Long or Short?
Posted by Raul on July 5, 2010
Reading several blogs I can see that many bloggers are in the long side posts; it is not uncommon to find writings with well over 1000 words. Even many “gurus” about blogging suggest going for no less than 600 words.
The problem for me is that I’m not really a “talking” person and that reflects in this blog; usually I have a hard time going over 500 words in a post and it is common for me to write in the average of 350 with only a few running to 600-700 words
Many of my posts trying to reflect something are very short (independent of if the intention was accomplished or not)
-Lonely Traffic Lights 142 words
-Perspective 412 words
-Inside a Picture 223 words
-The End Once Again 353 words
The other “problem” is that I have a thing for simplicity, the less words that can be used the better (in my opinion). For example: the most important things in life can be described with very few words, like:
-I love you
-I’m here for you
-Are you OK? (I love that one)
-Pass me the salt (a world of difference in the meal)
-I can’t see!
-She died yesterday
-I’m proud of you!
And so many more…
Even my favorite car is about simplicity; no long, big or fancy stuff.
Why not to try and express an idea, a concept or a feeling in the least amount of words possible? I’m not saying that long posts are wrong, but just a matter of personal choice and what works better for everyone.
If I could write very long posts I would be a talkative person in physical life and then I wouldn’t be an Alien Ghost, silently moving among people without being seen so I can observe life around.
I’ve seen many people who simply cannot stop talking all the times and I imagine how long their posts would be if they had a blog.
Can you imagine? Using a simple concept to develop it into an entire book, then paying for printing to pretend being a published author…I just work on cars to annoy my family! 
So, after writing for a while in this blog the concept and suggestions of long posts become discarded and the attempt of reflect a thought or a feeling in the least amount of words become the official task for me (I’ve been doing that all along anyway!)
What’s your preference?
Are you a talkative person in physical life?
Does the amount of words in your blog reflect how talkative you are?
Let me know.
Raul
WOW this one became a long one…442 words!
I honestly have no idea how long my posts are. I just make sure that they don’t get really really long, unless I really have a lot to say and details are required for that topic. I have written long posts, and I have also posted a picture with two lines of text. It really depends on what I wanted to say. (Of course, if I just have two sentences to say, usually I just do that on Twitter.)
Kelvin Kao´s last [type] ..I Eat Like a Left-hander…
Raul Ojeda Reply:
July 6th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
Hi Kelvin,
Like you said, it seems it should be more about what the blogger wants to say rather than trying to fulfill a structure.
Raul
Raul Ojeda´s last [type] ..Long or Short
I’m actually a very talkative person and my posts are relatively long, to a point. I believe that whatever it takes to get the message out is fine as long as you’re not beating around the bush, for the most part.
If you have to explain something that takes a while then just do it but over all, I really think that making a long post can also do a world of good as far as something to really get into.
Lastly, I believe it matters on the topic. Some topics are meant to be short while others work better longer.
What do you think?
Eric´s last [type] ..Blogging Better- The Two Simple Ways To Do So
Raul Ojeda Reply:
July 6th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
Hi Eric,
Hey that’s great advice: extend to what is necessary while keeping in mind that a longer post allows for a more in deep analysis of the subject.
Thanks again
Raul
Raul Ojeda´s last [type] ..Long or Short
Eric Reply:
July 7th, 2010 at 8:30 pm
Raul,
Thanks for the reply. Yeah it really just comes down to what message you’re trying to get across.
Eric´s last [type] ..How do you know when something in a gray area is a sin
Hi Raul,
I like this topic — I used to think about it a lot when I first started blogging, not so much these days. I like to use the words of a friend of mine, “I treat my posts like my skirts: long enough to cover what’s important, but short enough to keep people interested.”
(Kind of joking there, but I think it’s pretty close to the mark.)
For me, I like to keep them on the shorter side, unless I have a topic to convey that is more about teaching, like my posts about the human body (physiology, molecular biology, science related, etc.).
I think there is room for both and a mix of long and short is what I tend to like to read as well as write.
