INPUT ARTICLE: Article: You need to make sure that you think about your audience and what they might already know or not know about your topic before you begin writing. This will help you focus your ideas and present them in the most effective way. It's a good idea to assume that your readers will be busy, reading (or even skimming) in a rush, and not predisposed to grant your ideas any special consideration. Efficiency and persuasiveness will be key.  Who will be reading your proposal? What level of familiarity with your topic will they have? What might you need to define or give extra background information about? What do you want your audience to get from your proposal? What do you need to give your readers so they can make the decision you want them to make? Refine your tone to meet your audience's expectations and desires. What do they want to hear? What would be the most effective way of getting through to them? How can you help them understand what you're trying to say? It is clear to you what the issue is, but is that also clear to your reader? Also, does your reader believe you really know what you are talking about? You can support your ethos, or writing persona, by using evidence and explanations throughout the proposal to back up your assertions. By setting your issue properly, you start convincing the reader that you are the right person to take care of it. Think about the following when you plan this part:  What is the situation this issue applies to? What are the reasons behind this? Are we sure that those, and not others, are the real reasons? How are we sure of it? Has anyone ever tried to deal with this issue before? If yes: has it worked? Why? If no: why not? This should be straightforward and easy to understand. Once you set the issue you're addressing, how would you like to solve it? Get it as narrow (and doable) as possible.  Your proposal needs to define a problem and offer a solution that will convince uninterested, skeptical readers to support it. Your audience may not be the easiest crowd to win over. Is the solution you're offering logical and feasible? What's the timeline for your implementation? Consider thinking about your solution in terms of objectives. Your primary objective is the goal that you absolutely must achieve with your project. Secondary objectives are other goals that you hope your project achieves. Another helpful way of thinking about your solution is in terms of "outcomes" and "deliverables." Outcomes are the quantifiable results of your objectives. For example, if your proposal is for a business project and your objective is "increase profit," an outcome might be "increase profit by $100,000." Deliverables are products or services that you will deliver with your project. For example, a proposal for a science project could "deliver" a vaccine or a new drug. Readers of proposals look for outcomes and deliverables, because they are easy ways of determining what the "worth" of the project will be. Depending on your proposal and who'll be reading it, you need to cater your paper to fit a certain style. What do they expect? Are they interested in your problem? How are you going to be persuasive? Convincing proposals can use emotional appeals, but should always rely on facts as the bedrock of the argument. For example, a proposal to start a panda conservation program could mention how sad it would be for the children of future generations to never see a panda again, but it shouldn't stop there. It would need to base its argument on facts and solutions for the proposal to be convincing. This will not be part of the final proposal, but it will help you organize your thoughts. Make sure you know all of the relevant details before you start. Your outline should consist of your problem, your solution, how you'll solve it, why your solution is best, and a conclusion. If you're writing an executive proposal, you'll need to include things like a budget analysis and organizational details.

SUMMARY: Define your audience. Define your issue. Define your solution. Keep elements of style in mind. Make an outline.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Now that you're a bit more than just vague acquaintances, the next step is becoming friends. Lots of people say this might be a wrong move, but most of the time, this is not the case. It will help you to avoid the main risk, that is to say, to make him fall in love with a person you are not. Among your friends, you are yourself – and if you want him to be addicted to you, you have to be your true self from the beginning.  Moreover, becoming friends will help to see how much common ground you have. If you go on being warm, friendly, and interesting (which you undoubtedly are) you'll become friends in the most natural way possible. Remember: how did you befriend all those people you're surrounded by? Well, if it worked for them, it'll work for him too! Once you are friends, you want him to know he's more than just "one of the guys" for you. Don't make it too obvious, but try to make him stand out a little. Don't tell him your biggest secret ever – you'll scare him – but do slightly odd things that show you feel close to him or that you thought of him. For example, if you don't share your feelings easily, try telling him things like, "Well, I feel a bit blue today." Or if you talked about some kind of sweet he liked, try to bring him a piece of it (and one for yourself, too). What you want is him slowly wrapping his head around the fact that you and him have a lot in common. By showing him trust and giving him a little more attention than your other friends, he will subconsciously register that something's happening.  Don't make it too obvious. If we take the first example again, don't tell him, "OMG I feel so depressed. I'm so sad, it's awful," because you would scare him: he wouldn't understand why, suddenly, you began talking that much about yourself. Everything must be natural. A bit odd, perhaps, but never forced. Try telling him a story first (when it is just the two of you) that you plan on telling your other friends later. It will make him feel special to know he heard it before the others. Or try touching him just a little bit more than you touch other people. You could touch his arm while you are talking to him or give him a hug when you see him. For one, you'll be less embarrassed if it turns out you're not that into him. For two, you'll avoid awkward situations like: "Is this the one?" in the loudest voice possible when he's just a few meters away. You'll also avoid your friends trying to give you a hand. They mean well – but it often ends in disaster. You can feel comfortable telling other people (including your friends) only if they don't have even the remotest chance of meeting him or if one of the steps described here cannot physically be achieved without their collaboration. But otherwise, you're on your own on this one.

SUMMARY:
Include him in your circle of friends. Make him feel special. Be subtle. Don't discuss your plans with other people.