It is usually my preference to draft the lay summary at the end of the writing process. In a previous post I talked about the challenges of writing for various audiences, particularly the general public.

A lay summary writing exercise: think about how to explain the research to a next door neighbor (or a neighbor’s 12 year old child). Given their attention span, how would you explain the research so that they “get it” and maybe even “get excited about it”? Recording your “presentation” to this virtual audience can allow free-association and brainstorming on the fly. You might be surprised with what you come up with when you aren’t scrambling to make notes.

How would you encapsulate what you do? Dare I say it – market your research? Entrepreneurs are often told to generate an elevator pitch: a short, to-the-point description of what they are doing, why it is important and what they need to make it better. The WHAT, the WHY, and the HOW MUCH. Lay summaries are somewhat equivalent – an opportunity to describe your research topic, how it is relevant (and important) to your field and why it should be funded. Keep it clear, exciting and easy to read.

Many reviewers use the lay summaries as refreshers prior to presenting your case to the GSC committee. With that in mind – your lay summary is often the first and last impression you leave with reviewers.

I realized that I have been posting a lot about editing lately and not too much about writing.

Many of my clients speak about the challenge of starting a big writing project. The overwhelmed feeling that accompanies the thought of “where to begin” can result in inertia. If you don’t try, you can’t fail.

No matter what your project is, getting those first few words on paper can be critical. I often work with my clients to break down the writing process into more easily completed steps. I also help them set timelines so that all of the pieces are completed and ready to pull together by their deadline.

Some tips to get started:

1. Break down the tasks
2. Brainstorm an outline for each task
3. Tackle one small task and work to completion

Sometimes, setting deadlines for each task can be effective too. “I have 20 minutes to complete this step.”

Drafting one small piece will work wonders on your outlook of the project. “Well if it was so easy to get that done, I suppose that I could do this . . .”

This is a really simplistic solution to writer’s block; however the maxim of writing down something, anything is really the trick to getting unblocked. Quite often focusing on trivial steps can help break an author out of the blocks.

Here are some suggestions regarding writer’s block and writer’s anxiety from Purdue’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) – an excellent resource for any writer.

Why would someone hire an editor? According to the Editor’s Association of Canada, “an editor can help make your message clear, correct, attractive and appropriate to your market.” That sure sounds nice, but what does it really mean?

When I coach clients through the writing process, I try to help them learn about the requirements (style, layout and content) of their writing project.  Often, tight timelines make it impossible for writers to focus on all of the details when they are working hard to include as much content as possible. My role as a coach and editor is to ensure they address the requirements and deliver a polished piece of writing that (hopefully) achieves its intended purpose.

Does the use of an editor = success, i.e., funded grant applications and business plans or accepted manuscripts? I wish I could say it does (just think of what that would mean for my business), but content is the most important part of any document. The contribution of an editor is to help the author make the document easy to read, understand and recall.

“Good writing will not save bad ideas, but bad writing can kill good ones.” – Jacob Kraicer

Here is the caveat-not all editors are the same: some specialize in science and technical writing (like me) and others edit literary works. (There are other specializations too.) Importantly, picking an editor with experience working in your genre will save you time teaching them how to edit in your required style.

Writing for readability and comprehension is more of an art than a science. A successful writer knows their audience. In grant writing, applicants have to bridge the many types of readers in their audience, from the subject matter experts to the non-specialists. Finding a happy medium with enough detail to satisfy the specialist and enough background material in the narrative to frame arguments for the generalist can be challenging. In my experience, applicants often find writing for the specialist easy, but writing for the generalist more difficult. This can often be alleviated by getting feedback from individuals who are non-specialists in your field–colleagues with different specialties or researchers in completely different areas of study.

Writing the lay summary is a different challenge altogether as it must be relevant to a non-science audience (the general public).  The summary provides an opportunity to describe the research in general terms and define why it is significant and should be funded. In many cases, the lay summary provides an opportunity to promote your research and give context to the application.

Grant writing is extremely competitive, and applications that are compelling and easy to read have a significant advantage over those that are pedantic and lackluster. 

The previous sentence provides an excellent example of word choice.  Did you have to pause to think about the definition of the descriptive words at the end of the sentence?  Think about it from your reader’s perspective-reviewers have to read (in great detail) between 6-12 applications of an average length of 30 pages (not including research contribution material).  That corresponds to roughly 300 to 600+ pages.  Would you rather be able to read and understand the information quickly or have to focus on each sentence to distill meaning?  Applications which are frustrating to read leave a poor impression on the reviewer.    

I frequently get asked to explain the difference between copyright, copy editing, copy writing and ghostwriting.

Copyright is the exclusive right authors and artists have to prevent others from copying their work. To further confuse things, copyright has two parts: moral and economic copyright. The economic part of copyright can be sold or transferred to others; however the author retains what is called moral copyright, which means that no one, not even the new owner of the copyright, can distort or modify the work in a way that is prejudicial to the author’s honor or reputation.  You cannot sell moral rights, but you can waive them.  For more information on copyright visit the Canadian Intellectual Property Office’s Guide to Copyright.

Copy editing involves reviewing a draft manuscript for errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar. It also includes correcting any inconsistencies in typesetting as well as ensuring that text flows well and is not repetitious. In instances where multiple authors are involved, copy editing will remove variances in writing to present a consistent style.

Copy writing (also known as ghostwriting) is where a manuscript is prepared based on the ideas and information provided by the client according to the required style (i.e., journal article, grant application, business plan).

When manuscripts are commissioned for copy or ghostwriting, the copyright in all customized content is transferred to the client.  Harms & Company Consulting retains the right to reuse authored materials and templates that are of a generic or reusable nature and do not include the client’s proprietary information.