Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. With that in mind, we’ve got a few words of praise we’d like to heap on The Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Recently, we came across that newspaper’s guidelines for letters to the editor and they sounded so good that we thought we’d adopt most of them.

Here is what they say:

—Letters should be 300 words or shorter, and all submissions must include the writer’s complete home mailing address, email and phone number should we need to reach you (this information is not published).

—We favor letters that thoughtfully respond to or offer perspective on content published in The Times-Dispatch, and on local or state issues. Writers should include attribution for statements of fact or context they use to support their positions.

—We do not accept letters that primarily are broad endorsements or attacks on political candidates or parties.

—Because of the volume of letters received, we do not answer inquiries about the status of submissions...