When Few Words Do Trick

When I initially started writing on this version of my blog I wanted to do everything by the book. I’ve read guides, I’ve read books and I felt like I was ready.

In the beginning I was trying to hit at least 800 words per post, as that was the length recommended by most guides I’ve read at the time. It was supposed to help with SEO. Try as I might, the best I could do was 600 something words max.

Well that’s discouraging.

In chasing a high number of words/post I would also use lots of filler sentences, that didn’t really need to be there tbh. I was trying too hard to create a “successful” blog. Problem was, I didn’t really define what “success” meant to me.

I didn’t see myself writing blog posts on a constant schedule, and definitely not for the rest of my life. I hate ads, so I wasn’t going to monetize the blog that way, I don’t use analytics either so I couldn’t really measure visits.

After thinking for a while, I realized that I don’t really care about any kind of metrics. All I care about is that I have my own little corner of the internet. A safe space where I can share my thoughts and hopefully help some weary internet travelers along their way.

The initial idea of creating a “successful” blog came to me from the book “The Art and Business of Online Writing”, by Nicolas Cole. I still consider it to be a pretty good read. It still pushed me to do something I wouldn’t have otherwise done, and the writing itself is quite engaging. But my idea of success doesn’t revolve around making money from writing, so it kinda made me start with the wrong expectations.

I’ve also read “How to Start a Blog” by Flavio Copes some time ago. It kinda resonated with me more. It has a completely different point of view, and it also encouraged me not to write long blog posts if I don’t have to.

After reading Flavio’s book, my passion for blogging was reignited and this time I wasn’t going to chase any kind of vanity metrics.

I have come to the conclusion that few words might actually do trick most of the time (try telling that to any of your professors).

So don’t strive for long word counts, define your goals and strive for content that aligns with them.

_{Note: I haven’t seen The Office, I just watched some shorts.}