Apr 11, 2007 10:14 PM
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Its getting more and more difficult for me to write or rather type in my thoughts these days. Am I growing old? Have I reached writers block already? I better recover. I am just 30 (reviews) old :) I better “innovate seamless deliverables” to prove myself. Having just been bestowed with a new icon by MS, it makes me more ill at ease now. Happy and grateful I am for the honour and yet I have been contemplating whether I deserve it, am I justifying it, and now reached a stage where I accepted it in all humility! The problem with me is I am more of a reader than a writer as you can see from my statistics. It took all my guts to post my first review. By reading others, I kept learning and applied what I learnt.
Coming back to the topic, my lethargy to write reviews made me write this review on writing reviews! Having already written on “how I discovered mouthshut.com”, I shall not repeat the story here. I would just touch upon the Ten Commandments that I have been trying to follow while writing reviews and have strayed many a times. These are no tips and no tricks. Heres hoping that some of you see some sense in it! At this juncture, let me add that there are some sensible tips and tricks on the same topic by MagicalSummer, Paulose, JK, Itika, Psyxx, Sharath to name a few.
1) Thou shall write as a consumer. Sharing information is the key to advancement in technology. Sharing ideas is the key to personal advancement. So, I shall try to share and show that I care! At times, I have been guilty of meandering away but then you can blame it on my EQ! That brings me to my second point.
2) Thou shall not get TOO emotional. Theres no harm in getting emotional as long as you get your point across! If bereft of emotions, we would cease to be living beings. Emotions and passion go hand in hand and I guess that’s where most of the popular writers here succeed whether they write on forts, bikes, movies or books!
3) Thou shall write because you like to write. And not because you wish to show someone down or to show off! Deep down, we all have this urge to be recognized. It is fine but then aiming only for that starry icon would only lead to disillusionment and hasty retreat from the site. Better to believe in "karmanye va adhikaaraste". Huh! Easier said than done!!!
4) Thou shall be original. Life is full of topics. Each day is a new topic. You can write on anything that appeals to you or anything that you want to warn others about. Its good to do some research on the topic of interest if need be and but then plagiarism is a no-no. If borrowing exact words, give credit to the rightful person/ site. And make sure we don’t see an exact replica of the page somewhere yonder on the netspace.
5) Thou shall try to spread a smile.One of the magic potions that can make any review an instant hit is humour. Try to put it to maximum use. That ofcourse does not mean going over the top (which I have done many a times! sigh!). Subtlety is the key. Throw in some personal experiences. Narration in first person attaches the reader to the writer.
6) Thou shall format your review and give a good title.Formatting the review in points and paragraphs helps reader read better. Listing, italicizing, bolding (??) looks better too. A good title is sure to attract.
7) Thou shall first make a word or otherwise document outside MS and then copy it here. Well, some of the MSians have been found hitting their forehead and cursing their luck after losing an entire article after “SUBMIT”ting it. Some poor souls have had to re-assimilate their thoughts and re-type everything. If you dont want to be in the same boat, keep a backup! These days I am typing even the comments on word before posting it…gee! Typing on word gives me one more advantage of word count. That takes me to my next point.
8) Thou shall not write beyond 7500 chars.I have a huge problem sticking to this rule. I tend to go overboard when it comes to word limit. But I completely agree to this limit. Only some writers have the ability to keep you glued to their review inspite of its length. I know I can not carry it. Period. So, I give myself 5000 chars as the limit.
9) Thou shall B+. Be ready for any rating or comment. Believe in the right of expression. What you write may not appeal to all. So, be ready for that NU or for that bashing. Take time to reply. Replying to comments is a good way to thank the commentator for his efforts, encouragement and ideas.
10) Thou shall read others too. MS is not only about writing. Unless you go to others pages, leave your words there, why should they come to yours? MS is a forum for discussion not a novel which you write and expect others to read. Let it be a give and take process.
I have crossed 4500 chars. I guess I will wrap up now. Do let me know which are your 10 commandments!
