How Writing Short Articles Work For Me
Fitting a big idea concisely into a few hundred words is a skill
I Miss Our Little Games Part 2
I appreciate how you turn on the shower for me, ensuring the temperature is just right before I step in. I love how you run your hands through my hair working the shampoo thoroughly from my scalp down to the ends, reaching to my waist.
It is incredibly relaxing. Your touch is pure magic.
Well, the body wash won’t apply itself now, will it?
This is part 2 (as per my readers’ request) of a love story short I published 2 days ago.
4 reasons why I write at least one short form per week
✅It’s great for maintaining consistency in both writing and publishing pace.
✅Less time-intensive. For those who are interested — it took 10 minutes to write and already earned $10. Not bad for 150 words.
My other short form of this week is currently at $16. 👇
✅They are an excellent way of reaching some readers who exclusively read short forms.
❓Are you one of them? Do you tend to shy away from the 10,12, 15, and even 20-minute articles that seem to be everywhere now?👀What’s up with that?🤷♀️
✅Being able to write brief, digestible, and compelling shorts while ensuring audiences grasp its purpose easily has become all the more important from a social media content writing perspective as this excerpt explains: “These days, so much of the content we consume is from our phone. People are increasingly time-poor, and so content needs to be easily accessible on the go.”
What does this mean?
It means that nowadays, a significant portion of the content people engage with comes from their mobile phones.
The emphasis is on the need for content to be mobile-friendly and readily available to cater to the preferences and lifestyles of people who may not have the luxury of dedicating extended periods to consuming content in a fixed location.
❓I’m curious, do you read on your desktop or cell phone? Do you think readers who are not writers do the same?
However, it can be a challenge for some to be able to condense an entire story or article into a few hundred words.
As an editor for The Shortform, I see writers struggle with 3 things:
1️⃣Sticking to the 150-word count.
It’s easy — if I were to highlight the text I have written thus far, my word count would appear at the top left-hand corner of my Medium draft and that helps keep me on track.
2️⃣Their words are all over the place.
In other words, some are unable to encapsulate the key idea, storyline, or argument concisely in 150 words.
3️⃣A complete lack of clarity and coherence.
I am guessing that their regular readers might be able to decipher what the writer is trying to say based on context from previous articles but for someone like me who is reading them for the first time, it’s challenging to grasp.
Most of my articles are between the 1-minute and 5-minute range. I tend to do a mix of short and longform articles and that works for me.
🎈How about you? What are your thoughts on writing 1- 2 minutes as opposed to long forms?
