“It was a dark and stormy night.”
While this sentence gained fame as “the literary poster child for bad story starters,” according to Writer’s Digest, chances are you have a captivating tale to spin about your own experience as an NHS or NJHS adviser. And it’s likely much more engaging and practical.
In fact, there are a number of ways you can get the attention of a worldwide audience, plus earn a valuable byline to add to your accomplishments! Consider contributing to one of the following publications of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), the parent organization of NHS and NJHS.
Sharing your own experience—or your chapter members’ experiences—can be both extraordinarily inspiring and helpful to fellow advisers, as it validates the hard work you and your students have undertaken.
Write for Advise
This magazine is always in search of story ideas and authors from the adviser community. After all, you are the expert who is able to offer a boots-on-the-ground perspective unlike anyone else. The circulation for Advise exceeds 30,000, giving significant exposure for your contribution.
To get started, take a look at the editorial calendar posted on the websites: www.nhs.us/advise or www.njhs.us/advise. But don’t limit your imagination to the ideas listed. Rather, let that list fuel your creativity for topics. Remember, too, the Adviser Online Community is available as a resource to connect with fellow advisers as you gather your story content.
Feature articles generally run 1,500 to 2,000 words, with deadlines typically several months prior to an issue’s publication. For example, the submission deadline for the April/May issue is coming up on December 13.
The Advise editorial staff is also in search of ideas for the “Put This Into Practice” column. This single-page article-generally about 400 words in length-breaks out a project or activity in step-by-step fashion.
And if the thought of attempting to craft a feature story or column sounds intimidating, we have editorial experts who are ready to help you along the way. We just need to hear from you in order to consider your idea. Send your article suggestions or indicate your willingness to write to [email protected].
Share a Tip for Honor Society News
Your monthly e-newsletter, Honor Society News, welcomes your recommendations for apps or adviser tips. Simply send all the details to [email protected] or [email protected] and include your contact information.
Direct Your Message to Principals
Do you have wisdom to share with principals and assistant principals across the nation and around the world? Principal Leadership, the flagship magazine published for members of NASSP, is also in search of the expertise of educators representing a wide range of topics. Perhaps you have unique insight into building school spirit, student voice, or career day optimization activities. These are just some of the topics on the Principal Leadership editorial calendar right now. Email your ideas or interest in authorship to [email protected].
The daily grind for an adviser can be quite taxing, but a respite into the world of writing can be liberating and inspiring. Let us know if you have “the write stuff.” We bet you do!