The moral to The Tortoise And The Hare applies to bloggers. You are either a sprinter or a marathoner.
Don’t go all guilt-ridden. Neither is better. They are just different.
Are you a sprinter?
Sprinters are the rocket-writers. They write quickly and smoothly. They can punch out a post, an e-book or a podcast in a flash. They start quickly, explode with a short burst of energy, have a short flight and a rapid descent.
The danger of being a sprinter is that you’ll rush through it. You will hit all the notes but not get the nuisances of phrasing. You’ll load your musket but not tamp down the wadding. You’ll write a paragraph like this one and not go back and fix it.
The good thing about sprinters is they speak and write from their hearts. They are in touch with their emotions, and their stories flow.
Sprinters are like film makers. The trick to being a good sprinter is to schedule larger blocks of time. Less days, more time per session. Sprinters need to write each scene. And they need someone, even if it is you, to splice all of the spurts together.
Are you a marathoner?
Tortoise writers work everyday, usually for set hours. They need a steady schedule. They work at a steady pace. A daily or weekly page or word goal is common for tortoises.
Tortoises are like craftsman woodworkers using hand tools. They take time and care. The process is slow but precise. Each line or paragraph is shaped and reshaped. Tortoises work with the grain.
Good Writing
Both styles of writing can produce good work. It is not better to be a tortoise or a hare. It is vital to be who you are. Don’t fight against your natural inclinations. Don’t sprint if you are a tortoise. Don’t plod if you are a hare. Find your style and stick with it.
Sprinters and marathons can be good writers. But to be great, you need a great editor.