Musings on Travel Writing and Advice For New Members....DiverPam's Travel Advice Write-off
Jun 02 '02
The Bottom Line The most important thing to remember is that one must keep writing in order to improve. The results may be maddening at first, but there's always next time....
When I began writing at Epinions I didn't have a clue! I submitted a tsunami of useless, brief reviews that could be read in an instant, and disregarded in a nanosecond. Did I look at the comment section? Well, no. At least not until much later, when I finally began to wonder..."What's the deal with all of these Somewhat Helpful ratings? Are they all out to get me?" The bitter taste of what seemed like rejection soon changed, however, when I began to notice the Comment section below the articles. Some members had actually taken the time to post helpful advice there, if only I would heed their suggestions.
What did I do? I began, slowly, to revise my work. I began to mend my ways with the new pieces I submitted, and was soon gratified to discover markedly different results. As for the old ones, I was in a quandary. The route I chose was not the best, drastic slashing and deletion of the old, wretchedly written reviews was the only route I saw. It was a painful one, one which took months....Would I recommend that others take such summary action on their own brood of recalcitrant reviews? Only if you see no other way out. It is a more accepted practice to revise your reviews and then let those who rated them know that you have changed them. Yes, it's a lot of work, but this is the preferred practice. Sometimes, however, deletion may be the only way out of a deep hole....
What The Advisors Look For in a Travel or Hotel Review
When I am reading reviews, the first thing I look for is a certain level of detail. As a site dedicated to the review and rating of products, it is only fair to expect that the reader is seeking information when surfing on over to Epinions. Said information ought to be present in any article posted under a product title. All very well and good, but what do I do with this mass of information I have accumulated in notes? A strong hint here is to take a diary with you when you travel. You may look a bit weird taking notes in restaurants and hotel lobbies, but you may also get better service!
The advisors look for a review that is thorough and organized well. A lot of information that is not broken into paragraphs reads like a Berlin Wall of text. This isn't exactly friendly to the reader. As a writer, you should impart your thoughts in a manner that will make them accessible. That's where presentation comes in. Those HTML tags bedeviled me for the longest time! How I hated to return to a review, only to find that half of it glared back at me in Bold type. I tinkered with it for a while, and finally got the hang of it (I think). The preview option on your profile page is a good way to test, if you are not sure.
Surely, There's More?
The Advisors look for detail, yes, but a travel review should speak of your experience at a place. This site is all about opinions, and it's perfectly fine to have one, as long as it is not something that others might find offensive. While I am not really a politically correct nut, it is obvious that offensive statements should be excised from reviews before someone is hurt in the process. There are other sites for such writing. The trick here is to write a review that is both useful to the consumer and one that shows something of the writer's personality.
Think of the writers you enjoy. Why do you enjoy reading them? Take a look at their words, and try to extrapolate a few of their methods onto your own work. Easier still, study the essays at Epinions on the topics you want to write about. Which ones were highly rated? WHY?
Doubtless, the cynic will say that some of these reviews are highly rated because the author is "popular". True enough, but how did they become popular in the first place? In most cases, they present their thoughts in a cogent and straightforward manner that is easy to comprehend and conveys something of their personality. If you take a look at some of the work of our best travel writers here, you will see that there is a vast difference between, say DiverPam and James23. Both are excellent writers. Many others stand out and I could go on all day telling you about them. I won't though. Epinions selects the Top Reviewers as examples of the best the site has to offer, and part of that is not merely writing skill. As a business, Epinions needs to make money. Those writers who draw lots of traffic to the site are therefore valuable to the site.
Obviously, the articles in the travel section are only going to draw so much traffic. If you are looking for sheer numbers of hits, write about a computer, or perhaps a video camera. You may get lots of hits. Ask yourself, however, "Am I writing for the money?" If you are not delusional, the answer will likely be no. Most of us write here because we enjoy writing. Let that be one of your first lessons to take away from this essay. If you write with obvious passion about anything, people are certain to take notice. Even if you are passionate about the bedbugs at the Super 8 Motel, be active in your writing. Make the reader sit up and take note.
God is in the Details
If you are writing about a hotel, take us there. Describe the lobby, grounds, staff members (rude or courteous?), and the rooms themselves. The rooms deserve a bit of extra description. Were the beds comfortable? Noisy? How was the bathroom? Were the soaps and shampoo cheap? Also go on to describe the pools and recreational facilities. End your review with a summation of why one would or would not want to visit the place in question.
The same applies for a review of a ship, after all, they are merely floating hotels these days, hardly more than love tubs with rooms, so you might give some of the same description there as you would a hotel, but would want to include descriptions of the itenerary, the language spoken by the staff and crew and so forth.
General travel pieces are less easily constructed according to formula. Here is where your skill as a writer is put to the test even more. If you follow the basic rules you learned in English class, however, it will be easy. Select a topic and build your review around a central idea.
If you are writing about a restaurant, don't just tell us what you had, but try to give a broader picture of the full spectrum of the menu. Zero in with the details of your repast, and don't forget to tell the reader about when the place is open or closed, their reservations policies, and what credit cards they take. In a hotel review, these points might not apply, but if there is a significant departure from the norm, like a place that accepts no credit cards, this might be worth noting.
Useful Tools
One of the classics is William Strunk and E.B.White's Elements of Style. This slim volume has seen me through many a writing question over the years. Strunk's clipped advice is as useful as one could hope for. There would be less verbiage out there if everyone were to heed the advice disbursed in the pages of this thin, but excellent volume.
Final Thoughts
I shall not go on with this, but wished to impart a few simple suggestions for new writers. As simply as possible, they are:
Take notes when you travel.
Prepare a simple outline before you put the fingers to the keyboard. Organize your thoughts into a clear structure. It is much easier to build a review this way.
Edit your work before publishing it. You will be amazed at what can slip through the spelling filter.
Learn to use the HTML tags. They are good for emphasis and headings.
Look at the comment section! Readers who take the time to leave constructive commentary are doing you a big favor, whether you realize it or not. Heed their advice.
Learn to read and write every day, if you can. Once you are in the habit (some would call it an addiction!), the writing becomes easier.
I hope that some of you will find this small missive useful. The most important things to remember here are humility and perseverance. If you are armored with these qualities, you may go far....
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Epinions.com ID:
tombarnes
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 - Top 100 |
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Member: Thomas Barnes
Location: Fort Lauderdale & Washington, DC
Reviews written: 684
Trusted by: 441 members
About Me:
With Barbara in Miami, 2004
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