Citing multiple sources, Re/code reports that Twitter is preparing to launch the new feature before the end of the first quarter. Twitter is reportedly considering a 10,000-character limit -- the same limit as for its existing Direct Messages service.

As it stands, resourceful users already know how to sidestep Twitter’s character restraints by tweeting pictures of text blocks -- commonly referred to as “screenshorts” -- or a series of numbered tweets. Yet these workarounds have only added to what average users -- i.e., most people -- see as Twitter’s cluttered complexity.   

Twitter is presently under intense pressure to right its core business, which most analysts believe means simplifying its services and appealing to more users.

More broadly, longer-form content platforms appear to be making something of a comeback.

Medium, the content platform pioneered by Twitter co-founder Evan Williams, is doing well, and just raised $57 million to do even better.

Separately, Facebook recently reimagined its neglected Notes service as a platform for reading and writing long-form content, while Tumblr just rolled out support for long-form content.