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This may sound familiar. You have an important writing assignment and no idea where to start. Your desk is piled high with reports, publications, meeting notes, and data, and your computer is cluttered with windows open to multiple websites. Instead of sparking your imagination, it sets your nerves on edge.

The thought of producing a winning document in the midst of overload, expectations, and deadlines can be mind-bending.

Get started
Instead of losing heart, dive in. As my friend and colleague, Debra Farrar-Parkman, Director of Development at East Boston Neighborhood Health Center said she realized in a writing class: “ I am learning to write badly, then go back and edit, make sense of the parts that make no sense, and elaborate on those that have merit.”

It’s freeing. Rather than feeling stuck while watching the clock tick, try this:

• Before you start writing, ponder the big picture. What is the story you want to tell, and how will it strengthen your case for funding?
• Write down whatever comes to mind before you forget. Don’t censure.
• It doesn’t matter what your first draft looks like. You’ll edit later.
• Ask colleagues and clients for their ideas. Their input will improve quality and help keep things moving.
• Reading the paper, watching a movie, or mulling things over while you take a walk can lead to words on the page. You’d be surprised where good ideas come from.
• Have fun with it. Scribble, doodle, or use colored pens or markers. This is a creative process!

Anticipate editing
The joy of completing your first draft, however messy, will set you up for successful editing. I love to edit; it’s so much easier – and a huge relief – to work from words on the page than a blank page. As you edit, you’ll see new possibilities to strengthen your document.

Phew!
This article was a mess when I started. When I re-read my initial sentences, I realized I was on the wrong track. I stopped, asked Deb for help, and reset. Pondering what I was really trying to say helped me refocus and get back on track.

When writing for donors, our focus on proposal requirements can get in the way of describing what drives programs and inspires new directions. Words that get to the heart of your work may move the reader to give your document a second look. Here’s what I’ve tried.

Identify shared experiences
I pondered how to connect with readers of a concept paper for the early education program of a large public school system. I landed on reading as a shared experience, and described “the spark when a child first learns to read, and the ensuing confidence and mastery that promote curiosity, achievement, and a joy of learning.”

Be creative
I was asked to write a report about diversity initiatives on a college campus. There were lots. To reduce the risk of ‘laundry-listing’, I built on the vibrancy I felt when reading about the work. I described the sense of “belonging and flourishing that builds in talks over coffee and reflects an inclusive environment infused with learning and sharing.”

Use strong words
In one grant, I searched for words to straightforwardly but sensitively convey the challenges faced by traumatized youth new to the U.S. I described “horrific journeys” from their home countries to new neighborhoods where “loitering, bullying, and poorly lit parks are hard realities that keep them indoors and limit possibilities.”

Be brief
I believe narrative such as this can boost the funder’s interest, especially if it’s brief. Over-dramatization doesn’t do justice to the courage and spirit of these young people. Their lives are not soap operas.

Don’t forget the facts
Emotions alone will not secure funding. Hard-hitting data will help convince the reader that your approach will work. Cite enough, but not too much data. Don’t risk losing your readers’ attention, and possibly their emotional investment, with too many facts and figures.

Follow your inspiration
One morning I heard a story on public radio about the mental health effects of the pandemic on teens. I was so moved by the description of one girl’s struggle to get help that I immediately drafted and edited a Short Takes article about the value of writing for young people.

A personal example
Recently I re-read my journal from a trip to Egypt, and was surprised to find that I enjoyed reading my handwritten, unedited writing. This was due, I am certain, to the profound nature of my experience, and especially the stories of Egyptians I was fortunate to meet.

It’s worth the effort
Putting heart into professional writing can be challenging. Consider it anyway. We may help the reader understand why our work is needed when we convey the personal impacts of extraordinary circumstances.

I’m a latecomer to poetry. Recently I had some help. My son and daughter-in-law gave me a subscription to Master Class, online lessons taught by well-known professionals. I opened the site and up popped a series by poet Billy Collins. I started listening.

Right away I was hooked. Everything he said seemed new and useful. I grabbed a notebook and started taking notes. I wondered what Collins might say that would help me improve my proposals and other writing.

He said a lot. Here’s some of what I learned, in my words, from Billy Collins and others.

Welcome distractions. Collins says there are no such things as distractions. What might seem like random thoughts may appear because they belong in our writing. In a recent talk, historian Annette Gordon-Reed echoed this notion when she said “things … come to me out of nowhere.” ¹ Think before dismissing seemingly oddball ideas.

Consider movement. Rhythm can help move a reader from vague attention to focused interest. Collins says that a flow of words with meaning can keep the reader engaged. In my article about lyrical writing I quoted Quntos KunQuest, who said “there’s…a metronome in writing. There’s still a beat to it;” and, from Barak Obama: “We come from everywhere and contain multitudes.” ²

Vary the format. Collins uses structure to help the reader settle into the story. Occasionally variations in format, such as substituting a three-line stanza in a poem with four-line stanzas, can help keep the reader engaged. In proposals, funder guidelines provide structure. We can vary the format with, for example, a one-line paragraph to focus the reviewer’s attention on your priorities.

