What I Learned From Great Writers About Maintaining Momentum

Do you feel like you have endless ideas for things to write about but can’t seem to finish the project once you start it? Do you have folders and folders of old, unfinished writing?

We’ve all been there: thinking of a great, original idea for an article or blog post, getting it halfway finished, and then, just sort of … running out of steam.

What’s missing is writing momentum, that wonderful force that makes you excited to sit down at your desk every day because you know what you want to say and you feel like you’re all too ready to put it into words. Momentum makes you feel like you’re in charge of your writing and gives you the boost you need to get projects done.

But even the greats struggle with maintaining momentum. Luckily, they’ve come up with all sorts of ways to keep it, and we can follow their examples. This is what I’ve learned from other writers about keeping momentum in my own writing.

What I Learned About Writing From Reading Margaret Atwood

There are many authors who have one or two books that I can count among my favorites. Margaret Atwood is not one of those authors.

To me, and many others, everything that she’s written is fascinating and worthy of a spot on my list of favorite books.

As a teenager, her gripping plots, masterful storytelling, and relatable characters had me pulling all the Atwood novels that I could carry off the library shelves. I’ve read everything that she’s written since then with equal gusto.

How To Define and Use Your Brand Voice

In a world filled to the brim with different products, services, and brands to choose from, it can be difficult for a brand to stand out. Yet, many companies have managed to break out of the masses, sometimes even creating cult followings. So what are they doing right?

A critical element of successful brands is their voice. Take Apple, for example. Its ads, with concise sentences, minimalist presentation, and a strong emphasis on “cool,” set Apple up as having modern, innovative, and must-have products, and the audience eats it right up.

You may not be aspiring to be a tech startup of Apple-like proportions (or maybe you are!), but one thing that is consistent across businesses of all kinds is the need for a strong brand voice. Small businesses, especially, can benefit from how a solid and consistent voice maximizes their marketing efforts.

Brand voice is what a brand says and how it says it; it’s how a brand conveys its personality, attitudes, and values to its audience. Brand voice creates an image for the company that will stick in the consumer’s mind and make them more likely to choose that product or service.

This is how you build brand loyalty—it’s how your audience recognizes you, and an important part of creating a brand that they know, like, and trust.

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The Why and How of Putting Yourself in Your Readers’ Shoes

If you’re a writer, you have them—journals and Word documents filled with writing that most likely no one will ever read. It’s a joy in itself to write for the sole purpose of expressing yourself or to practice, and in many cases, you’re probably glad that particular work will never see the light of day.

However, sharing your thoughts, ideas, and creative turns of phrase with readers is the real goal of writing, and most of the time, you’re writing for an audience. Writing is the process of transferring what’s inside your mind to the minds of your readers, and it’s easy for much of it to get lost in translation.

Whether you’re having a hard time picturing who your readers are, or you struggle to write clearly for people who don’t have your knowledge, putting yourself in your readers’ shoes can help you make sure that your readers are connected, engaged, and picking up what you’re putting down.

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