Joys of grant writing

I've spent the last 48 hours wrestling with a grant proposal, which with any luck, I'll have complete before classes begin on January 14th. Grant writing is singularly demanding and tedious. The "art"consists of packing masses of information into a very few pages. The best you can do is to research well, write clearly, and somehow convey your enthusiasm for a project.

Why do it at all? Well it's like what one administrator said about his job, "It's a way to make things happen." Grants offer a way of exploring a particular research area, implementing a particular project. They don't always get funded. You cross your fingers and hope someone likes your ideas.