The Artist's Guide to Grant Writing
Writing captures your pie-in-the-sky
idea, brings it down to the
ground, and makes it real.
Itâs impossible for most people, even writers, to sit down and hammer out a grant application in one sitting. A proposal is a creative project like any other. You wouldnât expect to finish a painting or complete a short story on the first pass. It takes many false starts, many working sessions to gather your raw materials, write, revise, reconsider, and polish.
After youâve read the application questions, your mind will work on your answers as you go about your daily life. Purchase several small notebooks or index cards, and place them with pens in strategic places throughout your life: in your glove compartment, in your backpack, by the phone, by your bed, in your purse. This is what I love about being a writer: Iâm a writer even when Iâm not writing. Iâll be in on a bike ride when a phrase describing my work pops to mind or Iâll think of a business I can call to request a donation. When this happens to you, write these ideas down. Not all of them will pan out, of course, but many will. The more I write my ideas down, the more I signal to my subconscious mind, Great ideas! Please send more.
I give my writing a long time to germinate. I cut and paste all kinds of ideas and let that sit. Then a week later, Iâll read it and usually know what to take out, what to add, and what needs more research on contemporary art history.
· BONNIE COLLURA, SCULPTOR ·
Experienced writers may jump to writing the first draft of their grant proposal immediately. However, many grant writers need to talk out their ideas first. If thatâs the case for you, review the âTalk First, Write Laterâ section in chapter 3 (this page) to find out how to interview others and be interviewed to find fresh language to describe yourself and your work.
When youâre ready to write and would like to use the writing process to explore and expand your project idea, consider using the freewriting method.
Freewrite Your Way to the Big Idea
A freewrite is a timed writing exercise designed to help you capture your unique voice. The only rule of freewriting is that you keep writing for the entire time, which can be as short as ten minutes. A freewrite works because youâre free to write yet constrained by time; the time limit makes the writing process less scary. To keep writing no matter what, youâll have to write down whatever pops into your head, which may be exactly the juicy material you need.
To start your freewrite, gather lots of paper, your favorite writing instrument, a kitchen timer and a âprompt.â A âpromptâ provides focus and a beginning. A writing prompt can be a question, a photograph, a painting, a poem. The prompt jumpstarts your writing and encourages your hand to move and the words to come. A freewrite prompt can come from a grant application (âDescribe your artistic developmentâ) or even an image (How does this image remind me of what my project is about?).
Write nonstop for ten minutes. Donât stop writing until the timer goes off. When the ten minutes are up, you can call it a day or write for another ten minutes, using the same prompt or another one. You can do several ten-minute freewrites in a row.
After youâve finished, donât read what you wrote. Put the freewrite in your âRaw Materialsâ folder and move onto the rest of your day. Over the days or weeks youâre working on your application, write as many ten-minute freewrites as you can until you feel youâve asked yourself all the questions on the application. Not all of what you write in a freewrite will be useful, but often enough youâll discover some gems.
Write a Lousy First Draft
To begin your draft, first lower the bar. Call it a lousy first draft. That helps relieve the pressure you may feel to write something complete and perfect. A first draft is by its very nature, incomplete and imperfect, even lousy.
Example of a Freewrite
The assignment I gave visual artist Linda Hutchins and other attendees in one of my grant-writing workshops was, âWrite for ten minutes nonstop about any inkling you have about your next project.â Below is an excerpt from Hutchinsâs freewrite that shows her first thoughts and the edits she made later. This freewriting exercise became the basis for her artist statement reprinted in chapter 7 (this page).
My initial idea was to do a suite of engravings: lines, lines, lines, a continuum of lines filling the copper plate, transferred to and embedded in the paper through the printing process, inking the plate, pressing the plate into the paper. The lines are carvedâengraved into the copper with a tool called a burin, a curl of copperâplowing a curl of copperâa thin curl of copper that curls in front of the tool, throwing off a sharp curl of copper. But Iâm worried about my hand, and the damage of repetitive work, and wanting to get to some other less repetitive, less damaging process that will still get the same result.
