1. Read our site. Look at some of the articles we’ve published. You’ll soon get a sense of the writing style we prefer. Our chief guideline is the same for articles, book reviews and interviews: Tell our visitors what YOU would want to know if you were the reader rather than the writer, looking for ideas, inspiration, collegiality.

2. Don’t obsess about length — we suggest 800-1200 words for articles, but if we feel you’ve written too much or too little, we’ll suggest ways to expand or contract.

3. Write in a relaxed, personal voice. Be professional but don’t feel compelled to write your article like a grad school paper or journal article. Humor is good. Graphics, video, other multimedia might be appropriate. Embed links as needed.

4. Avoid harsh sarcasm or personal attacks. But feel free to criticize ideas and practices and offer a better way.

5. We love writers who tell stories from your own experience as an educator (or learner or parent, etc.) and relate those stories in ways that will be useful to educators and others. If you’re writing about your teaching or leadership practices, remember that your audience is less interested in your professional life than they are in what they can learn from your professional experience. It’s not much fun to read an article about education where the writer is mostly swimming in his or her own fishbowl, oblivious to the outside world.

Writing queries or questions? Send them to John Norton at ask.middleweb@gmail.com