The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan (May 16, 2008)

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16 May 2008 01:06 pm

Posts vs Essays?

A blog post is all about getting new ideas and news out there in a timely or spontaneous fashion to kick-start conversations. The writing should be as clear and stylish as possible under the the quick turnaround timeframe that goes hand in hand with posting five days a week. And of course facts should be accurate. But beyond a perfunctory breaking news report, an an article is something that one could think of as growing out of a blog post -- a piece of work that involves more long, hard thinking, in-depth and/or wide-ranging interviews and perspectives, and a refined style.

Some readers have noted a contrast in tone and style between posts on this blog and my columns or essays. You bet. It's a question of different platforms, idioms and ways of writing. I have found that blogging and long-form writing, while distinct, can nonetheless catalyze one another. Many columns have emerged from a week of blogging. And some essays come out of months of blogging. Long-form pieces are deliberately more mellow, considered and less inflammatory than blog posts. But I'm not schizophrenic - just adjusting to the newly varied ways in which a writer can express himself.

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