optimistic realism, intellectual generosity, and conversational authority.

Strong introductions followed a rhythm: the spark of the idea on top, stakes established within 150 words, a quick zoom out, then a thesis pointing forward. Abstraction worked best when grounded in detail. Endings didn’t recap what had come before; they reframed.

Start with a problem I was having, use personal stakes to frame insight, surface a bigger cultural pattern, land on a sticky phrase. If my piece is missing one of these components, my editor will call it out.