Article length

**P* G* <e*@hamptons.com>**

My regular Organic Approach column for Horticulture (sorry, Andrew, but while my pieces are short I don't think they are either inconsequential or or limited value!) is nominally 400 words. I like that length for the column, which is designed to introduce readers who garden "conventionally" -- that is, with chemicals -- to other less hazardous ways of doing things. I get a nice big photo, or series of photos, to show what I'm writing about. If a subject needs more, I do a feature for the magazine.

One thousand words . . . oh, just acres to roll around in! If it can't be written in 1,000 words maybe it should become two separate pieces.

I've spent more time as a copy editor, factchecker, and editor than as a writer, and to be honest I think some writers (only some!) benefit from the discipline of writing to a shorter length than they might prefer. And if something I wrote had to be severely reduced, I would never let anyone else do it if they offered me that opportunity!

Peter Garnham
editor@hamptons.com
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