I write my review then go back and see if I duplicated any info or if I said things that aren't necessary. I often give a little history of how I came upon the product or service and I won't cut that even if it means going longer.

I try to write tight but when I cut things out JUST because I don't want to go long, I feel I short changed the reader. I guess it's a matter of saying what you want to say in as many words as you need to say it.

The best thing I have found to do is to recap my opinion at the top of the review in case people want to just get the gist of things. Then I feel I can go into a bit more detail. I break up the review into pieces so people can skip what they don't care to read. I leave out things that they can get on the websites like ingredients (unless they are for vitamins or nutrition items), packaging, and other things that aren't necessary. I have written long reviews and felt anything less would not do the product/service/experience justice.

Great, that sounds like my thoughts exactly.  If I feel like the info is helpful, I break it into categories with headings so ppl can skip around.  For this particular review, I had a lot I wanted to say because there was a lot of information that the website didn't really tell me and I did a TON of research and asked TONS of questions on travel boards for help, so I feel like I might save the reader some time by writing everything up I wanted to :)

I could easily cover more!  I have more in my head right now, but if the reader wants to know more, they can always ask me :)  So I guess I decided my limit by not discussing those things and I shouldn't cut out anything else.

I tend to write short. In school, if the assignment was 15-20 pages, I'd come in with 13. I could have padded but didn't. The teachers never had a prob with it. The consensus was that I write tight.

Here I write what I have to say and hit publish. Some are longer and some shorter. I never worry much about length.

Then I go back and see all the typos (-: Bummer. Everything looks just dandy until it's up and live.

Mostly movie reviews is what I write. 

I also tend to give a summation of my opinion within the first two paragraphs of my review.   Then I play around a bit with both structure and tone of the review to make is interesting to me and so the reader hopefully experiences something a little different than a run of the mill movie review.

Eventually I will go into the movie's plot but I rarely rush into the details because I don't want to spoil things for readers.  So... readers can bow out of my reviews if they don't want to know much about the movie or they can keep reading.

If they keep reading loyal readers know I will never SPOIL an important plot point or reveal a surprise UNLESS I indicate  SPOILER  ... SPOILER ALERT.

I might discuss a particularly compelling or particularly awful scene in the movie.  I will mention acting and directing and quite often something about the writing of the script and probably the look of the film.

I may mention other films in the same genre or that have similar plots or have in common writers, directors, stars.

Then I may mention DVD special features.

I'll probably sum things up about my opinion of the film at the end.

These reviews range from fairly long to what some would consider very long.

Every once in a while I will write a extremely long detailed special analysis of a film, perhaps because I have quite a bit of knowledge about the film or feel I bring some insight to the table that some people will enjoy reading about.

I have done very short capsule reviews.  They actually take more time than you think to write.  I give a very brief rundown of basic plot (as in a couple of lines) mention my over-all impressions, one or two major pros and cons and that's it... done.    However....I am rarely happy or feel this is a fair way to review a film.

Sometimes I will do lists.... These include short capsule to medium length reviews of films I mention.  They take a very very long time to write since they represent 5 to 10 movies or more.  If I have already written a longer review of the movie, I may capsulize the review and do a link in the list review.

Trying to hard to convince someone about your opinion or being overly repititive will add length and make the review feel much too long.  These are mistakes everyone has probably made and may make again.   Finding the right balance, playing with tone and descriptive sentences is what keeps things interesting for me.

Keep writing.

Read someone you have never read before.... TODAY.

 

 

That is a great point, especially for me, since I tend to get, uh, wordy.   I read a book by Stephen King, "On Writing", and when I'm writing I keep in the back of my mind on of the most important things he said.  I'm paraphrasing, but he said when he re-reads something he wrote, I finds he can almost always cut out 10-20% and make it better. I find that is true for me.  I just start writing.  When I get to the end, I go back and read it again.  I ALWAYS cut something out and re-order stuff.

I want to make it tight as I can while being careful not to cut stuff that leaves the other stuff hanging.  That's one of my biggest fears, saying something in a review the will make sense only to me.  It can be a fine line, saying what needs to be said and adhering to the "brevity" rule.

Piggybacking on  ChrisJarmick's post, I never try and convince someone my opinion is correct.  I just lay it out there and let them decide.  Once I've read a review by someone implying if I don't agree with them I'm an idiot, I never, ever read anything by that reviewer again.  I hate arrogance.  Hate it.  My opinion is better than no one's.  I'm just a dude writing what I think and hoping someone reads it.

Then I go back and check for typos.  And usually miss some!