What is the result Iâm after? It has to do with daily detail, generational recurrence, and repetition, the things we do again and again that our parents did again and again, that their parents did again and again, that we all do again and again. The tedium that ties us to our forbears. Or not.
Now I am thinking about the silver spoon. My parents ate with silver spoons. Their parents ate with silver spoons. I have silver spoons that are engraved with the initials of both my grandparents. I have silver spoons that are not engraved with my own parentsâ initials but that we ate with every day of my childhood. Theyâve been in my mouth and the mouths of my family. I want to transfer that silver to a surface, a surface that I have embedded with my own fingerprints, shaped with my own fingers, and rub into it the silver that has touched the tongues of my ancestors.
Notice how even her worries led her deeper into describing her next project. Of course, she edited out the worries later. But the jewels in this freewrite sparkle, even in its rough state.
The first step toward writing a lousy first draft is to gather your raw materials. They may include the following:
- Notes from interviews youâve done with audience members
- Notes from interviews others have done with you
- Reviews of your work others have published
- Past grant applications
- Your artist statement and bio
- Any other writing youâve done about your work
Grab a highlighter, and while you read through all this material, highlight the words, phrases, and ideas that resonate with you. This is a process of listening to your gut.
Before you write that lousy first draft, you may outline your answers. An outline lists your key points in more or less the right order. The advantage of an outline is that it helps you feel secure in your writing; you know where to start and whatâs next. The only drawback to an outline is that sometimes you donât know what you want to say until you actually write it. So, in some cases, you wonât write an outline until after that lousy first draft. Then, the process of writing the outline helps you figure out whatâs still missing in your answer.
Next, set a timer for ten minutes. (Once you get going, you can always write for another ten to twenty minutes. If youâre experiencing a lot of resistance, ten minutes of writing may be all you can handle. Thatâs fine.)
Cull through your raw materials. Using the words and phrases that youâve already highlighted, begin to answer the first application question. Get every word and idea down on paper. Donât worry about spelling, grammar, or vocabulary, or creating a poetic or brilliant work. Donât be concerned if you sound like a caveman. Remember, your goal is to write a lousy rough draft that youâll never show to anyone. Let it ripâwrite it down however it comes out of you.
If youâre experiencing major resistance, call or e-mail a friend; tell her youâll be writing for twenty minutes (or whatever time you choose) and that youâll call or e-mail her when youâre done. Tell her your goal is to write a very bad first draft. Are you capable of writing a very bad first draft? Yes, you are.
If you still canât write, try this: Sit with a friend and talk out your answer while she writes it down. Sheâs not necessarily interviewing you, just transcribing your thoughts. Donât worry how bad your answer sounds; just talk. The results will be your first-draft answer.
After you have answered one question, put it away. Donât even reread what you wroteâor if you canât restrain yourself, refrain from any self-judgment. What looks hideous in the moment may glimmer the next day.
Repeat this process over time for all the questions on your grant application.
Write a Better Second Draft
The longer you leave your first draft in a drawer, the better. Overnight is a minimum. This is why it helps to have two months to work on an application.
However, the day will dawn when youâll take that first draft out of the drawer. Read your possibly lousy first draft and highlight the places where you describe your project well, where your explanations are clear, and where youâre answering the question. Have you included all the information you need? You inevitably left out a detail, so add it.
When funders read hype, they just yawn. Cut the adjectives and be matter-of-fact.
· HELEN BORTEN, RADIO WRITER AND PRODUCER ·
At this point, you might outline a revised answer culling the ideas from your first draft and adding new ideas or missing information.
Next, write a second draft using the best parts from the first draft and new information. Cluster information together that belongs together. Answer the question in the order the application asks for it.
By now your answers are sparkling with some real gems and have sections that feel true to your work. Youâve explained better what youâre aiming to do and how you will ensure your projectâs success.
Proceed to Draft Three
After the first draft, the third draft is the hardest to write. One moment you think your writing is brilliant; the next moment it wonât make any sense to you.
Check how much space is allotted for each answer. At this point, itâs fine if your writing is a little too long. If you have only a paragraph and the grant application allows a whole page, go back and write more to flesh out your answer. If youâve written two pages when you only need two sentences, revisit your answer and whittle it down to its essential parts.
