I discovered mini-essays this weekend via the YouTube channel of Odysseas. A mini essay is a 300-500 word essay focused on a single concept. It encourages writing and all the benefits that come with it by keeping your target length short and acknowledges that not every idea you have requires a 3000 word post.
It reminds me of atomic notes, which I and many others do in Obsidian where each note is relatively brief and then over time notes becomes links of other notes. It provides for note composability.
I recently casted that while I’m deriving many benefits from writing daily the pace of it means I don’t write about the things I’m thinking the most about, since they feel like they should be longer essays. I also recently wrote about how transformative I think Rounds.wtf is for decentralized social but how because of that it’s an intimidating topic to write about.
Both of these cases would benefit from smaller composable essays focused on making a single point that I (and others) can build on top of to create longer pieces that describe more complex thoughts.
The benefits of mini-essays extend to readers as well. When we are content snacking or otherwise moving quickly, mini-essays offer a balance of depth and brevity. They provide readers with a substantial idea in a digestible format, allowing for quick consumption of meaningful content. As a result, this could mean more frequent engagement with my ideas, as they can easily read and reflect on a mini-essay. Additionally, the focused nature of mini-essays can lead to more targeted discussions and feedback, potentially fostering a more engaged and interactive community around my writing. By offering these bite-sized pieces of thought, I can potentially reach a wider audience and create more touchpoints for intellectual exchange.
I’m leaning towards continuing to write after my 30 day challenge is up but making mini-essays like this one a big part of it.