My second rule for posting is that my posts won’t be longer than 500 words. I’ve created this rule for at least four reasons.
First, I want to actually post. In the past, I’ve spent hours writing an essay or blog and lost interest in posting it because, after staring at my words for so long, it seemed unremarkable. The post quality didn’t matter, my brain thought it was garbage because it spent so much time with them. Limiting myself to 500 words sends a message to my brain that “this post won’t be the best, but that’s by design.” If your goal is to write something for anyone to read, whatever strategy gets you to click “post” more is probably the best.
Second, most short-form content needs to be improved and most long-form content needs to be shortened. Most quality commentary can be reduced to under 1000 words and the core substance wouldn’t be lost, and most short-form content is just brain rot. My goal with writing only 500 words is that it sprouts hundreds more in the minds of my readers.
Third, writing short is a deeper statement of the kind of person I want to be. After a long writing session, I feel gross, a similar feeling to when I spend hours scrolling social media or YouTube. Yes, I did something valuable and productive, but I also felt like I neglected something else more important, like exercising, spending time with other people, or reading.
I feel like an obsessive person if I do anything that I’m not being paid to do for longer than 90 minutes, and that includes writing. I want to commit myself to my loved ones, work a stable job, exercise, and experience cultural events like watching a football game or going to a festival. If I ever “make it” as a writer, I’d prefer to do so from an emergent process that’s compatible with that lifestyle.
When I limit my word length, I signal to myself that I’m not an obsessive person and that I can live a balanced lifestyle with diverse, rich experiences.
Last, writing short makes me feel like a writer. With the word limit, I can never go truly in great depth about anything, but I can write more often because getting to 500 words is easy for me.
I can write off the cuff, stop when a thought ends, edit it down for quality, and then continue with a related idea on another day. I have no expectation that my writing will ever be “done,” but I’m more inclined to think like a writer throughout the week. It’s fun and challenging, but the process is no longer daunting because I no longer see it as a massive task.
The fruit of this process: I’ve written in the last few weeks (sans a holiday) than I’ve written the rest of the year. Here’s to many more!