into the body of the e-mail.

You and ATC talk by phone and ATC suggests rewrites, refiguring, cuts and fixes. Part of this process includes you reading the piece over the phone to the editor. ATC edits the hell out of commentaries, so check your ego.

Repeat #2 until ATC is happy. You need your hands free while you're on the phone for editing; a lot of cordless phones aren't hands-free, which is a real problem when changes come fast and furious. Finally, Sara won't want you to read over a cell phone; they thin out the voice.

Sara: Those edits do come fast, but don't feel bulldozed by them; if I suggest a change that you really don't agree with, feel free to take issue with it. Editing is collaborative, and the last thing I want to do is to dilute your individual style or change your point.

Sara: Regarding deadlines, if you really can't get something to me, just let me know and we can re-adjust our timeline.

Paul Ford notes: Don't think just because you're in the East coast and Sara on the west that you have this magic 3-hour window of laziness. She gets to the office at 6 and leaves at 3 or so, just to spite you.

3. You rehearse your performance on the phone. Once the piece is in close-to-final shape, you're coached in delivery by ATC, with further cuts and fixes as directed. Good delivery is not an add-on to the prose, but brings another dimension to what you're saying. So practice. Make the concepts clear. Sentences must be easy to read out loud.

Repeat #3 until ATC is happy. Around about now you'll receive a contract to fill out and fax. In essence, it says you receive $250 per commentary, paid upon acceptance of your piece. You retain the copyright and non-exclusive rights to the piece; NPR gets non-exclusive rights to use it in the ways they see fit.

4. You go to a local NPR studio. Paul Ford suggests: Bring a clean, double-spaced copy of the latest version of your piece, and a pen. If the piece is longer than two pages, try to make the page breaks at a natural pause in the piece, so you can shuffle them easily. You put on headphones, and Sara's voice will appear within them, as if by magic. You are coached as you deliver your reading, and you'll be asked to make changes in the piece (hence the double-spacing and the pen). Screwing up in the reading is okay; ATC simply pastes together the best performance. Just go back to a spot in the piece where you're comfortable and start reading again.

Paul Ford notes: Don't wear clothes that rustle, i.e. a suit jacket. You'll only be meeting an intern and an engineer, and they don't care that you dressed up. Be comfortable. Ask for water or tea. Everyone is very nice in the studio. Signing the guestbook is good for your ego. Bring a camera so you can take pictures of the studio, since God knows this stuff doesn't happen to you every day.

That's it. It doesn't take long for all of this to happen; maybe a week or so. There's nothing more you can do for your piece; it's out of your hands, and in the hands of ATC.

At any point along one of these 4 steps, the piece may be cut. And even if you make it all the way through and it's recorded, and your contact (i.e. Sara) likes the piece, it can be cut by her boss. And then, even after the piece is recorded, ATC may edit it down further in order to fit into the slot that's available on the show. This is almost always done without consulting with the writer. What then? If it gets through all the gates, it goes on the shelf and will run any time from that day to 6 months from now or longer. Whether or not something gets on has little to do with its own intrinsic value. If your piece is about religion, and a story about religion has a hole, it may go out that day. In general, longer pieces (3 1/2 minutes or longer) have less chance of running because they will fit fewer time slots.

It's a good feeling when you get that NPR check. Your friends are jealous. People call out of the blue to tell you they've heard you.

Now, go back to Step #1 and pitch again.

All Things Considered is happy to accept commentaries on all subjects, serious or funny. All commentaries that are submitted are read, but very few are chosen for broadcast. Please send submissions to: atccommentary@npr.org