I coined a new term today called Macro-blogging which I shared in an exchange I had with @ChrisBrogan on twitter. He made a comment about the rather short blog posts he’s been reading so far this year and wondered if it was a new trend. I replied with the following tweet:
“@chrisbrogan I noticed the Hemmingway effect spreading amongst bloggers. Less is more is the credo for the new Macro-blogging age.”
I followed up with this tweet which Chris retweeted:
“By Macro-blogging, I mean zooming in on particular details as in photos instead of using the usual wide angle lens trying to cover too much”
Someone said they didn’t understand what I meant, saying Macro means bigger. My response was this:
”Large in the sense of zooming in closer, not larger as in volume or quantity. More Focus, less words”
The Magnifying Glass Theory
In a way, it was apropos that I shared my Macro-blogging term with Chris Brogan first because we’ve had conversations in the past on a similar subject matter. He had a saying that shared his view on the power of focus:
“The sun can warm a field of daisies or it can burn a hole through metal”
It’s a quote that stuck with me as I have a tendency to lose focus and try to do too much at once. It’s a sickness that’s spread throughout this digital age where we all try to get as much done as possible. The imagery of the same ray of sunshine warming daisies versus the burning hole from the laserbeam of light makes it all very clear. Staying focused is more powerful that spreading yourself too thin.
Less is More
The same goes for blogging and writing about any subject matter. We can try to cover a great deal of ground surrounding a topic (sometimes just to showoff) and take away valuable focus and attention from the heart of the piece or we can devote more time to the real subject matter. Ultimately, it’s a choice every writer makes with every thing we write.
Just as in macro photography where the photographer can zoom in ultra close to reveal rarely seen details of its subject matter, so, too, can writers with the subjects we take aim at. Do we want the wide angle lens viewpoint (which is fine and necessary for some pieces) or do we want to get up close and personal to share as much detail as possible with less words?
Why is the less is more theory so effective and popular? Some would say that it’s because of our microwave society with increasingly shorter attention spans, others will argue that it’s actually conducive for people with hectic schedules with work and busy family life. Either way, it’s impacted every area of our lives. It’s most evident in entertainment as TV shows, motion pictures and even books attempt to grab their audience (reader) by the throat right from the gate. The slow burn and build-up of yesterday is rarely seen but still exists and succeeds from time to time though.
Choose The Right Lens (Pen)
The good news is that we have the freedom to choose the tools and approach we want to use. It’s up to each one of us to choose the right lens (pen) for the job at hand. Would the subject be better served with the wide lens, the macro lens or something in between? The ultimate goal should be to capture its essence and truth as clearly and as effectively as possible.
photo credit: Clearly Ambitious
