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Give Them Experiences Applicants need something to write about. They have to do the “input” work—gathering information about what lights them up, what they are curious about, what they value, and what they’ve learned. This could involve a summer job, a trip, an educational program, or a volunteer experience. It doesn’t have to be costly; experiences can come from reading something powerful, engaging in a family ritual, or a conversation that shift their perspective. Your jo

We don't talk enough about collaborative writing and how to do it well. Some of my most joyful writing moments in the past few years have been collaborative ones. I’m hearing this especially from humanities folks who were trained to go it alone, only to discover later how rewarding co-authoring can be. Here are a few strategies that supported a strong working relationship and helped us get the work accepted: 𝟏. 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐬 You don't need to be

The focus of this post is hardly original. You can find many reflections on why scholars hire editors or writing coaches, and yes, unsurprisingly, many are written by people like me who offer these services. My perspective may be a little different, though, because it’s a form of support I never formally used, but now wish I had. Like most academics, I relied on advisors, colleagues, and generous friends to read my work. What I didn’t realize was that other forms of structure

Have you ever wondered why crime dramas are the television genre that will never die? Law & Order ran for a staggering 20 seasons, and SVU is still pumping out episodes. The CSI: Crime Scene franchise includes five main series, 39 total seasons, 838 episodes across all the shows, and millions of viewers. The format works . The popularity of these shows has much less to do with original content than it does with a satisfying form. The key to their successful structure? Motiv