How To Make Shorter Posts? Help End My Addiction

[Maya Norton]

I have a problem, a basic blogging problem that I know you can help me with.

My posts are too long. I am a perfectionist and although I know that great editing makes good writing, I have gotten into a pattern of wanting to provide encyclopedic entries instead of Cliff's Notes.

Is it an addiction? I don't know, but I do know that your expertise will help bump me out of it. What do you say...

Maya

The New Jew: Blogging Jewish Philanthropy
www.TheNewJew.wordpress.com

[Maya Norton]

Hi Simon,

As I said to Emma, sorry not to have responded earlier, but I didn't get these comments sent to me as I sometimes do.

The 200 words versus 20 is certainly a challenge to be overcome for the sake of your content and readers, but I don't think that the answer for me is a blogging platform that would unilaterally limit this. (I find comment boxes that limit you to a very low number of characters patently annoying.)

How have your experiments with Twitter been going?

Maya

[Peter-Bersbach Consulting]

Twitter I think has it's place and does force you to 140, but some thing just can not be said in 140 correctly. I like the comment about content. I always remember more adding value to the conversation. In some cases 140 can do it. Others times you need more.

Peter Bersbach
Bersbach Consulting

[Claudia]

Hi Maya,
I have the same problem too. I guess I just have a lot to say.

As a reader, I don't mind long posts. But I find, both as a reader and as a writer, that bold headings along the way help to break things up and let people skim if they want.

Also, (and this is one area in which I'd like to improve), images help break things up too. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. Luke has a nice post on his blog that demonstrates use of images really well.

[Maya Norton]

Hi Claudia,

Thanks for your comments.

Luke's post is a nice example of one way to use photos, but as my posts are very content oriented, this style doesn't align with my own.

Agreed that scannable text with bullets and bolding are always the way to go for blog entries.

Maya

Reference:
The New Jew: Blogging Jewish Philanthropy

[Maya Norton]

By the way, I don't think we've met before, so it's nice to make your acquaintance. :)

Maya

[Claudia]

Hey Maya,
I see that you do use a lot of headings in your blog. And I like the link to Read more.

I have the same problem as you do with photos. If you're writing about a concept, it's hard to come up with a picture. And I think the gratuitous irrelevant picture is probably worse than no picture at all.

Nice to meet you too!

[bmtrnavsky]

I personally try to come up with a good mix of long very substantive posts and shorter this is what I think about that type posts. If I feel like it is getting REALLY long I will try to break the post int 2, 3 or even 4 parts if I can logically do that, and spread it out over several days. I also think this makes your site a bit stickier and also keeps it consistently updated with fresh content.

Just my thoughts...

[Maya Norton]

Thanks, appreciated.

I think breaking it into parts only works if each part can also stand on its own, much like a children's book series.

Maya