Do you ever find yourself staring at a blank Word document, wondering how to start writing a massive grant narrative? Those blank white pages can be intimidating, especially if your narrative is long and complex.

I’ve stared down many a blank document, and overcome many bouts with writer’s block. My best advice is to simply start somewhere, even it you aren’t writing huge blocks of text right off the bat. If I’m struggling to get my first words on the page, I generally start with the easiest part of writing any grant: setting up the document.

This includes creating my headers, setting the margins and fonts, dropping in the letterhead, etc. Once I’m finished with this, I divide my document into sections according to the questions or required elements outlined in the grant guidelines. Now, with some words on my document, I feel a lot less intimidated.

My next step is usually to write the easiest sections first, as a sort of warm-up. These are usually sections like mission statement, organization history, and major funders. Generally once I’ve done these sections, I’ve broken through the writer’s block and I’m ready to go.

What are your suggestions for overcoming writer’s block? Share them in the comments!