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I spend a lot of time thinking about brevity in writing. Many of my projects have word limits so keeping it short is an essential skill. More important, I like the impact of a tightly written document. 

I’ve written about brevity before. Since I think it’s important, I decided to write more. However, despite years of experience, I got stuck. Then I saw this:

“Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words.” Mark Twain

In an instant, I was transformed from frustrated to inspired. 

So, here are some suggestions based on what I’ve learned about writing short documents. 

• Read. Anything. The news, a novel, poetry, magazines, and especially funding appeals. You’ll find plenty of examples of how to get and keep attention, or how to lose it. I appreciate essays by Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation. He says a lot in a few lines.
• Practice. There are many opportunities: Email, memos, reports, or the hastily written notes we leave for our kids on the kitchen counter.
• Edit carefully. Short doesn’t mean quick. Give yourself the time you need to make your document stand out.
• Resist (some) word limits. They can be abnormally high. If this is the case avoid the urge to use the full allowance while modeling a better approach for the funder.
• Be creative. For example, invent phrases that get attention. I used “old-meets-modern” to describe a renovation. Or, use lyrical writing as a tool for reader engagement.
• Be ruthless. Don’t hesitate to delete words you at first think are excellent but later realize aren’t necessary. You might decide to cut phrases or even whole sentences.
• Declutter. Most federal grants are tedious, and so are far too many foundation proposals. Even if the funding guidelines go on and on, you don’t have to. I believe a succinct proposal gets more attention, and it’s certainly appreciated. 
• Energize. Try short sentences, plain language, and straightforward narrative to create energy and movement.
• Use bullets. They can help simplify descriptions of complex programs, the roles of key players, or a sustainability strategy.

In summary

Your programs are too important to get lost in a sea of words. The funder will appreciate a crisp approach and likely read your proposal from start to finish, while you enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done. 

Change is not easy, but it’s necessary
I’ve been thinking about equity in writing, especially in grant writing. As seekers of funds and educators about our programs, we have an opportunity—and an obligation—to think carefully about the words we use.

For example, in an earlier draft of this article I wrote: Those of us who write grants often describe people who have less than we do.

Now, I see that I’m making assumptions about what is less and what is more. Someone may have less of one thing, say income or education, but more of another, perhaps musical talent or an aptitude for science.

I tried this: We write about people who need our help. I looked at these last three words, which are ubiquitous in our field, and cringed.

I realized I needed help, so I called on my colleague Debra Farrar-Parkman, Director of Development at East Boston Neighborhood Health Center.

Our goal for this article is to raise questions and encourage readers to be thoughtful when choosing words for proposals, reports, or other documents for donors. Here are some ideas.

Put yourself in the other person’s shoes.
For example, how might a homeless person want to be described? As a person sleeping on a park bench or one without a physical address, or no permanent home? Is homeless descriptive or derogatory? Many people have begun to use the term housing insecure, but what about trying unhoused instead?

Or, take single mothers, often described as low-income and unable to feed their children or house their families. We could flip the script. Single mothers are expert jugglers. They pay the bills, get the kids to school, and manage crises such as a car that needs repairs. We could choose to describe them as resilient, capable, and tireless.

Call it what it is.
Think about the term historically underrepresented. What does it mean, and why are people historically underrepresented? We might say: There are fewer people of color in (for example) the sciences due to the continuing impact of racism in our country.

Here are some other ideas. We could say unserved instead of at risk; underresourced instead of experiencing poverty; living on the edge, instead of living in poverty. Consider asking your clients, patients, or participants in your programs how they would prefer to be described in your proposals.

Take that extra minute.
In our business, we have to work fast to meet deadlines. Give yourself the time you need to identify words that are respectful of everyone represented in your writing. In our field, it’s at the core of what we do.

Recently I read an article by Rachel Syme in the New Yorker about deadlines, and I knew I had the topic for my next article. It’s amazing to me that I haven’t written about this topic before now. In our business, deadlines are part of daily life. Sometimes they spill over into our personal lives.

Most high-stakes projects – foundation grants, federal grants, state grants, reports, cases for support, and letters to donors – have deadlines. Some are firm (5:00 p.m. on Friday), and some are internally imposed deadlines that, frankly, can be just as hair-raising.

Symes writes that people approach deadlines differently.

Some (well-adjusted, diligent) people jump in, figuring that the anxiety of an unpaid bill or an unfinished project is far more painful than the difficulty of sticking to a sensible schedule. But others, like me, live in blissful denial – at least until the last minute, when… we bolt to the end, vowing that we’ll do it all differently next time.¹

Strategies
Whatever your style, here are some ideas about how to manage this unfortunate fact of a grant writer’s life.

• Educate the team. Not everyone is deadline-savvy. Make a plan that describes what’s involved, who’s doing what, what you need, and when. Explain why it’s important, and the risk to quality of going to the wire.
• Focus on the finish line. Remind yourself of that blissful moment when you click send and the project that’s been driving you nuts is suddenly just a distant memory.
• Plan your reward. Do this as soon as you start your project, to allow plenty of time for joyful anticipation of a day off or a trip for ice cream.
• Enjoy the perks. When we’re in the throes of a deadline, friends and colleagues may commiserate, buy us coffee, or help us get other things done. And don’t forget that a deadline is a great excuse to avoid doing the laundry.
• Make it fun. It’s possible. Expressions of appreciation for the person who’s slogging through the budget can spur energy and determination.
• Put your experience to work. Daily life is full of deadlines – getting to the dentist on time, preparing to move, and the big one – filing taxes. The next time you face a grant deadline, remember you’re a pro and this project is a piece of cake.
• Address stress. Even a short break can help. One day, realizing I had to knuckle down for a few more hours to meet a deadline, I closed my computer, relocated, and did nothing, for just a few minutes. I was astounded to find I now had the energy to finish the job.

Finally, deadlines are a fact of life so we might as well accept it. Once, when I told my son I couldn’t talk at that moment because I had a deadline, he said “You always have a deadline!” I got the message and am trying to chill out about it.

I hope these ideas are helpful. But now I’ve got to run. I’ve got a deadline!

1 Rachel Syme, “Clock’s Ticking: Can deadlines bring us to life?,” New Yorker, July 5, 2021, 26.

It’s summer and time to lighten up.

I’ve been thinking about Post-its lately. Frankly, I can’t live without them. But I just glanced at the mass of Post-its stuck on top of my calendar and I have to face the facts: I’ve got a Post-it problem.

First, the basics. I recommend Post-its to improve organization and keep important items top of mind. Here’s how I use them:

• Each day I put a new Post-it in my calendar with the day’s priorities.
• A neat and tidy list on a Post-it has a calming influence at the start of my day.
• As I accomplish tasks, I cross them off the list and then toss (recycle) the Post-it at the end of the day. It’s so satisfying.

There are drawbacks.

• Post-its can delay action. I should just do the task at hand rather than add the extra step of making yet another list. I might have more time to write.
• Before you know it, Post-its multiply. Avoid overuse and save paper.

I tried an alternative. I bought a notebook to write down ideas for future Short Takes that appear out of nowhere. I keep it on my desk. I started using it, and then reverted back to Post-its. Arrrggh.

What’s this got to do with writing?

More than you might think. The author of a recent New Yorker article about deadlines, Rachel Syme, describes using a Post-it to remind her to stay on track. In this case, the Post-it is a motivator and organizing tool. (Fyi this fabulous article will inform a future Short Takes article.)

Post-its can improve quality. Good writing requires focus. Yet when I’m writing, inspiration about any number of things can appear at any moment, and disappear just as quickly. I have to grab it fast, so I reach for a Post-it.

You might think this would disrupt my writing. On the contrary, the peace of mind that comes with capturing my thought improves my effectiveness by immediately addressing what might otherwise be a continuing distraction. I return to my project with focus and satisfaction that my next great idea is intact.

For me, writing and organization go hand-in-hand. Removing clutter from my mind, even with a silly Post-it, improves the quality of my writing.

Finally, Post-its motivated me to write this article. I hope you find it useful…or at least amusing!

From a young age, I studied piano and sang in various groups. Now, as a writer, I realize that when a proposal, report, or other document – or even just a sentence – has a lyrical quality, it’s enjoyable to read and gets attention. It can simplify and strengthen your case for support.

However, I couldn’t figure out how to talk about lyricism in writing. 

Then I heard Scott Simon interview the poet Yusef Komunyakaa. Simon asked him, “What makes two words go together?” Komunyakaa responded, “Well, an idea about musicology – how those two words fit into the mouth with a natural tonality that goes for the heart and the mind.”

I thought, now I get it. Then I re-read the interview and realized I still didn’t understand how listening to music translates into words that fit together.

More help from the experts
I started searching for answers.

Consider this from Barak Obama: “We come from everywhere and contain multitudes.”¹

Or this from Isabelle Allende: “Write what should not be forgotten.”

These two lines are powerful and lyrical. They linger.

I read Verlyn Klinkenborg. He writes succinctly and persuasively about writing. Here’s what he says about rhythm and writing:

“If you don’t know what I mean by rhythm, imagine a singer’s phrasing of the lyric in a song. In prose it’s subtler, the beat and the music quieter.”²

Serendipity took me to Quntos KunQuest, author of the recently released book This Life, about his 25 years, so far, in Angola for a carjacking he committed when he was 19. In a recent New Yorker article, he discussed the influence of hip-hop on his writing.

“I began to see how writing prose was different from rhyme, in the sense that you got away from the metronome. But there’s still a metronome in writing. There’s still a beat to it.”

From hip-hop to grant writing
You might say this is all very good, but how does one achieve lyricism when, for example, writing grants? Here are a few ideas.

• Try deleting words you don’t need that may get in the way of lyricism in your writing.
• Rearrange what’s there. What’s first might sound better last, or vice versa.
• Learn from Isabelle Allende. What do you want the reader to remember? Then say it in as few words as possible.
• Klinkenborg suggests reading your writing aloud. “This is how you’ll begin to understand rhythm and its absence.”¹

I don’t know if playing music while writing helps. I don’t usually, but I’m going to try it. So, crank up some summer music and see what happens!

¹ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/08/books/barack-obama-promised-land-reading-writing.html
² Verlyn Klinkenborg. Several short sentences about writing. New York: Vintage Books. 2012.
³ Ibid