How Can You Be A Better Writer? (Part 2)

Good writers are also avid readers. Be a reader. That's what I wrote about in Part 1 of "How Can You Be A Better Writer?"

My next suggestion for becoming a better writer is also very simple:

Write.

Write something.
Write anything.
Write often.

Thinking about writing won't make you a better writer. You have to actually write.

Ideally, you'll also reflect on what you have written and learn from it. It will also help to have a critical friend review your work and offer feedback. But you can't do those things until you sit down and write something.

Starting a blog is a great way to get yourself writing. Pick a topic that interests you and get started.

Consider writing some articles that you publish in professional journals or online. Start with one. Don't get bogged down in all of the detail about where to submit it and how many topics you can think of to write about. Just write.

Another idea to get you writing is to write some mini-grants for a local school or non-profit organization. If you need some help getting started, listen to my radio show on Getting Started with Mini-Grants.

There are many tips and tricks for effective writing that you can use to help you. Some of those can be found in this blog. Still, those tips and tricks will only help you if you actually start writing.

Improvement in writing happens over time. Be patient with yourself. Celebrate small victories along the way - like a compliment on your writing, a funded mini-grant, a published article.

Remember, writing is a craft. It's part art and part skill. Both the skill and the art are developed over time.

How Can You Be A Better Writer? (Part 1)

I often have conversations with people say they wish they were better writers. They usually speak as if writing were a talent that you either have or you don't. While I think it's true that some people have more of a natural gift than others, the core skills of writing in general, and grant writing in particular, can be learned and improved over time. Of course, as with most things that don't come easy, people usually just want to be better without putting in the time, effort, and work.

I have also been asked if there are any shortcuts. Well, I don't think you can get around the time part of the time-effort equation, and there has to be some effort involved, too, but I do have some suggestions for anyone who is on a journey to be a better writer.

Be forewarned - these are bigger picture suggestions, not technical suggestions like always proofread your work, use spell-check, take a class, etc., although I certainly think those are good ideas and important things to do if you are serious about improving your writing.

Here's the most important thing you can do to be a better writer.....

Be a reader.

I don't know anyone who is (or was) a good writer who isn't (or wasn't) also an avid reader. Everything you read teaches you something - about language, grammar, vocabulary. The beauty of it is that you don't necessarily realize it at the time.

And don't limit yourself to reading only within the genre that you write. Read anything and everything that interests you. Grant writing is ultimately about telling a story. Your grant writing skill can be greatly enhanced by reading fiction, as well as non-fiction.

Here's the list of what I have read within the last 7 days:

• Cross County (a novel by James Patterson)
• Today Matters (inspirational nonfiction by John Maxwell)
• The Holy Bible
• The Daily Democrat (our local newspaper)
• The Christian Science Monitor (a much better source for national and international news than our local paper, and it comes to my mailbox five days a week, which I really like)
• The Wall Street Journal (I get it every day, but don't read it every day)
• Many different internet blogs (I have about 15 favorites that I subscribe to....I read several every day, and the rest I review once a week or so)
• Various websites of interest
• 2 grant Requests for Proposals (RFPs)

This list doesn't even count all the email, regular mail, and catalogs I looked through this week. Also, I didn't read any magazines this week, but I usually do.

I read something for pleasure every day. I read something for inspiration every day. I read something for my own ongoing education every day. When all three of those come together in the same piece of reading, I get to experience pure joy.

The typical response when a share a list like this is that I must have lots of time on my hands. That makes me laugh. I try to remember what a good friend of mine told me long ago, "We make time for those things (and people) that are important to us." It's easy to see what you really value by examining how you spend your time. If you don't think your values are being accurately reflected in how you send your time, it's time for a change, don't you think?

The other issue with time is this ---I don't read all of those things every day and in large blocks of time. I prefer to read novels when I have a block of time of an hour or more, but all the other things I read I can (and do) read in smaller snippets of time - 5 minutes here, 20 minutes there. My favorite time to read is late in the evening after everyone has gone to bed, but I'll read wherever and whenever I can. If I find that I am not reading as much as I want to, I'll block out and schedule a period of time every day to do a certain type of reading. I keep it scheduled until it becomes a habit.

So, if you want to be a better writer, the first step is to become a reader.

Of course, reading is not all there is to becoming a better writer. Continue to Part 2 for the rest of the story. . .

The Value of Readers' Comments

One of the things I do when I start preparing to re-write a grant that was unsuccessful in the past is pull out the readers' comments to review the opinions of the original readers who did not score the proposal well enough for funding. The plan is always to update any demographic information, be sure that the proposal is compliant with the requirements of the current RFP, and make any necessary modifications to the proposal based on the readers' comments.