Mike, that does truly tick me off when I've read reviews stating stuff like "only complete idiots would like this!" especially if it was a movie I really liked!  It's one thing to say that I found a movie dumb or boring, but to claim that others who like it are idiots is just wrong.

I do the write - reread - cut thing everytime, but sometimes it still seems long.  But every sentance is useful for some products and I only end up trimming the sentances, getting rid of words like "really" or "very".  There are times I found that I repeated myself, and I cut that too, but other times every sentance is covering a unique topic and it just gets long!  I figure it's helpful to someone who wants to know all the details.

Please note, when I cover a lot of details I am rarely sharing facts that could be found online.  Most the details I feel MUST be shared are things I learned about the product/vacation spot that the website didn't tell me.

Mike, I read "On Writing" and really loved that side of Stephen King. I do go back and cut things out often because I find that I get repetitive unintentionally. Sometimes, writing a shorter review is more challenging than writing a long one. Quality over quantity can be tough! But I am trying to find a good balance between short and sweet and conversational and detailed.

Yeah sometimes when I try to stay short I find that the review doesn't make much sense.  I end up having to add sentances in to make more sense out of it.

I guess the most important thing (long or short) is to have good transitions between points. That's why I use bold headers b/c that's an easy transition and makes it so I don't have to try to make all the paragraphs flow together.

I've been cutting things short even when I know I want to say more.  VP seems to value the shorter, sweeter reviews so that is how I try to write mine.

I have been trying to keep my reviews shorter and more to the point.  There are times though that I think it cuts into the personality of the review.  I'm still looking for a balance.

I used to put too much manufacturer information in my reviews which unnecessarily added length.  I have cut down on that now and although my reviews are a bit shorter, I still think I need to start trimming the fat a bit more on some.   

RudiXeno said…
I have been trying to keep my reviews shorter and more to the point.  There are times though that I think it cuts into the personality of the review.  I'm still looking for a balance.

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Hey Rudi. Keep the personality. I read longer reviews when the writer is engaging and the info is great. You have a very nice online voice. I start reading and don't think about how many words.

I've had some that went over the limit (I think there is or was a max) so I of course cut it but if it seems that my review is just too long then I will try to read it over and remove anything that isn't necessary or that doesn't really enhance the review. Jo

I think answering the newspaper reporter questions: WHO WHAT WHEN WHERE WHY and HOW are a good guide.  I like to inject a little personality, but I think I do that anyway.  Shorter is generally better than longer because you can rewrite and put things in better order and more succinctly, but that takes time and thought.  Typically, I suspect, most just jot down their thoughts and leave it at that.

This is something different.  But what about doing two to three reviews on the same thing but let each one have a little thing of tits own. Just let the reader know there is more to come in another review do it like this 1 of 5 or what ever it to be  1of 3 and so on. on the next one put 2 of 3 or 1 of 5. I home you get the pitch of things I am trying to say. I think it would be great so if the reader wanted to now more let them see there is more and if the reader doesnt want to read more They do not have to go to other reviews on the subject.

 That gives all readers and righters something to think about.

 

Hugs to all,

Tator03

Well you can't write multiple reviews of one product.  Actually that would throw off the ratings.  If you wrote three reviews giving the product 5 stars, and someone else wrote 1 review giving it 1 star, your three reviews would make it seem like more people liked the product and it would be unbalanced.

Definitely more than one review per item will skew the ratings and I don't really think you CAN write two on one item if you wanted to. I hope not anyway. I really believe that all the info that could be possibly given can fit into the amount of space we are allotted. I have not yet ever gone over the limit and some of my top 10's and things are very long. Any more than that would be overkill, IMHO, even on travel destinations and other things that have a lot of info to them.

Generally when I am writing a review, I try to keep myself between 800-1,100 words and it's actually rare that I fall short or over that.

If I do go over that though even after I'm done editing and revising, I generally just leave it in and let the review be a novel. If there was really that much that I felt the need to comment on, than so be it. It just means that it was a particularly engaging item that needs to be talked about more.

*shrugs*

I like to read shorter reviews.  I like to get to the point.  But certain items just require a longer review.  For example, electronics.....I want to know details and that requires writing a longer review.  Diapers?  Well, how much can you really say about them without giving TOO much detail?

CrystaBush said…
 Diapers?  Well, how much can you really say about them without giving TOO much detail?

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I'd want to know details!  How many pounds can it hold?  How does it handle #1 vs #2? What about when the kid has a stomach ache?

Just kidding!  Anyway yes i agree some reviews have no reason to be long.  It's when I get to one where there is a lot of useful info to share, sometimes it's hard to know where to draw the line.

