Every story in member post begins with a detail that looks too small to carry the whole piece. This one began there too, with a question that became more useful the longer we left it unanswered.
Share the unfinished version
The obvious approach was faster, but it flattened the parts that made the subject specific. We kept the rough edges, followed the evidence, and let the structure emerge from what the material actually needed.
Finished work gets applause. Unfinished work gets help.
The result is not a universal method. It is a record of one careful attempt, useful because the constraints remain visible and the reader can decide what belongs in their own work.