From personal experience, the most effective writing strategies that I have developed would be organization of topics and identifying the purpose, occasion, and/or audience. Organization as a strategy allows a writer to incorporate structure within their writing (Alred, Brusaw & Oliu, 2003). I am a firm believer that by creating outlines prior to the writing allows the writer to organize and clearly convey information to the reader that the writer wants them to know. Organization also allows me personally to structure my paragraphs according to the level of importance of each topic or purpose; it allows me to breakdown each section appropriately and compliments my writing style.
Another writing strategy that has been beneficial to me has been being able to identify the purpose or occasion of the writing. This mainly tells the reason for the whole document and helps decipher whether it is to inform, persuade or entertain the reader (Radaskiewicz, 2003). By identifying the purpose it allows me to set the tone of the document and also helps in the research process. Having a specific topic helps me in finding the appropriate literature to support my opinions or facts that are needed to make an effective and successful paper. In addition, the ability to identify your audience allows you to cater to issues or concerns that they may have and also make a link in common interests that the writer and the reader may have.
Additionally, in grant writing the whole idea is to persuade the sponsor as to why they should invest or donate to your organization. (Miner & Miner, 2008). Therefore being that the purpose would be to persuade I would then use certain verbs to describe the problem or to be included in the “problem statement” and also answer questions and or concerns in a persuasive manner.
Alred, G.J. , Brusaw, & Oliu, W. E. (2003). Handbook of technical writing practices. Connecticut :Macmillan.