Writing

Once you have a wisp of an idea, do some digging to be sure your take is original. Before you can write an original take on an issue, you have to know what is known;

Reach out to local media and invite coverage of the religious side in particular religious liberty controversies.

“The finest language, I believe, is chiefly made up of unimposing words, such as light, sound, stars, music—words really not worth looking at, or hearing, in themselves, any more than chips or sawdust: it is only that they happen to be the signs of something unspeakably great and beautiful”

Henry James and Joseph Conrad were good friends, and in mid-career both agreed that in their future books, none of their characters would reply to a question directly, but only comment obliquely—which would add tension.

As a sales document, your proposal literally must have something for everyone—specifically, a section written to satisfy the concerns of every department.

You continue this process until you eventually hit upon a totally unoccupied niche, the narrower the better.

Nested within the table of contents is an outline for each chapter. You should be able to describe, within a few paragraphs, what each chapter is about.

Of course, there will be times when distinctive, specific details of the person’s past life, profession, or gender are crucial to the point you are making.

Derelict coauthors are a big problem for graduate students, particularly when the coauthor is the faculty advisor.