Petzal's articles ARE shallower and shorter than O'Connor's. This isn't so much because he writes them that way, but because that's what MOST magazine editors believe is the correct way to momentarily catch and hold the short attention span of the modern, TV- and Internet-oriented reader.
In the 30 or so years since I sold my first magazine article (on flyfishing in the winter to, of all places, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED) the average magazine "feature" has dropped from an average of 3000 words to under 2000. Some places (such as F&S) are running 1200 word "features."
This used to be the length of a column, and a short one at that. Some magazines run 500 words per column, which is just enough to say hello and then good-by. All of this supposedly attracts more time-stressed readers.
From what I can see it ain't working. RIFLE, HANDLOADER and SUCCESSFUL HUNTER all regularly run features of 3000 and sometimes 4000 words, and columns run 1000 words. According to the current publishing wisdom, readers should feel overwhelmed and/or bored with all those long articles, yet all three magazines are increasing in circulation.
MD
