[randomsearch]

Or something like:

“””

“I’ve always hated coffee” said Joe Bloggs, sipping his chai latte as he sits somewhat dishevelled in a grey overcoat that insulates him against the wintry London weather. The Hackney coffeehouse he chose for this interview specialises in Peruvian blends, an apt reflection of his latest film set in South America.

... (insert interview)

... Joe, for one, will be hoping reviews for his next film is more of a blend than a roast.

“””

[lz400]

I've never realized how much I hate that meandering and how difficult it's becoming to go through those overlong pieces until I saw it verbalized in this thread.

[Pimpus]

I know the kind of article you mean. I always exit them quickly. If that style helps in SEO, surety it is offset by people not wanting to read that kind of crap. Funny post, though.

[seanwilson]

I really don't think people do it for SEO reasons. People that do that for SEO tend to write text that is on-topic but explain simple things in drawn out ways using lots of related keywords.

I think people that write articles that start with long anecdotes (which are usually linked back to in the end) are trying to emulate the writing style you'd usually see in newspapers and magazine going back decades. It doesn't work well on the web I feel when there's an abundance of information where you're trying to filter through what's useful to read and what isn't. It's different when you're e.g. reading a magazine and have limited articles to pick from.

[adrianratnapala]

> It doesn't work well on the web

It doesn't work in magazines and newspapers either, but certain writerly circles (mostly American ones) consist of telling each other that this kind of fluff is a good idea.

You will find this kind of writing in Time magazine, but not in The Economist. Which is one of many reasons why TE is a better paper.

[Gibbon1]

I call that 'NPR style' and it's literary cancer.

[adrianratnapala]

Literary, but not literally, thank heavens.