Good Writing Principles
As you write and rewrite, consider these tips to hone your most specific, concise, and powerful voice.
Risk simplicity. Donât hide behind complicated and indecipherable language. Avoid jargon and big words when simpler ones suffice. Imagine youâre describing your project to a smart sixth-grader. Be straightforward and unpretentious.
Be personal. If this is challenging, write about your project as if you were writing a letter to a close friend who doesnât know the details. Imagine a specific person; you can always edit out details later.
Use concrete nouns and active verbs. Use nouns that describe what you mean specifically, not generally. If you mean âhorse,â donât write âanimalâ; donât use âgetâ when âgrabâ nails your exact meaning.
Write in the future tense. Avoid the conditional tense, which makes you sound unsure. For example, rather than writing âMy project might, could, should, or would â¦,â write âMy project will.â¦â This simple change transforms your proposal from a pipe dream to reality.
Edit out qualifiers. Words like really, sort of, kind of, slightly, overly should be deleted, if possible. Your writing will be (sort of) stronger without them.
Learn and use transition words and phrases. Transitions like therefore, nonetheless, and whatâs more create more coherence in your writing.
Beware of mistakes that spell-check wonât find. Some examples are these commonly confused words: theyâre, their, and there; to and too; youâre and your; and its and itâs.
Donât overuse adjectives. One descriptive word is usually more powerful than three.
Avoid passive voice whenever possible. Active voice creates more dynamic writing. For example, âMy blog is followed by hundreds of readersâ is passive (less effective), while âHundreds of readers follow my blogâ is active (more effective).
Use the funderâs terminology. For example, if an executive summary is requested, donât provide an abstract.
Follow guidelines to the letter. Pay special attention to requested word or character counts. Some rules may seem arbitraryâeven Kafkaesqueâbut look at it from the funderâs point of view: Theyâre reviewing hundreds of applications, and their job is much easier when applications follow the same format. Also, following their directions demonstrates that you understand their concerns and respect their process. Failing to comply may disqualify your proposal.
Make your application easy to navigate. Leave ample (at least one-inch) margins; use headings, bullets, and even italics on key points; and choose a type face and size that are easy to read (twelve-point Times is a commonly used combination). Panel members are reading for sound bites; organize your application so your main points are easily noticed. But donât go overboard. Too many bold or italicized words will detract from, not enhance, your application. When in doubt, simplify. (Note: Some applications clearly prohibit specific formatting.)
Enlist a Reader
When you have drafted responses that are the right length and answered all the questions on your grant application, itâs time to let a team member help you: a reader. You can read your answers aloud to your reader or let him read your answers and make notes.
If you choose to have the reader read silently to himself, youâll likely be writhing in agony across the table from him. Donât sit there and suffer. Go walk the dog, take a shower, reorganize a desk drawer in another room, or do the dishesâwhatever is necessary to take your mind off the fact that you feel like youâre about to be burned at the stake.
Sharing what youâve written with another person can be excruciating and youâll want to skip it. Yet, itâs the most helpful step of all. Do not wait until the night before the grant deadline to let another person hear or read your statement, because by then, itâll be too late to benefit from the feedback.
Instructions to Your Reader
A readerâs job isnât easy, but the process truly helps a creative soul do the hardest work she can do: articulate her ideas and get her work out into the world.
Tell your reader specifically what kind of feedback you want. For example, âI want to know if the ideas are clear and if anything is missing or confusing.â If your reader is new to the critique process, suggest that he follow some of these guidelines:
⢠Indicate which places in the writing are working bestâwhere the ideas are clearly expressed and make sense to you.
⢠Note questions, and highlight areas that are confusing.
⢠Read over the application questions. Has the writer answered the âwho, what, why, when, how, and whereâ questions? Whatâs still missing?
⢠Mark the places where you feel most excited (which often means that the writer is hitting her stride).
⢠Mark the places where you feel bored or disconnected from the project (which can be a sign that the writer has slipped into jargon or is avoiding the heart of the idea).
⢠Pretend youâre the funder: Would you fund this project? Why, or why not? Whatâs missing? What hits the mark?