Be imaginative. Collins suggests introducing something unexpected when writing poetry. A proposal reviewer may also find this refreshing. For example, the Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that progressive magazine Mother Jones shared information in a gift acknowledgement letter about four journalism outlets led by people of color. Readers expressed their appreciation.

Keep it simple. I enjoy short poems with lots of white space. I can see the words better, ponder their meaning, and consider how the poet has put them together. I also like simplicity in writing. Here’s a wonderful quote by Jack Kerouac that I saw written on a bookstore window: “One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.”

Summing up
It’s never too late to start reading poetry, and there are benefits. Poems of all kinds can spark ideas, and sometimes these find their way into proposals and other kinds of writing.

Parting poetry
Here is a poem in the format in which I received it in my daily Poem of the Day from the Poetry Foundation. I hope you enjoy it.

A Blank White Page
by Francisco X. Alarcón

is a meadow
after a snowfall
that a poem
hopes to cross

Summer is the perfect time to write postcards. You can say a lot in a small space, and who doesn’t love finding a perky postcard tucked in an otherwise mundane pile of mail?

Here are some ideas about writing postcards.

Think about what you want to say before you write. Space will run out quickly.

Don’t try to describe your whole vacation. Pick one experience that you can capture in a line or two. It will have more impact that trying to cram your whole vacation onto a 4×6 card.

Polish your penmanship. True postcards must be handwritten. I’ve learned that a good match between the pen and the surface of the postcard improves handwriting. Experiment.

Be proactive. On vacation, it seems like there’s plenty of time to write postcards, yet no time at all. Dash off a few postcards while you’re sipping lemonade.

Stick with the facts. If you really mean “Wish you were here!”, by all means say it. Otherwise, find another way to express your enthusiasm.

Send postcards from home. Keep a stash from prior vacations, museum visits, or your hometown. Lean into the novelty by, for example, sending a beach postcard during a blizzard.

Send postcards to kids. Most mail is for grown-ups. Postcards are a fun way of telling a young person that she or he is special to you.

Be creative. Use colors, doodle, draw a picture, write a poem, or just leave ample white space to make a point: “This vacation is AWESOME!!!” To me, this sentiment expresses joy, relaxation, contentment, and an experience worth the cost – in four words!

Hidden benefits

• Writing postcards is a wonderful way to sharpen your writing skills. We have to be brief, so we have to decide what’s most important.
• For a short document, postcards go a long way. I appreciate people who take the time to send me a postcard when they’re on vacation.
• Postcards foster connections. Surprise someone you’re out of touch with, with a quick hello from Bali, New York, or the inside of your tent.
• Postcards help sustain memories. Buy some for yourself and keep them in a special place. Then find them months or even years later as treasured mementos when you come upon them unexpectedly.

Postcards are a quick but nevertheless meaningful way to communicate with the people we care about. Whether or not you take a summer vacation, take a summer coffee break and send a postcard. It will brighten someone’s day.

This article is about big writing projects – the ones that are important, strategic, and usually due on short notice…the ones we nevertheless put off for as long as possible.

I’m sorry to say that these are also the projects that remind me of those arduous late-night term papers in college. They are the documents that require us to quickly read and digest information from multiple sources, extract what’s important, and synthesize it into a concise and compelling narrative.

It can be a slog. Here’s what I’ve learned.

Don’t tear your hair out

• Get ready. Assemble and organize the people and material you need to inform your writing.

• Educate your team about what’s involved, what you need from each person, when, and why it’s important. This may be a new experience for some of the people involved.

• Become an expert on what the recipient wants to learn from this document. Don’t let mountains of contributing material divert your attention.

• Plan ahead. It takes time to synthesize all your material into a clear and persuasive document. Unfortunately, there may be no way around it.

• Stay calm. Things can get messy in the middle. Take a break and do something different. Then return for a fresh look and, likely, faster progress.

• Leverage deadlines. Take advantage of what can be an unfortunate timetable to keep the attention of everyone involved.

Food for thought
Dive in. This is an iterative process: read, organize, read again, extract what’s important, distill and integrate your material for easy consumption by the reader, edit, and likely do it all again (and maybe even again).

Be flexible. Priorities can change. What was considered a priority at the project’s outset may be replaced by something else, requiring new writing and/or a change of emphasis.

Assess balance. Periodically, step back from the details to make sure you’re communicating the big picture and the impact you expect.

Be patient
Your project may involve coalescing different points of view from staff in very different roles. All are important, but you may need extra editing to get it right.

The sunny side
It’s immensely satisfying to incorporate all those piles of information into a coherent story that may not have been told before, or told in the way that you’re writing about it now.

The result can build pride in organizations, uncover new strategies, and help launch work that makes the world a better place.