As we watch our favorite athletes compete this summer, it had me thinking about what it takes to win in writing.
Writing is hard. It takes a lot of endurance, creativity, humility, and teamwork. Even thinking about an angle for a post related to the Olympics took me a minute to create.
So what does it take to win at writing?
Endurance
Writing requires a certain level of endurance. For instance, writing one good article or blog feels like a huge accomplishment when you’re done. But, if you’re managing a blog for your company or multiple clients, you have to look at the bigger picture and understand exactly how that one post aligns with the rest of your content strategy.
Think of all the training Olympic athletes go through; it’s a nearly constant effort. Now I’m not saying that one’s ability to write is in any way comparable to the physical toll these athletes endure, but as a writer, I’m constantly looking for new ways to spin topics in ways that stand out.
Creativity
Remember when Simone Biles tried out her historic vault move? It was amazing! She took a risk to demonstrate she could push herself beyond the conventional routine.
Creative thinking is a challenge as there will be some stumbling along the way. There are many factors outside of our control, and knowing what to write and how to write about a topic is not always a perfect science.
At Clarity Quest, the team is always sending me new ideas for blog content – whether it’s a topic that came to them while working with a client or something that came to them in a dream, we’ve got a vault of ideas at our fingertips.
We also take time to look at what is performing well in our newsletter, website, and social media networks. If it’s a high-performing piece, we know that something about the content is working well, and we should give the people what they want!
Related: Power up your B2B content: writing for real people
Humility
Sometimes you won’t always stick the landing, and that’s okay. I think writing takes a level of humility that’s admirable. We’re all guilty of having an ego when it comes to our work, but we can’t let that get in the way of holding onto an improvement mindset. I love working at Clarity because we’re always encouraged to learn and improve our skill sets.
Take the mindset of an Olympic athlete, and share the belief that you can always come back from a setback, and you can constantly improve your writing.
Teamwork
I think having creative thinkers, team-oriented people in your circle can level you up in ways that working in a stagnant environment just can’t do. Working in this type of creative environment gives you the freedom to bounce ideas off others without fear of judgment and encourages you to do better.
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