Six Questions for Writing Success
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 Not sure how to start your next writing project? Launch it by thinking through these questions:
Content
What is the main point you need to make?
Audience
Who are your target readers?
Schedule
When must the project be done, and how much time do you have to do it well?
Vehicles
What are the best ways to get your point across (such as website, presentation, article, or blog)?
Collaboration
Who else needs to provide information and/or approval?
Results
How will you measure success?
Write down your answers (your understanding of the project), then consult with co-workers or clients. You may need to revise your answers--but better to find out at the start of the project than at the end!
I have printed these series of questions on a small reference card. E-mail me and I would be happy to send you a few, or click on the image above for an online version.
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Doing More with Less
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 Let's face it: We are all scrambling in these very troubling economic times. Sometimes it feels like it would be actually be easier to squeeze blood from a turnip. Here are a few ideas about the communications projects you are trying to get done:
- Make your content work harder: Re-purpose the content you prepared for a print piece into online content, talking points for a presentation, or the topic of an op-ed or letter to the editor.
- Share the costs: Partner with vendors, program collaborators, or others to lower your own costs and increase distribution through their networks. (Of course, the partnership must be appropriate to your organization's values.)
- Justify, and maybe scrap or postpone: Take a hard look at whether the project will meet your objectives now. A tough call, especially if it's a project you had envisioned in your 2008 goals. But you may decide that it's best not to tackle it after all so you have the resources for another, higher-priority item.
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| Attention, Authors!
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Have you written a book or article? Do you have a communications-related blog or newsletter? I would love to share the information with others. Let me know what you have created. I'll write about it (and link to it) in another issue of this newsletter.
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Note he (and I) didn't say "easy writing." But just like dance lessons can help get you around the floor with your partner more gracefully, the goal for this newsletter is to share a tip or two each month so you can improve how your organization communicates in writing.
