Do you have a story or column idea? Here’s how to best pitch it.

“It started 3 years ago,” it began.

I stopped reading halfway into it.

The message was too muddled, too confusing, and the reader used no punctuation marks. Not one period. Not one comma. Not any spaces to separate sentences.

“Can you write about this?” it ended.

No, I’m sorry I can’t. It’s still unclear what I could have written about, although her message was three times longer than any of my columns. This scenario happens more than you think regarding readers’ suggestions to me for columns, and to my colleagues for stories.

Each week, I receive more than two dozen tips, requests, and ideas for this column space through emails, phone calls, social media, handwritten letters, and face-to-face exchanges. Each week I have to respectfully decline most of them for various reasons.

For starters, I write only so many columns each week, so there is only so much newspaper space available compared to the requests I receive. More to the point of today’s column, many of those requests are too incomplete, too illegible, or simply too confusing. Through the years I’ve been asked to write about every imaginable situation.

A middle-aged Merrillville woman was convinced that her apartment was being bugged by neighbors, complete with voyeuristic spy cameras and high-tech audio devices. She asked me to visit there and arrange for a security professional to “sweep” her home.

An older man living in a well-known gated community in Porter County asked me to hide behind a dumpster and catch his neighbors not recycling properly.

A Michigan City man called to ask me to investigate the death of his great-grandfather, allegedly murdered in the 1940s at a Gary bar. The man’s family has been wondering exactly what happened that night and they hoped I could unearth more details.

A North Judson grandmother asked me to write a column to publicly tell her grandson, who lives in a nearby town, that he is loved. The teenager’s father signed off guardianship papers at the boy’s birth, and she has never seen the boy, not once in 14 years. “Before I die, I want him to know the truth,” she told me.

For more than 20 years, I’ve had an email folder titled “Column Ideas” filled with potential future columns. Here’s one from 2006 that I still hope to write about: “Look up old street names and see who they were named for once upon a time.”

Since returning to the NWI Times in June, I’ve received a few hundred column suggestions, including from the newspaper’s online NewsTips submission tool. Here is a sampling.

“An operating room nurse told me I was going to die during surgery because I wasn’t vaccinated as they gave me the injection to put me under. I have witnesses.”

I replied to this man but never heard back from him.

“Jerry, I am a Professional Engineer on a mission to change state engineering licensure laws across the U.S. in order to provide much better protection to an unwary public.”

I’m still intrigued by this topic.

“Dear Mr. Davich, I’m trying to save the school where I once attended many years ago. Please help spread the word.”

Dear Frank, I’ll get back to you soon.

“Man playing violin near Saint John Target store. He is playing to support his family. He plays really, really good.”

I followed up on this one and wrote a column about this “violinist.” It was a scam. (You can find this column at nwi.com.)

Many requests are blatantly self-serving to a person’s whims, troubles, or hidden agenda. And there’s always a small percentage that appear irrational, ill-conceived, or just too wacky to investigate.

If you’re interested in pitching a column idea to me, here are some reminders.

First, be succinct and get to the point. Know exactly what you want to say, or write, and also what your role is regarding your issue. Keep in mind what journalists typically look for in a solid press release: who, what, where, when, and why.

Who are you talking about? What about this person or issue? Where is it taking place? When? And why? Feel free to add related insights or information, but not so many that your point gets lost or bogged down.

Also, phone calls work fine but email works better because it’s faster, more accurate, and I can forward your email to other people for input or feedback. I also receive ideas via Facebook and other social media, but these are harder to keep organized.

If you’re a business owner, nonprofit organization publicist, or media relations specialist, a solid press release should include a complication/resolution factor: What’s the problem? What’s the solution? And what’s the hook or takeaway for readers?

Don’t “bury the lead.” Get to the point early, accurately, and keep it interesting. Also, photos and videos are crucial. Think action-oriented, not staged or after the fact. Timing is key on when to first contact us. Not too early (a month before an event), but not too late (a day before the event).

A few years ago, I hosted a free Media Relations 101 workshop at Lake County Public Library, offering similar tips, ideas, and suggestions to working professionals, business owners, and everyday readers. It was well attended by guests interested in learning how to promote or market potential stories. I’d be happy to host another one if there’s interest from Times readers. (Email works best, to Jerry.Davich@nwi.com)

Here’s the bottom line. I look forward to interesting, entertaining, or compelling ideas — they keep me in touch with our Region’s readers and issues — but a well-stated story pitch goes a long way to improving your odds of getting into print.