Blog post size — what works?
There is a feature below the little window in which I write. It’s a Word Count. I watch it while I write my blog posts. Once I hit 100 words, I start to wonder what else I could write to fill up the space.
When I reach 200 words, I start to think I should probably begin the wrap up process.
I get to 300 words and think, ‘no’, plenty more space to add my thoughts.
At 400, I know I must become more concise in my words and start thinking of ways to get my meaning across without using so many words.
Then I hit 500 and all rules suck. Yep. They do. Well … no, not really.
It’s just that at about 500 words, that’s about 2-3 minutes of reading (for the average reader) and pretty much … in a blog … I want to keep it short and sweet.
So that’s what I do … I shoot for 300 – 500 words in my blog posts.
Yes, in some cases, I’ll go shorter. In some, waaaaaaaaaaay longer.
I’ve seen, in some blogs, that posts reach 1000 or 2000 words and I think … does anyone actually read the entire thing? Come on now … really? Honestly? Truthfully? From start to finish?
I figure that most read the first paragraph, maybe the second (if they are large paragraphs) and then move on to something lower, skipping ahead and down farther until they get to the last and go … ‘ooh! great blog post!’
Admit it … you’ve done it. 🙂 I won’t tell.
It’s the same with writing novels, believe you me! Think about the novels you have. Are there big thick passages of narration? Big blocks that look like massive paragraphs? Do you read every word in them? If I were a bettin’ girl, I’d bet not.
So why do that in a blog?
My goal in 2011 is to write my blogs like I write my novels … ‘fast’, filled with white space and with short blips of information interspersed with good detail. Might be a lofty ambition, but hey … that’s me.
The exception? Oh yeah, you had to know there was going to be an exception to the rule, right? 🙂 Well there is … when and if I post any of my novel writing, I shall post the appropriate sized block to get the story across and no way will that be a blip of 500 words. That, my friends, will be waaaaaaaaaaaaay longer (as mentioned before).
So, answer me this … what sized blog post works for you? What will you read all the way through and what will you skim but pretend you’ve read the whole thing?
Hhhhhhmmm. I’m a bit of a funny onion … to please … when it comes to blogs 😛 If a blog is only … say … 100 words long, no pictures, just a snippet of information? I think: why bother? Isn’t that what Twitter, and FB are for? However, if a blog post goes waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay longer than 500 words? It had better contain some darn fine reading material, or be of total relevance to me or a subject I really wish to learn about. Otherwise? Skimming? Nah, I probably won’t make it past the 1st couple of paragraphs 🙂
Yep … my point exactly. 500 words is about all one can take and takes up 200 words just to get through those 2 paragraphs. 🙂 So why do we write them then? 🙂
You’re familiar with my writing. I’m bad with narrative. 🙂 I don’t think my blocks of text are too bad on my blog though. Some of posts get rather long. I’d say between 600-1000 words each.
As for skipping through the text, it really depends on the subject matter. If it’s a review of a book I haven’t read, I immediately cruise the end, avoiding as much as possible to get the rating, and occasionally, the summary. 🙂 If I read the book, I’ll read the post entirely. Informational blogs I’ll read entirely. Status updates I typically cruise through. So I guess in the end, it really depends on the content. Is the content engaging?
As far as books go, I hardly ever cruise through things, unless they’re long descriptions of something like a dresser or scenery… I also cruise through sex scenes after the first one. Though I write erotica, I get bored reading too much of it. I know that’s bad but true.
Ha! You’d cruise through your own stuff! 😉 Informational blogs? I still skim. Can’t not. Just can’t. Unless you’ve (the collective you of the writing world and beyond) hooked me entirely in the first paragraph, nope, nope, nope. 🙂
After the 1st or 2nd sex scene, I’d likely cruise through my own stuff if it didn’t vary. I’m really a plot girl. Sex, fights, anything not dealing directly with the plot is extra for me. The first 1 or 2 are fun, after that I just want to get on with the story.
I think it’s because a lot of authors are repetitious with sex and fights. If they can keep each scene unique, then I’m all for it, but that’s a rare occurrence.
i don’t read really long blogs and I try to keep mine as short as possible. sometimes my posts go over my 500 word limit but I really try to think about the reader when I post so I don’t bore them. I try to think of me as the reader, not the writer, when I write my blogs. I’m still a newbie but I think I’m getting better. Thanks for the post! I didn’t skip any of it. 🙂
Jen — your last comment there made me nearly snort out my tea. I’m so glad you didn’t skip this one. It’s about 500 words. Ha! 🙂