Category Archives: Writing Tips
Be Concise
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
Ann Wylie . . . Again . . .
by David Tandet Ann Wylie gives great advice. A classic: Graphic storytelling teaches better than text. Some of what she talked about? Photos Graphic design images Cartoons She doesn’t mention it, but I think she’d agree – Punctuation (. . . ! ” ” : etc.) can be pretty powerful all by itself. Punctuation marks,
Jon O’Brien’s Advanced Storytelling for Advancing Nonprofits (Adapted from “Parallel Turns”)
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.
The Greatest Sales Letter Ever
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
10 Reasons To Use Lists In Healthcare Writing
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
Know Your Job
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
“G” is for Grafton’s Methodology
by David Tandet If you’re a fan of detective novels – or just love terrific stories – you know who the late great Sue Grafton — “A” is for Alibi . . . Ms. Grafton told more than one interviewer how valuable for her writing it was for her to take classes to learn about
Specialize and Energize
by David Tandet When you specialize in a particular type of writing, you’re saying to people, “This is my turf. Hire me for a white paper, a marketing piece, or blog in this particular field and, (1) I won’t have to get up to speed about the basics, (2) I may be able to add
Keeper Quotes From Clients
by David Tandet • “Bullets are nice.” Got that from a client before he clicked off the phone after delivering marching orders for his next newsletter. Very key. Whether it’s bullets or numbers, more paragraphs or subheadings, organization makes the copy readable. It also keeps you on track. Make the points you want to make.
Successful Grant Writing Is A Team Sport
by David Tandet Jerry Lynch quoted former Olympic volleyball player Lori Endicott in his sports psychology classic Thinking Body, Dancing Mind: “There are six people on the volleyball court. We all have different strengths, weaknesses, personalities. It creates a dynamic that’s more exhilarating than an individual sport.” In Right Before You Write, Jonathan O’Brien had