How High School English Class Ruined Your Proposals
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Re: How High School English Class Ruined Your Proposals
#2The post talks about how a page minimum had the effect of rewarding useless verbiage. I've found that page maximums in proposal writing have helped me to sharpen my writing considerably. I had to write a 5 page proposal for $100k in a very competitive program earlier this year, and it was really a challenge to get all the ideas in.
Another thing I learned along the way is inverted storytelling. Tell it once in a sentence at a high level, again in a paragraph later on, and then again at greater length in the body of the document. Put the key stuff first and the supporting details later, even if (because?) the supporting details are technical, intricate, and show off your mastery. If you can't put the idea in a sentence, you're doing something wrong.
Re: How High School English Class Ruined Your Proposals
#3The post talks about how a page minimum had the effect of rewarding useless verbiage. I've found that page maximums in proposal writing have helped me to sharpen my writing considerably. I had to write a 5 page proposal for $100k in a very competitive program earlier this year, and it was really a challenge to get all the ideas in. Another thing I learned along the way is inverted storytelling. Tell it once in a sent…
Great points. And unlike your high school papers, which hopefully your teacher at least read through until the end, your prospect may not even read through the whole proposal if you don't start with something compelling. (I wrote a whole other post about this: http://www.mimiran.com/proposals/why-your-prospect-doesnt-wa...)
Keep it short, sweet, and interesting. (If you've ever been on the other side, having to read some of this crap, you can really appreciate it.) ;-)
Re: How High School English Class Ruined Your Proposals
#4to the OP: can we get a real example of a sales proposal you've written recently that was effective and fits into what you're ...erm, proposing?
Re: How High School English Class Ruined Your Proposals
#5[deleted]
Re: How High School English Class Ruined Your Proposals
#6Good thing I didn't pay much attention in high school English class.
Re: How High School English Class Ruined Your Proposals
#7I've recently noticed the same problem in my writing: I spend too many words saying too little. I also repeat myself. Repeatedly. I'm hoping that being aware of this, coupled with some practice, will help me improve.
Coincidentally, one of the people whose writing I've grown to respect the most is Stallman. Whether or not I agree with some particular essay, his points are always really clear and accessible.
In early high school, I would have dismissed his writing--it doesn't feel sophisticated or fancy. Now I realize that clear and concise writing is both harder to come by and more effective than it seems. It's certainly more impressive--in a subtle sort of way--than most essays with complicated sentences and large words.
Even if you disagree with his core tenets, his essays are worth reading simply because they are so readable. It should also give you a better idea of his core philosophies: in my experience, many people have rather inaccurate views of what free software is actually about and why it matters.
Re: How High School English Class Ruined Your Proposals
#8Best exercise in AP English: respond to a reading for class. Turn that in, randomly pass them around, and have students respond to the responses SOLELY in the context of the responses themselves. And they had to be as long if not longer than the initial response.
It wasn't enough to bullshit. It could only take you so far. You only did well if you could surgically read into what was written and explore it prosaically and pragmatically.
Re: How High School English Class Ruined Your Proposals
#9I've recently noticed the same problem in my writing: I spend too many words saying too little. I also repeat myself. Repeatedly. I'm hoping that being aware of this, coupled with some practice, will help me improve. Coincidentally, one of the people whose writing I've grown to respect the most is Stallman. Whether or not I agree with some particular essay, his points are always really clear and accessible. In early…
On Writing Well, by William Zinsser is a classic that you may find useful.
http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-30th-Anniversary-Edition/...
Re: How High School English Class Ruined Your Proposals
#10I've recently noticed the same problem in my writing: I spend too many words saying too little. I also repeat myself. Repeatedly. I'm hoping that being aware of this, coupled with some practice, will help me improve. Coincidentally, one of the people whose writing I've grown to respect the most is Stallman. Whether or not I agree with some particular essay, his points are always really clear and accessible. In early…
I try to refer to Ogilvy on writing, even when not writing copy: