A brief guide to writing for professional publication

the long version

Written for those who have never written for a professional journal and for those who have had initial success in getting published, this fastback includes basic information about preparing a manuscript, suggestions that will help with acceptance by a journal, and a framework to design a writing program to help published writers achieve their writing goals. After an introduction, a discussion on why educators write, and advice on making time to write, sections of the fastback address getting started (choosing a topic, targeting an audience, beginning to write); matters of style; the right manuscript for the right journal (referred or research journals); the submission process (to query or not to query, submitting the manuscript); and "a few words about writing relationships" (writer-editor relationship, writer-mentor relationship, writer-collaborator relationship, and support groups).