Writing Advice from Fiction Authors to Improve Your Proposals
With proposals ranging from two pages to over two hundred pages, it’s easy to start to compare your writing process to that of a full-time novelist. Fortunately, the world of fiction has plenty of advice for how to handle writing large sections of content. Let’s take a look at a few that can be applied to proposal writing.
Write out of order
On her podcast “No Write Way”, fantasy author V.E. Schwab often describes how she avoids writing in chronological order and instead focuses on the scenes she is most able to write at the moment. Sometimes she isn’t in the right emotional headspace to craft a particularly emotional scene, and she’ll skip over that one to come back to it when she’s ready.
If you’ve read our Executive Summaries post, then you know that even though this section is at the beginning of your proposal, it’s easiest to write it last. This same approach of writing out of order can be applied throughout your entire proposal. Sometimes you have the resumes early and can focus on crafting that section, but you’re waiting on technical content. Other times it’s the reverse. By writing out of order, you will have a more complete document faster. Just make sure you go back to read through it all together and add appropriate transitions and explanations so it reads as one document.
Let long sections sit before returning
American novelist James Salter was known for first writing his texts in longhand before typing it out, correcting the language, retyping it, and so on until he was satisfied with the final draft. As part of his process, he also said, “It’s dangerous not to let things age”, referring to allowing the draft to sit for a while before editing it.
This same approach is perfect for proposal writing. When you craft a document or section, sleep on it (or at the very least, go for a 30 minute walk), before you return to revise and edit it. You’ll notice mistakes more easily with the brief respite from writing, and your revision process will be more effective.
Eliminate any and all distractions
American author Tobias Wolff once said, “All I need is a window to not write”. With phones, email, social media, and coworkers, anyone writing a proposal has significantly more distractions than a window. All of these distractions make it easy to put off writing or revising your proposal content as the deadline approaches.
To reduce distraction, try to turn off email notifications. Disable any messaging notifications. Keep your phone out of arm’s reach. Block off your calendar for “heads down” time. Do whatever you can to reduce the distractions when you’ll actually be writing your proposal, and you’ll find the process goes a lot faster.
Outline everything
The Chicago-based author Rebecca Makkai claims to have first started writing her novel The Hundred-Year House section by section, but found that didn’t work with her book’s timeline. To overcome this block, she started outlining everything in the novel and had sixty pages of notes ready to help her craft the book without staring at a blank page.
Outlining is often the first step in proposal writing, and if you aren’t outlining, it’s time to start! Especially when responding to RFPs, it is critical that you have the structure right from the beginning to avoid missing content and being deemed noncompliant.
Listen to movie scores while working
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Diaz claims to listen to film scores while he writes because he isn’t able to write while listening to music with words in it. He once said, “I wrote my first book listening to the soundtrack to the movie Conan the Barbarian on a loop. That’s how I ride.”
If you’re looking for some background noise while working on proposal content, take a page out of Diaz’s book and try listening to film scores. Another background noise option is Noisli, which lets you choose from a variety of sounds to create the perfect ambiance for your productivity.
Create a convincing argument
Colombian novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez once said, “Make people believe in your story first and foremost.” In the world of fiction, having a believable story with engaging characters is essential to success.
The same is true in proposal writing. A proposal is a persuasive sales document, and like any form of persuasive writing, you need a strong argument. Focus on identifying your differentiators, why a customer should choose you, and the specific aspects of your solution that are most critical for them to understand. From there, create a document that showcases this information so customers understand your solution.
Find the right time
Russian author Leo Tolstoy said to “Pick the hours that work best for you” to write. When you’re on a deadline, you have to finish the proposal, but sometimes it’s better to block off an afternoon to write as much as possible than to try to squeeze the writing in between meetings. Or if you’re a morning person, log into your computer early to knock out a few key sections before your colleagues sign in for the day.
Whatever your approach, make sure you find the right time to work on your proposal that allows you to write with a fresh perspective to create persuasive material.
Keep only the essential
British writer and editor Diana Athill said, “Cut (perhaps that should be CUT): only by having no inessential words can every essential word be made to count.”
It’s easy to fall on business jargon when writing your proposal, which often adds unnecessary words to your writing. Simple and clear content is easier to understand for the reader, and it makes your proposal more persuasive. Follow Athill’s advice and cut out any unnecessary words to leave only your strongest proposal content.
What not to do: Ignore Deadlines
Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, famously said, “I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.”
The story goes that he had missed so many deadlines that his publisher told him to finish the current page and submit it. That’s why his first bestseller ends abruptly. Subsequent books have similar stories where everyone from his producer to his editor to his girlfriend locked him in places ranging from his study to a hotel suite, forcing him to finish his work before he would be let out.
Proposals, especially in response to RFPs, have deadlines that can’t be missed. Don’t follow in the footsteps of Douglas Adams and watch the deadlines approach and rush by. Instead, use the tactics above to plan, set aside time, and avoid distraction to hit those deadlines and win new contracts.