You may only have two or three seconds to save your life. OK, maybe the save-your-life analogy is a little exaggeration, but the feeling of getting your writing accepted can make you as exuberant as if your life had just been saved.

Also, whether we like it or not, sometimes two or three seconds is all the attention a bad or ho-hum query letter will get from an editor. With piles of queries to cull through, it's easy to spot the ones which aren't quite up to standards and simply toss them into the dead-on-arrival-pile--more commonly called, the slush pile.

So how can you make sure your query has enough life to get an editor not only to read it, but feel eager to see more of your writing?

1. Begin your query letter with the hook. Those first two or three lines should be so intriguing or contain facts so interesting that the editor feels compelled to read more. Do not use general words like many or most. Give real figures for current, viable statistics in place of generalities to show you have done your research.

2. Next, give a short summary in one paragraph of how you propose to write this piece. From where are you getting your information? If you are interviewing people, say who these people are. Give an approximate word count of completed piece and an estimate of how long it will take to complete. Usually, two weeks to six weeks is a general rule to complete an article which requires research.

3. If targeting your query to a magazine, suggest in which section or sections your piece might fit best. This also helps show you are familiar with the magazine and are not broadcasting queries willy-nilly.

4. Study at least three back issues of the magazine to familiarize yourself with the style, tone, and subjects they prefer. Look for subjects they publish and propose a unique slant to one of these topics.

5. Tell why you are qualified to write this piece. What is your involvement with the topic; your previously published work (if noteworthy); your related experience which shows you can write the piece, take criticism, and meet deadlines?

6. Keep your query to one page and preferably put it on letterhead (even letterhead created from your own computer).

7. Find out the correct editor's name to send your query to. Look at the most current masthead for the department editor's name. If in doubt, phone the publication and ask the receptionist the name of the editor to address a query to for the department in which you are aiming. Also, address your letter so that it is gender correct and not sexist. Again, phone the publication and ask the receptionist if "Kerry" is a male or a female.

8. Mention if you can write a sidebar (and the subject it would cover) that would help define the piece you are suggesting. If photographs would enhance the piece, state that you can supply photographs (if your photographs are good quality).

9. Tell in your query if this is a simultaneous submission.

10. Remember you can't redo a first impression. Make sure your query is perfectly immaculate with no errors of any sort and follows the smallest minutiae of instruction listed in the publication's writer's guidelines. A query is not the time to decide which rules you are going to follow.

Read and re-read your query letter. It may take longer to write the query letter than it does the whole article or story you are seeking permission to write. This is your foot in the door. Treat it with utmost respect and not as a hurried-up missive to a harried editor. If you do, a form letter rejection is the only correspondence you'll receive from that publisher.