Discovering answers to these questions puts you one step closer to ensuring that your tender response hits buyer's hot buttons.

Sin no 2. Not addressing "real", core needs

Quite often, what's written in tender documentation only tells half story. Either that or, it might be a comprehensive document, but core hot buttons are buried within pages and pages of material and they're often easy to miss.

Unfortunately, many tender submissions miss point completely. They're completed in such a rush that they simply don't address "obvious" criteria, let alone, "read between lines" stuff.

Having said this, Government tender documentation (especially) is so long that it is easy to forget an important element. The document will often include mandatory and desirable requirements, a Schedule of Particulars, Evaluation Criteria, Project Description, Government purchasing policy and regulations and a background and scope to project.

Usually, each of these areas reveals some priceless piece of information that you can then use in your document. Instead, many potential suppliers just fill out Schedule of Particulars and address evaluation criteria, but not address any other points revealed in background material.

The background material will address what potential supplier has been doing in past, what their corporate policies and commitments are, and perhaps what their culture is. By showing how your product/service addresses this information, you'll have far greater impact.

The moral of story?

Read document thoroughly and then read it again. When you're doing that, grab a highlighter and highlight any points that are important to address in your document. These points could appear anywhere within document. Not just in product or evaluation criteria areas.

Then, when you've done that ask yourself "why". Why is this important to them? Then once you've discovered answer, ask "why" again, until you cover real, core need.

Then once you have idea, RESEARCH well, so you are factually correct.

Accuracy in writing is paramount for credibility- you have to be seen to be an authority on your subject..

If you are writing purely for money (nothing wrong with that!), write what will sell. I only write from heart, either with serious messages (in my novels) or "zany" and hopefully uplifting material for human spirit in my non-fiction "work".

Always remember:

There are too many subjects to write about - not too few!

Remember to collect interesting items for later use.

HOW TO DEVELOP YOUR WRITING STYLE

We all have a unique style of writing, in addition to our unique experiences in life... because each one of us is unique, thank God. So just be grateful for who you are , your unique abilities and gifts and count your blessings. Enough on this subject - this is not a new spiritual book!

Style is our natural way of writing: it can be brief, long-winded, chatty, wacky, breezy, light, heavy and so on - like way we talk. I try and write like I speak: very much to point, but with odd "zany" bit thrown in to startle or get a person thinking (or perhaps just wondering about me and where I'm coming from - Mars!).

My advice...

Build on your own natural style of writing... and best way to do that is to get into writing habit. Then just be you. Incidentally, a word of seriousness (for a change)... Although this road I have chosen is very rocky and financially uncertain, doing this type of work gives me way more fulfilment in my life than ever before, as well as feeling this is "real me". And that's most important.

(Can I start a sentence with an "And". See next "gripping" lesson to find out).

Write something daily; because practice makes perfect.

Be open to growth, to try new styles or new directions in your writing. I find after I've done a serious book (like a novel on South Africa), I try to write to inform and entertain in a light breezy style. Probably just both sides of me coming out.

You could perhaps try adding touches of humour, your natural humour, of course!

This comes with confidence and confidence comes with more writing. My confidence has increased greatly after my tentative first steps down this track.

I believe essence of good writing style lies in precision and accuracy.

Therefore omit unnecessary words. Try to think up some examples of everyday unnecessary words and let me know what they are in our homework. One example to get you started: "actually".

Lots more on style coming up in another lesson.

I hope this information may be helpful to you in your creative writing.