I find myself writing shorter reviews without worrying if I missed a lot of details. It definitely allows me to be a bit more playful in how I approach things. I usually try to get the audience engaged with my opening paragraph. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. But the bottom line is that it doesn't feel like a chore to write. When that happens, you can really tell by the tone in the review. That's when it becomes uninteresting for me.

I totally agree elvisdo, that's exactly why I took to this site and abandoned others!  I feel like (for example) if I want to review a movie and don't think the actors mattered as much as the other stuff, I won't do anything more than say their names!  Sometimes I don't even care to look up the names.  Sometimes I just don't think it's important for THAT review.  It's nice to know no one is going to come along and say my review is not helpful because I didn't include everything on a checklist of things.

There is nothing that cannot be better said through judicious editing. This generally makes the piece shorter.

vivasuzi said…
I totally agree elvisdo, that's exactly why I took to this site and abandoned others!  I feel like (for example) if I want to review a movie and don't think the actors mattered as much as the other stuff, I won't do anything more than say their names!  Sometimes I don't even care to look up the names.  Sometimes I just don't think it's important for THAT review.  It's nice to know no one is going to come along and say my review is not helpful because I didn't include everything on a checklist of things.

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If it is Epinions, there is no way an advisor would make you fulfill a checklist on a movie review. I have nine years there and know what I'm talking about. My movie reviews run all different ways with different focuses. None according to a checklist. My statement above to answer the reporter's questions is just a guideline for any review.

Movies was really just an example actually. Where I've actually seen this is in places like Hotels for example.  I know of a few cases where a reviewer was rated down and the comment was "you didn't mention the pool", even though the reviewer didn't even use the pool!  Things like that tick me off.  On VP, when I review hotels, I review the aspects I used OR things I feel I read enough about to share, sometimes I'll mention things I didn't use just b/c I read about them and might as well include.

The point is, regardless of what you are reviewing, a reviewer should never be expected to go to another site for FAQ that they don't know about for the sole purpose of including them in the review.  That's why I took to VP so well!

OH, now that I think of it, I had have some Movie reviews downrated for not saying enough of the FAQ.  On one in particular, I said the general plot of the spongebob movie, and said there were a few twists and turns, and someone downrated saying perhaps I could give an example of a twist.  First off, why would I want to ruin the twists for any movie, second of all it's Spongebob!

Ok so I don't want to go on and on about "that other site" but for sure I like it here better where if someone wants to review a movie without even a plot summary, it can still be helpful. 

Vivasuzi said:

"Ok so I don't want to go on and on about "that other site" but for sure I like it here better where if someone wants to review a movie without even a plot summary, it can still be helpful."

====================

I dont't think so. At least not in my book. I want to know is it a cowboy movie; a mystery; a drama; a biopic; based on true story, things like that.  A plot summary is a minimal hassle and would need to just state this is a cowboy flick starring Clint Eastwood with lots of shoot outs, spills and chills. 

Granted Spongebob is hardly shakespeare but you should not be so critical of other sites. People can misunderstand you.

Well we will have to disagree.  I've read movie reviews of, say The Dark Knight, that didn't say anything about the actual plot/story but only said how they liked the special effects, or enjoyed the acting, whatever.  There is no requirements to receive a Helpful vote from me.  If I find one or two helpful nuggets, it's helpful.  That's why I'm here. 

BTW - There's not much to misunderstand, I absolutely Love this site and Hate the other one, pretty much everyone already knows that.

I will write reviews and leave them in draft mode for sometimes weeks and then go back and read them. I tend to write both long and short but it depends on how I feel at the time, it works for me....;)

kid-kansas said…
I will write reviews and leave them in draft mode for sometimes weeks and then go back and read them. I tend to write both long and short but it depends on how I feel at the time, it works for me....;)

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I'm with you, I leave reviews in draft mode sometimes, cause I know a little editing can make all the difference.  Other times, I write, spell check, read for mistakes, cut a little then post it right there.  Just depends.

vivasuzi said…

Well we will have to disagree.  I've read movie reviews of, say The Dark Knight, that didn't say anything about the actual plot/story but only said how they liked the special effects, or enjoyed the acting, whatever.  There is no requirements to receive a Helpful vote from me.  If I find one or two helpful nuggets, it's helpful.  That's why I'm here. 

BTW - There's not much to misunderstand, I absolutely Love this site and Hate the other one, pretty much everyone already knows that.

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While I understand where you're coming from, I'm the kind of review reader who does look for at least some plot summaries and things of that nature, even if there are other reviews or sources where I could get that data. 

Besides, when I studied journalism in high school and college, that's how we were taught to write reviews.  Maybe that created a certain bias as to what I find helpful or not in someone else's writing, but it seems to be something I can't easily cast aside.

Different strokes for different folks, right?