Phil Friedman

7 years ago · 1 min. reading time · ~10 ·

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Brevity Is Over-Rated

Brevity Is Over-Rated

Brevity Is Over-RatedIf I Do Say So Myself N Philosophical Musings With an Edge Brevity Is Over-Rated And Short Ain't Always Sweet

AND SHORT AIN'T ALWAYS SWEET...


Sometimes to express a great idea...
Takes more than just a Tweet. 

Phil Friedman in If I Do Say So Myself

Some people tell me my posts are too long. But I always wonder too long for what? And occasionally a reader will comment that a piece of mine was "on the long side", but he or she felt compelled to read it through to the end. To which I say good. For length in a written work should be tailored to the ideas to be expressed, and not to some arbitrary limit. Enough said.
— Phil Friedman


Author's Notes:  If you'd care to sample some of my other, longer work, here are some links:

"Three Points of Advice to My Teenage Daughter"

"Six Life Lessons for Today from Chung King"

"Conversations With My Wife About My Writing"


If you'd  like to receive notifications of my writings on a regular basis, click the [FOLLOW] button on my beBee profile.

As a writer-friend of mine says, you can always change your mind later.

Feel free to "like" and "share" this post and my other LinkedIn articles — whether on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or Google+, provided only that you credit me properly as the author, and include a live link to my original post.


About me, Phil Friedman:  With 30 some years background in the marine industry, I've worn numerous hats — as a yacht designer, boat builder, marine operations and business manager, marine industry consultant, marine marketing and communications specialist, yachting magazine writer and editor, yacht surveyor, and marine industry educator. I am also trained and experienced in interest-based negotiation and mediation. In a previous life, I taught logic and philosophy at university.


Brevity Is Over-RatedIf I Do Say So Myself N Philosophical Musings With an Edge Brevity Is Over-Rated And Short Ain't Always Sweet
The (optional-to-read) pitch: As a professional writer, editor, university educator, and speaker, with more than 1,000 print and digital publications, I've recently launched an online program for enhancing your expository writing: learn2engage — With Confidence. My mission is to help writers and would-be writers improve the clarity of their thought, master the logic of discussion, and strengthen their ability to deal confidently with disagreement.

To schedule an appointment for a free 1/2-hour consult email: info@learn2engage.org. 
                

Text Copyright 2016 by Phil Friedman — All Rights Reserved
Images Credits:  Phil Friedman, and Google Images


Brevity Is Over-RatedIf I Do Say So Myself N Philosophical Musings With an Edge Brevity Is Over-Rated And Short Ain't Always Sweet



"
#Phil Friedman #Tweet #Enough #Notes #Brevity
Comments

Lada 🏡 Prkic

5 years ago #21

Phil, now I understand what you said about the mangled images which made much of your long-form articles unpresentable. I don't have such a problem with my posts. You gave me an idea of how to publish a short buzz as a long-form post on Producer. The Abot Me section must have more than 200 words. :)) Joking aside, I never thought of your posts as long because your contents are always appealing to readers which is evident in the size of the comment sections. It is not about the length of the post, but about the level of engagement with readers.

Phil Friedman

5 years ago #20

#30
Good question, Gerald Hecht, moreover, how many SM platforms will die from the same failure to differentiate between worthy content and pure BS unalderated with even an iota of genuine intelligence? What say you? I can’t make it out. The buzzing in my ears is too loud.

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #19

#27
Praveen, it seems to me to depend on the objective for the piece of writing.?if it's a sales pitch, then you want readers to complete it comfortably and not be turned off or turn away feeling your wasting their time. But if you have something to say, then you take the space you need to sayit. For what is the point of getting people to read something that is without meaning to you as an author?

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #18

#25
Thank you, Franci, for saying so. I agree that the over-riding principle is that the right length is the length required to sa ywhat you have to say, no longer and no shorter.

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #17

#23
Well then, Karen, this ditty is hereby dedicated to you. Thank you for reading and commenting.

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #16

For the record, everyone. The title of the piece, the deck (sub-title) and the two highlighted lines of article text form a 4-line stanza, that is supposed to be a poem, but of course, may qualify only as a bit of doggerel. I know it isn't obvious, but sometimes I can be too clever for my own good.. Cheers!

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #15

#15
Thank you, Franci Eugenia Hoffman, for the kind words. But you and I both know that sometime my keyboard runneth over. Cheers.!

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #14

#14
I guess, mohammed khalaf, I have toi agree with most of what you say. My problem in talking about the "culture" of the publisher is, however, that I have yet to meet a publisher who had the least bit of culture, nor any editor, for that matter. (Just kidding, of course ) Thank you for reading and commenting..

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #13

#13
Yes, Larry Boyer, I agree entirely. That, BTW, is what a "lead" paragraph is for, namely, to draw the reader in to reading more.. Then hopefully once in the midst of the piece, the readers will find it worthwhile to slog on through to the end. Thank you for reading and commenting. Cheers!

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #12

#11
Laura Melguizo Pérez, yes, that is the long and the short of it. Thank you for reading and commenting. Cheers!

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #11

#10
Thank you, Renato, for saying so. But it needed to be so in order to redress all of the words I've in the past dumped out on the universe. Cheers!

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #10

#9
Well, that could be, Dean Owen, that neither of us is overly bright. But if so, let us go forth together to darken the night... or the day... or whatever... I never could get that straight. :-)

mohammed khalaf

7 years ago #9

well done when you writing long post because we know culture of publisher from during what you published

Larry Boyer

7 years ago #8

Quality beats length. A well written piece may engage a reader longer than they expected or a short one leaving them wanting more. Focus on your quality. And if you need some help talk with Phil Friedman,

Larry Boyer

7 years ago #7

It's a great point Phil Friedman. How long something seems can also be a related to expectations and quality. While you mentioned a post a reader thought was long it was clearly engaging enough for them to read it all and comment on it! Maybe their expectation was out of alignment but clearly you've illustrated the importance of quality over length for anyone and that you can do that for others with your services. Outstanding, "short" piece.

Dean Owen

7 years ago #6

#8
Phil Friedman, I did not pick up on that, but that doesn't mean it wasn't obvious, it could just mean I am not very bright!

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #5

Thank you Milos Djukic, and Phillippe Chaniet, for reading and commenting. For my information going forward, when reading this piece, was it obvious or hidden that the title and the deck (sub-title) are the first two lines of a poem (or piece of doggerel, take your pick), and that the highlighted two lines in the piece complete the stanza? I ask because sometimes one can be too clever for one's own good. Cheers!

Milos Djukic

7 years ago #4

The length is an irrelevant parameter. what is worth can be long or short. Language itself is not enough, we also need fractals and strings of different length. The message is sometimes very complicated, while used words are pretty simple or vice versa.

Dean Owen

7 years ago #3

That was too short Phil Friedman. It is Sunday morning and now what am I going to do? I already know Mohammad Ali's life back to front...

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #2

#3
Well Phillippe Chaniet, most activity on social media is self advertising, but I draw your attention to 1) this piece, though brief, does express a complete idea of, I think, value. And 2) it also gives three links to some of my best previous pieces -- and their is value in that too. Thank you for reading and commenting.

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #1

#1
Change of pace, Jim Cody, change of pace. Thank you, as always, for reading and commenting. And for your support. Cheers!

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