Unfortunately, it's not always that easy. Here's why:

• The readers' comments are often contradictory. It is not uncommon for two readers to have completely different views of a particular issue in a grant. I can't tell you how many times I have seen something listed as a strength by one reader and as a weakness by another reader.
• The readers' comments are sometimes biased. There are times when a reader's bias against a particular approach or curriculum is clear from his comments. If you are using an evidence-based program and it's clear that you happened to get reader who just doesn't like that program, there's nothing you can do.
• The readers' comments are sometimes just flat wrong. There have been many times where I have seen a reader comment that something was left out of a proposal when the review of the proposal shows that it was not omitted. I try to keep in mind that not all readers read every proposal as carefully as they should, and that a proposal read at the end of the day will not be read as closely as one read early in they day, but it still annoys me when a comment is simply incorrect.

In spite of these issues with readers' comments, I still do my best to get what I can out of them.

Here are some tips to help you make the most of the readers' comments:

1. Check your ego at the door. It's hard not to be defensive when someone else is critiquing your work, but if you want to be successful, you must be able to view the comments as objectively as possible. Don't assume bias from the outset. Tell yourself that you are going to learn something from the comments to make the proposal, or your writing in general, better, and then look for what you can learn.
2. Hear what is being communicated regardless of what was said. For example, if a reader says that I left something out of a proposal, and I review the proposal and find that this is not true, I am convinced that the lesson for me should be that the issue the reader was unable to find was not presented clearly or prominently enough. I carefully review the original proposal again. Did I make the point in question clearly, or did I offer it in passing? Would the proposal be stronger if I repeat or re-state that point? Would it be stronger if I italicize or bold the point? The point the reader is making is not necessarily that the point in question was not in the proposal (even though that's what he said), but that it wasn't presented prominently and clearly enough for the reader to catch it.
3. Use your best judgement. Review the comments. Honestly try to assess if you believe it is a valid issue that merits a change in your proposal. If so, make a change. If not, let it go. I am particularly critical of comments that come from only one reader. If something was clear to the other two readers, I'll make it a bit stronger if I can, but sometimes it's juts worth rolling the dice that you'll get three reasonable readers next time - especially if the first two readers scored your proposal very highly.
4. Get someone else's opinion. Sometimes it is just too difficult to step away from your own work enough to see the comments clearly without being too defensive. If that's the case, ask someone you trust who does not have a vested interest in the proposal to review both the comments and the proposal for you. That person's opinion may make everything much more clear for you.

When Partnerships Go Bad

It happens. Because partnerships between agencies are based on relationships between people, sometimes things take a negative turn - just like personal relationships sometimes do.

So, what can you do to keep your collaborative relationships from going bad, and how can you recoup a relationship that has already taken a turn for the worse?

1. Communicate. Yeah, I know. Everybody talks about communication like it is the panacea for whatever ails you. However, when it comes to relationships, it really is important. The problem is that when relationships are strained, talking it out is exactly what we don't want to do. There is an agency I volunteer with that I am having some trouble with right now. The last thing I want to do is pick up the phone and talk to the person who is annoying me, but my relationship with that organization depends on it. Ask yourself, how valuable is the relationship to me? If it's a valuable relationship, suck it up. Start talking.
2. Focus on the positive. Even when people don't agree on everything, it's likely that they do agree on some fundamental principles. Focus on those. Release your emotional grip on the details that don't really matter and focus on common sense of purpose.
3. Express your appreciation. Everybody wants and needs to know that they are valued and appreciated. It may be hard to express your appreciation when things are strained, but that is when it is needed most. Send a heartfelt card or a handwritten note expressing your gratitude for the collaboration or something special the individual involved has done to make your work easier.
4. Keep the problem to yourself. You may be tempted to tell the story about what went wrong to others. Don't. No good can come from that, and you could cause permanent damage to the collaborative relationship if you do.
5. Don't over-analyze the problem. Sometimes it's easier to get over a bump in the road by just driving over it. If you stop, get out and start analyzing why there is a bump in the road, and detailing all of the possible ways around it, you may end up stuck there at that bump forever. In the same way, sometimes the best and most productive and respectful way around a problem with a collaborative partner is to acknowledge that there has been an issue and keep working together anyway. Not all problems in relationships need to be defined and fully resolved before you move forward. Agreeing to disagree and moving on can be a very good thing.

Don't be discouraged when a wonderful collaborative relationship hits a bumpy spot. Remember that it's normal for highly committed individuals to disagree sometimes. Not all people communicate perfectly all the time. A temporary disagreement doesn't have to turn into a permanent rift.

What to Look for in a Request for Proposals - BlogTalkRadio Show Today!

Today's BlogTalkRadio show topic is "What to Look for in an RFP." We'll be talking about the things you should look for in an RFP when making the decision about whether or not to apply for a grant, and what detail items you need to look for to be sure you don't miss anything in your application.

Remember, if you miss the live broadcast today at 3:00 p.m. PST, you can listen to the archived version by following the same link below.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Veronica-Robbins