by David Tandet This is a short post. Appropriately. Because the subject is being concise. One day my grant mentor gave me a four pager Letter of Inquiry. “Make it two pages,” he said. The two-pager ended up getting the grant. Say what you need, then say “So long!” Contact Us    

by David Tandet Ann Wylie gives great advice. (As usual.) Her most recent? Graphic storytelling teaches better than text. >Some of what she talks about:  Photos Graphic design images Cartoons They all fit the category. Well I got to thinking. Punctuation (. . . ! ” ” : etc.)  works in part because of its [...]

by David Tandet Wylie’s writing is like a terrific dresser: consistently great from top to bottom, always with something new that you can’t wait to see. – David Tandet Wylie Provides “Dos” Writers Can Use The June 2011 issue of “Wylie’s Writing Tips” is an example of communications consultant Ann Wylie’s great writing and clear [...]

by David Tandet “See ya,” Ziggy Void hopped off the ski lift chair he was sharing with Marcia Tomberlin as he continued blabbing away, “at the bottom, slowpoke.” Ziggy veered to the left and began skiing down the trail without waiting for his partner. Even for Void, it seemed like obnoxiousness to the nth degree. [...]

by David Tandet The greatest sales letter is “I”- from a “you” perspective. Thinking about a product’s benefits to consumers is a start. It simply doesn’t go far enough. Say the corner bakery wants to compete in the convenience breakfast market selling donuts and coffee curbside. You’ve been hired to write the first ad. What [...]

by David Tandet Did you see US News and World Report‘s list of Best Hospitals? How about the Wall Street Journal‘s list of the Best Health Books? Lists are always an efficient marketing tool to position your company in front of the rest. When it comes to healthcare, pharmacology and bioscience, the following reasons demand [...]

by David Tandet Know your job. Sounds obvious, right? But apparently it’s not so clear to some people. A friend of mine told me about a new writer her firm had hired. The writer had boundless energy when criticizing the current structure of my friend’s office. More significantly, the new person asked for a couple [...]

by David Tandet If you’ve been around a library, bookstore, coffeehouse, or airline seat in the last few decades, you know who Sue Grafton is — “A” is for Alibi . . . “U” is for Undertow. I saw an interview with Ms. Grafton and she said she took classes to learn about police procedural [...]

by David Tandet Come over here. Yeah, you. This is our secret. Want to write copy that sparkles? Have great clients say, “This is what I was looking for?” Well, it’s like Steve Martin’s old routine about becoming a millionaire. “Okay, first you start with a million dollars . . .” But seriously, if you’ve [...]

 by David Tandet The real scoop on getting your grant proposal seriously considered? Use spell check. That’s not my opinion. It’s straight from the lips of Holly Cole, Verizon’s Director, Government & External Affairs, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. Ms. Cole gave that advice during a recent presentation at the Ventura County Community Foundation. It [...]