RE: A question for you all ...

["Wilcox, Rose (ZB5646)" <Rose -dot- Wilcox -at- pinnaclewest -dot- com>]

<<
Do you write proposals?

Yes.
<<
IF YES:

* What type of proposals do you write? For example, proposals for
grants, for hi-tech projects, for sales and marketing depts, etc., etc. 
>>
Whatever I'm hired for.  Typically large computer project bids
<<
* How did you get into proposal writing? 
>>

The first one I ever did was for a consulting company through which I was
tech writing on another project.  Secondly, I was part of a TQM proposal
writing team for an IBM branch some years back.  I was hired because of my
Bookmaster experience.  I also know how to slant my writing for the audience
and purpose.  
<<
* What appeals to you most about writing proposals?
>>
I do love/hate the tight deadlines.  I enjoyed working as part of a team,
producing quality in challenging situations.  Otherwise, nothing else much
appeals to me about them.  
Most proposals are written through teamwork, so the work included:
some marketing type and technical writing
some editing
a lot of coordination
a lot of productionizing

I don't hate them, but I do prefer more technically oriented documents that
I have to write from scratch.  I do enjoy coordinating, but coordinating
without authority is a difficult position.  I enjoy editing, but like more
writing from scratch in my job.  I am not a great productionizer, but the
enjoyment of that is having a finished product you can hold in your hands.
As a job, being a proposal writer wasn't my top choice, but writing a
proposal once in a while might be a good spice to a regular tech writing
job.

All in all the mix was the type of job I find acceptable, but it wouldn't
rise to the top of my "five most appealing jobs".  In the job I did
proposals, I was busy 24/7 for some days, then completely idle for some
days.  

It does tend to interfere with one's life style.  For instance, one day
after working a 20 hour shift, I walked my dog to the store (to combine two
errands), tied the dog outside, went in and bought a few groceries, and
walked back home. I went home and lied down to try to calm my busy mind and
relax a few hours before returning to the grind, when I realized something
was missing... something was not quite right... I had left my poor dog (a
wonderful black Lab named Bear who has since passed on) tied alone outside
the grocery store at 2 a.m.!  I rushed back and was relieved (and so was
she!) to find her still there!  It was then that I realized the time and a
half was not enough money to make the cost of the job worth it to me!

I think you need to rethink the above questions.  I'm not sure what you are
digging for there.  It almost seemed like you assumed if someone writes
proposals, they would automatically like it.

Rosie Wilcox


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