⢠Do the words paint a picture in your mindâs eye? Could the writer add any sensory descriptions (sights, sounds, smells, tastes, or feelings) that would help?
⢠When you meet with the writer to provide your comments, greet her with a smile. Begin with a positive comment, along the lines of, âYour project sounds amazing,â âThis proposal is really shaping up,â or âMany parts of this application are good.â Donât lie, because she can spot a liar; find at least one true positive thing to say.
⢠Proceed with your critique, listing your questions, areas of confusion, and any places where information was missing.
⢠End your critique with another positive comment, or repeat your first one.
⢠Tread lightly, praise profusely, and then critique honestly but kindly.
Write Your Final Draft
You may hate your reader after this read; this is normal. I fantasize about filing for divorce after every time my husband reads one of my rough drafts.
Wouldnât it be great if your reader said, âItâs perfect. I wouldnât change a word!â If your reader says this, it might be true, but more likely you have a reader whoâs not skilled enough to help you. Get another reader. Your goal is to find a kind but also a critical reader. If youâve selected a good reader, youâll hear words of praise as well as comments that may be painful, both because theyâre critical and because they mean you have more rewriting (and maybe fresh thinking) to do.
Edit out the weak verbs like âtryâ and âhope.â Artists are afraid theyâll sound like braggarts, but people donât want to buy paintings from people who are âtryingâ and âhoping.â
· CAROLL MICHELS, CAREER COACH, ARTIST ADVOCATE, AND AUTHOR ·
Refrain from arguing with your reader. Just take his comments and thank him for his time. (This may require more self-control than you can imagine.)
Let all comments rest at least overnight before you begin the next rewrite; donât attempt it immediately after a critique. If you must keep working, give yourself a long breakâa walk outside or a meal. When you begin the final rewrite, decide which of your readerâs comments to address (and which to ignore), brainstorm more information where needed, and clarify confusions.
Edit the Final Draft
The final edit is the last step in polishing your proposal. Double-check spelling and grammar, cut excess words, and ensure your answers are the right length. Donât feel compelled to fill the whole space on the grant application form; if youâve nailed the questions and have a little space left over, thatâs good. Above all else: Make sure you answered the question.
Four Proofreading Tips
1. If you proofread your own work, print out your document using a different typeface than you are used to reading. Itâs easier to spot mistakes when you reread the document in a different form.
2. Read the document backwards, sentence by sentence, from the end to the beginning. That way, you focus on each sentence as a sentence and not as part of your argument.
3. Whatever you do, donât rely only on your computerâs spell-checking and grammar-checking features. They are not as smart as a good reader and will not identify dumb mistakes.
4. Verify the spelling of all titles and proper names.
Youâll need your reader again, or perhaps a new one. If you do use a new reader, explain that youâre not open to doing a total rewrite at this point, unless you have the time and motivation for it.
When Iâm working alone, I read my answers aloud to myself, which helps me hear my answers. Actor and playwright Aaron Landsman takes this practice a step further: âI read my proposal in a fake accent that makes me feel silly or read it like a newscaster. Because what I trip over when I read it like the ten oâclock news often indicates thereâs something wrong at that spot, either dramatically or just expressively.â
If this is your first time through the grant-writing process and youâve followed the steps in this book up to this point, youâve likely written a proposal that is much better than most. Congratulations.
Celebrate. You made it up and over the steep hill. Youâre on your way as a grant writer and have a clear idea of not only what you want but also how to express it succinctly. Do something ceremonial. A writer friend of mine bought a âwomanâs wandâ at an art show to wave over her application before mailing it. At a minimum, give yourself a treat: Take the dog on a long walk, meet a friend for coffee, go for a pedicure. You did it.
- Once youâve read the application questions, take notes as your ideas percolate.
- Use the freewriting process to find new ways to describe your project.
- Highlight and recycle sections from past grants to reuse in your application.
- Include details and descriptions that paint a picture in the mindâs eye of your reader.
- Review the âGood Writing Principlesâ section in this chapter (this page) as you edit your answers.
- Have a proofreader review your final draft.
- Enlist a kind and critical reader as you hone the final draft of your application.