Can You Write Short and Long Pieces Simultaneously?
Wil Wheaton recently posted this snippet on his blog:
most people can’t write for a book and a blog at the same time, because our brains get different kinds of feedback and rewards from each. For most of us, if we had to pick, we’ll write in our blogs because the feedback and interaction is more immediate and rewarding, and it trains us to write short bursts instead of longer narrative pieces.
I think he’s right on the money, but it’s not just blogging that can train you away from writing a longer work. I’ve been pitching and writing articles in addition to my uber-fun blog posts instead of working on my book. And we won’t even get started on Twitter–I turned off my wireless network last night so I could write instead of tweeting. That is why I’m stuck in the 30K range instead of the 70K range I had thought I would be at by now.
That doesn’t mean I’m planning to abandon this blog or Pop Culture Curmudgeon or even my articles. The piece I’m researching on teacher retention seems really interesting, and I definitely want to see it through. But I’m going to have to better compartmentalize my writing to help ensure forward progress on my novel.
What do you think? How do you balance the different types of writing you do?
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Categories: Uncategorized, writing