Long Entries Or Short Entries?

Here's a question I've been grappling with lately, and I'd like to hear your thoughts on the subject:

* When you blog, do you prefer doing fewer, longer entries or more, shorter entries?

* How about when you read someone one's blog? Is your answer the same, or different?

Personally, when I blog, I like doing longer entries, since it lets me flex my writing chops. Most of what I do in my day-to-day work is in e-mail and IMs -- it's all short and to the point, and there's not a lot of time for clever wordplay or skillfully turned phrases.

Granted, writing shorter pieces is usually more challenging than running long, since you have to be clear, concise and focused -- you have to be more ruthless in what you cut versus what you keep.

The thing about longer entries is that you have more room to roam. You can examine other viewpoints, go off on tangents and come back, link off to related items, provide background information and the like.

Of course, sometimes you just want to say "Hey, check out this link," which is fine, too. But I like writing the longer posts, myself.

Now, when it comes to reading entries -- it largely depends on the skill of the writer, although I don't like entries where, like, every other word is a hyperlink off to somewhere. Say something original, darn you!

Anyway, how about you all?

Thanks -- Joe

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This entry has 14 comments: (Add your own)

#14 Comment from pagadan
2/25/06 7:51 PM | Permalink

I prefer short entries; I tend to be succinct. My e-mails and posts are usually short too; and when I reply to same, I often break the replies up. (I focus!) And I add blog entries as frequently as I come across something interesting or helpful. I just started adding quotes about homes from fiction, which I think is fun. Check out my quotes from The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency and Bitter is the New Black: http://journals.aol.com/pagadan/JoysJournal/
#13 Comment from lurkynat
2/22/06 1:42 PM | Permalink

interesting
natalie
#12 Comment from mavarin
2/21/06 11:30 PM | Permalink

I don't have a knack for short entries. I have to wrestle a topic into submission, no matter how long it takes. I enjoy long entries by others if they're well-written and coherent (and Bea, yours are!).

Still, sometimes I break things up with an entry of photos and one-liners.
#11 Comment from randlprysock
2/21/06 10:23 PM | Permalink

I think I'm the "queen" of long and quite possibly dull entries about mommy ups n downs... but it is good relief for me. I don't think readers may enjoy all the details I sometimes put into my entries, but I'm with you Joe, long entries are my preference most of the time. I enjoy examining all sides of an issue... even if it is a topic such as kool aid. You can talk about the price of it, the flavor, your personal favorite, each member of your family preferences, your best friend's favs... then expand to what happens to a mother's mood with kool aid on carpet, offer unsoicited but free advice on how to remove stains from such subject... and then you can go off on a tangent about how nifty it is that manufacturers have made one that changes colors. Then you can post a kool aid smile and come up with a clever title and voila, it may even end up being the best post of the year.
Hugs,
Lisa
#10 Comment from bgilmore725
2/21/06 8:11 PM | Permalink

Anyone who has visited my journal knows that most of my entries are sort of long, well, maybe really long. Some would say, unforgivingly long... but I am writing for myself, and often I am working through my thoughts, trying to figure out what I really believe about God, my self, and this world we live in.

I admire brevity in one's journal, and have honestly thought I could do the same, but it has happened so rarely that I'm thinking it's a skill I lack. I enjoy the longer entries of others if the topic is something the journaler knows a lot about, like Mavarin's entry on fantasy and her research of book publishers. Or Cyndy's thyroid series, or Lori's experience looking for a new home, making the purchase, packing, and closing the deal. I also like Joe's informative entries that teach me to maneuver around J-land with ease, especially when accompanied by graphics and links, like this one. That is the short and long of it. Bea

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Long Entries Or Short Entries?