All that said, I think it is really cool when I read a short post and the ideas are succinct and well written. That’s a hard thing to do. You do that well, Raul, don’t go changin’.
Lori´s last [type] ..Avoiding the Blog Blob
Raul Ojeda Reply:
July 6th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
Hi Lori,
The skirt comparison is very funny and very exact; unfortunately for me I don’t wear skirt!
Funny that for your posts about the human body you have to use a long skirt!
Raul
Raul Ojeda´s last [type] ..Long or Short
Great post!
I also have the same problem with you before thinking of anything to post on my blog. I enjoyed reading through this and I really like what Lori said “I treat my posts like my skirts: long enough to cover what’s important, but short enough to keep people interested.” Ahhh too good!
Raul Ojeda Reply:
July 6th, 2010 at 3:56 pm
Hi Justin,
Yes, Lori hit the nail with that short but precise explanation; I had a good laugh reading it too. Thank you for stopping by.
Raul
Raul Ojeda´s last [type] ..Long or Short
Hi Raul,
I’m not a talker either, and my blog posts are short. I aim for under 500 words, with 3-400 being ideal. What I do find fascinating is I will often write a post which ends up being long, but by the time I edit out all of the fluff, it’s short and to the point.
Maybe it’s me, but I think that which I edited out would only come across as “blah, blah, blah”, so I give it the axe.
That said. I have written long posts but only when I felt all of the words were deemed necessary.
Barbara Swafford´s last [type] ..Click Here
Raul Ojeda Reply:
July 7th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
Hi Barbara,
Yes, your posts are very precise and to the point and personally I like that; like you mention, no unnecessary fluff, while still teaching a lot of stuff or giving interesting topics to think about.
Raul
Raul Ojeda´s last [type] ..Long or Short
Hi Raul – I’ve seen your avatar on Barbara’s blog a few times and curiosity got the better of me.
I try to vary the length of my posts. Sometimes I go on a bit too much and I have to edit what I’ve written. And yes, I suppose I do talk quite a lot.
It’s all too easy to get carried away, then realise your long post could have been ten small ones.
A lot of the time, I think it takes more skill to say less and mean more.
Cath Lawson´s last [type] ..4 Stupid Bucket List Mistakes To Avoid
Raul Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 9:31 am
Hi Cath,
Thank you for stopping by; it seems that the avatar could mean a thousand words then
So there is a relation about talking and writing, based on the comments given.
I suppose up to some point we all like less words with more meaning since there are so many “phrases of wisdom” circulating in the net.
Raul
Hi Raul,
I’m so glad you popped by my blog and now I’ve been enticed to stop by yours. I like it here already.
I’m not a talker at all. However, I love to write and tell stories and do get carried away with the whole art of writing. Good thing I’m an editor because my posts could run on and on forever.
I try to keep them to an average of 500 words and that challenge keeps me on my toes.
Raul Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 9:34 am
Hi Davina,
Maybe when people is not inclined to talk much they might be enticed to get the feelings out by writing; I can definitely identify myself in that group.
Thank you for stopping by and your kind comment
Raul
Raul, I have a huge problem keeping my posts short, and I think that may be because my thoughts don’t go in a nice, short, straight line – you know, from A through B to C. They tend to be more elliptical, circling the point like water down a drain.
This is why I do many drafts of each post, to whittle it down so that at least I won’t be belabouring any points I’ve already made. There’s usually a bit of fluff left to be sure, but I like to hope that readers will just take that as me being me!
Raul Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 9:42 am
Hi Tony,
Keeping thoughts organized! Big problem, hey, I like your avatar, is your drawing? Well it must be, you do drawings, oh yes the water in an elliptical path! But yeah, post could be short depending on the distance between points A and B, good thing you do a draft…you mean like beer? You make beer?! Cool! Like the weather here today…pretty cool.
Do I need to mention that keeping thoughts organized is also my problem? How should be? “Thoughts challenged” or “Organization Challenged” ?
Raul