Experienced proposal writers out there?

[Rob McCormick <"mccormick~re%a1.usa.umc"@MAILGATE.GLAXO.COM>]

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Gang,

    I'm interested in making a job transition from tech support
to writing, and am applying for an internal job posting. I'm in
RTP (Research Triangle Park), N.C.

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Question 1 and 2:
Who out there has written or is writing corporate proposals?
(my company sells computers/ workstations, software,<jargon
alert> network solutions and people).  Is this only part of your
job or do you solely write proposals?  In general, what's it
like?

Question 3:
I would imagine federal proposals are an entirely different
animal.  What experiences or anecdotes can you share from that
arena?  (Animal and arena,..hmmm,...hidden meaning in those
metaphors?)

Question 4/5 (sort of...)
Any other experiences to share or any publications/guides that
you would recommend to inexperienced proposal writers?
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The job description follows:

DUTIES:   Develop, write and edit material for reports,
corporate marketing proposals, manuals, catalogs, and other
related technical and administrative publications.  Review
published materials, recommending revisions or changes in scope,
format, layout, or content.  Assist in laying out material for
publication.  Coordinate publication and distribution of
material.  Also responsible for developing, writing, and editing
articles and public or employee relations releases.
EXPERIENCE:   4 year degree in a related field.  Extensive
technical writing background.  Minimum of two years relevant
experience.

A comment:
The few proposals I've seen (all by my company) struck me as
wordy and repetitive, in need of serious editing for clarity and
brevity.  Ironically, it seems the audience for these proposals
(IT technical staff, managers, buyers,.....?) expect just this
kind of writing.  I think I had too much Strunk and White early
in life.

    I think this is a really broad query for advice/help -- if
you have some random suggestions or snippets of advice, I'd be
glad to hear from you.

    If there's interest, I'll be happy to summarize replies to
me. Also I'm going on vacation Aug 4-12 and will unsubscribe Aug
2nd or 3rd, so replies to me would probably be best.

rem27920 -at- glaxo -dot- com

    I appreciate this list immensely....whew, I'm no longer
lurking...

Thanks in advance,
Rob
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rem27920 -at- glaxo -dot- com |
919/248-7866       |
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