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As silly as this might sound, I have grown quite accustomed to framing my thoughts into two very different lengths – 140 characters and 1200 words. The first, of course, is for Twitter. The second, however, comes from the few years that I wrote for a local entertainment rag. The article which I was to hand in was usually the same article I wrote the month prior, but with the details swapped out. These articles were always 1200 to 1300 words.
It’s a hard train of thought to get out of, that 1200 word rut. Two pages of single-spaced, 10-point font. 1200 words is enough time to devise a witty introduction, delve into a bit of history, make three solid points, and then wrap up in an earnest fashion. Despite how formulaic this seems, it’s a formula for a reason – it works.
However, 1200 words on the internet is, well, an eternity. Correction, it’s an eternity when the hook doesn’t warrant it. It’s funny, I got started writing ahem “professional” non-fiction online before making the jump to print. Now that I’m coming back, I’m having issues dealing with a lack of a newshole. So, as I’m wrapping things up here on the construction side, expect to see a higher volume of material, just not in the oh-so-familiar 1200 word length.
Oh, and for the record, 140 characters is the perfect length for being an asshole.
Bradley Robb likes TV and books, and has an intense dislike for cinnamon. Once, Bradley stopped a Soviet T-60 with his middle finger. Bradley writes speculative fiction and edits Fiction Matters, and never really got the hang of talking about himself in the third person.