Blogger vs Writer; Part Deux

In a previous post I stated that I was a blogger, not a writer. Many have asked what the difference is. I have been both in my life. I'll try to explain.

I know many accomplished bloggers. Most are not what you would call great writers. I have several friends who are accomplished authors but most of them have a hard time being a good blogger.

A writer has many pages to relate his tale and can go into greater depths of imagery and emotion to get his point across. A blogger is more like a stand-up comedian who has to hit you hard and fast to achieve the desired response.

People who read books, and I am one of them, make time to absorb the information made available to them. If they pick up a book it is because it is something that interests them. The artistry woven into the words captivates them; keeping their attention for long periods of time.

Blog readers (I'm one of these as well) are usually cyber-junkies who bounce from one page to the next. Giving them multi-page narratives will only get you the "TLDNR" (too long, did not read) comment. If they drop by your site and see anything over a couple of thousand words long; you better hope they are one of your loyal readers, because the others will not stay around long enough to read it.

Most good Bloggers tend to use fewer obscure words and references. Their grammar and punctuation is often wrong. Mis-spelled words abound (even with spell-checker). But they know how to relate to their reader and what keeps them coming back for more.

Most writers find it difficult to shrink what should be a book down into a few paragraphs and still get their point across. The good bloggers do this without even thinking about it, but would have a hard time expanding their piece into a book.

Some out there are great bloggers; some are great writers. There are very few that are both.

Your thoughts?