AN advantage to reading a topical issue of interest is learning the different ways people go about performing similar tasks. This issue on proposal development shows that there must be as many ways to write proposals as there are people writing them. Of course, no one way works best all the time, but knowing the different approaches enlightens us.

THERE are four forms of writing: exposition, which informs the reader by presenting facts and figures; description, which helps the reader visualize an idea or situation; narration, which tells a chronological story; and persuasion, which tries to convince the reader to accept the writer's perspective. Most writing is predominantly one of these forms. Proposal writing may require all four forms. Perhaps this explains why many proposals are not effective.

IN writing this preface I was reminded of a recent article reporting on the testing of a certain motorcycle. The first sentence was “The XV750 is very much the same as the XV920 test in the November 1981 issue-only it's different.”

Employment is the subject of the first four papers. In “Writing Resumes and Cover Letters” you learn that the resume is an attention-getter — not to be taken lightly in the job hurting process. The second paper confirms many ideas presented in the first, but some traditional ideas are challenged (one such is that one-page résumés are inadequate). The third paper, “The Cover Letter,” encourages you to consider the communication's style, tone, and appearance to enable you to write the best possible cover letter. The last paper on employment identifies questions you can expect at an interview and suggests how to emphasize your strengths and minimize your shortcomings.

ALL of us have experienced frustration in dealing with abbreviated forms of language that are supposed to make our reading easier. Perhaps by understanding more about them, we can better cope with their proliferation.