Writer's Guidelines

The Cape Coral Barometer is Lee County's Independent Voice. We want this website to be full of the thoughts and opinions of our local citizens. We aim to showcase the wide array of viewpoints and the full diversity of our blossoming city. Newcomers, Oldtimers, Passers-Through, we would love to hear from all of you.

We are willing to give any of you, published writer or not, a chance to have your writing and ideas shown in the Cape Coral Barometer. We are not in a position to pay for writing submitted at this time, but grow with us. Establish yourself as a competent and dependable writer, and we'll see where this experiment takes us.

Here's some helpful information for those wishing to write articles for the Cape Coral Barometer, a monthly arts, culture, and things-to-do newspaper covering Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Sanibel and Captiva.

We are always interested in new authors and their ideas, but some thought and effort must be put forth by the writer before contacting us. These guidelines can help you with that and help get your work on our site.

The Cape Coral Barometer wants mind-catching stories that haven't been over-covered in other news media. We want to explain this community, its inhabitants, its art and culture, local attractions, and ideas for nearby daytrips. Our stories range from first person POV, to local diversion essays, to eye-opening environmental articles. We are always looking for well written fishing and boating columns. We are especially interested in investigative pieces and feature stories that are funny.

We are always open to ideas for local comic strips or editorial cartoons.

THINKING AND WRITING OUTSIDE THE BOX IS THE BEST WAY TO GET YOUR PIECE INTO OUR PUBLICATION. We want mostly local stories that are intelligent and sometimes irreverent but always well written. We need focused, tightly angled stories that take advantage of the narrative form of storytelling. Be ready to explain what will be the beginning, middle and end of the story. We are not interested in broad, topical stories. Your written queries or pitches should present a clear, original and provocative thesis, not merely an interest in a topic or idea.

We are also looking for commentaries on the arts and idiosyncratic features that can open up our arts section. This can be a profile of an entertainer, a bar, an idea, etc. Everything must be written with strong attention to detail and attitude.

The best way to increase the likelihood that we use your piece is to read the Cape Coral Barometer to familiarize yourself with our style, content and coverage. This will give you an idea as to what kinds of topics we're interested in. Because we are an internet site, and not a printed paper, we impose no word-length restrictions. Despite all these guidelines, we are open to all interesting ideas and approaches to stories. Do not hesitate to Contact Us.

Other Guidelines:

1. When you approach us with an idea (in the form of a query letter through our CONTACT page, please, not by phone), you increase your chances if you pitch more than one idea at a time. Know generally how you intend to proceed on any given idea. Have focused ideas on your story's angle and indicate potential sources. Send some clips along with your query if we aren't already familiar with your work. If you don't have any published clips, please send a writing sample.   

2. If you are reporting a story for us, make sure you identify yourself as a freelancer who (a) has a commitment from the Cape Coral Barometer to write the story or (b) is writing the story for the Cape Coral Barometer on speculation. Do not portray yourself as a Cape Coral Barometer staff reporter.  

3. All stories are subject to editing for length, clarity, style and grammar. We may do some rewriting as well. We'll work with you on any substantive changes and give instructions for improvements. We may consult you on other changes, such as clarifying murky sentences, verifying startling facts or checking name spellings.  

4. The Cape Coral Barometer strives for consistent spelling and usage. A handy writing guide is The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White. It succinctly leads writers over rocky grammatical and stylistic ground. For news writing, the most useful credo is "omit needless words."    

5. The Cape Coral Barometer strives for accurate and clear writing. Remember that you are writing not for yourself or the editors, but for the readers. People totally unfamiliar with the subject should want to read your article and then understand it. Strive for clarity. Do not assume they know previous history.    

6. Because of the volume of submissions, it may be days or weeks before you hear from us. If your story is time-sensitive, please indicate that in your query letter.   

7. Additional ways to contribute: Letter to the Editor: Shorter commentaries on local issues are especially welcome. All viewpoints are considered, but Letters to the Editor must be well-written and non-libelous. Please do not send publicity op-ed pieces. Remember, we reserve the right to print letters in condensed form and to edit them for libel.