Posted by Jon
Here’s the review of a restaurant called “Brussels Sprouts”, from the Luxe guide to Singapore.
Here’s the review of a restaurant called “Brussels Sprouts”, from the Luxe guide to Singapore.
The malty brews and steaming hot moules are must haves at this breezy bistro and bar. 01-12 The Pier, Robertson.
Excluding the address, that’s 16 words. The other guidebook I was using for reviews when I was there last year featured a description of the same restaurant that ran to 532 words, and said little more that would have helped me to decide whether or not to eat there.
Then there was the 20-word review of a trendy-looking fish place I wandered past:
Then there was the 20-word review of a trendy-looking fish place I wandered past:
Dress down and prepare to get messy. No Signboard Seafood is over-bright, noisy, bustly and famous for its white-pepper crab.
Again, I can pretty much get the gist of what the place is going to be like, and whether and when I might want to go. Now, I’m a fairly experienced traveller, and pretty used to finding places to eat in far-flung cities. Had I been a novice to overseas travel, or a less regular diner, I might have appreciated the extra detail. So writing to meet the needs of the reader is clearly key.
But I did think that this was a cool illustration of the power of succinct, sharp writing. And I’d hazard a guess that the writers at Luxe spent far longer polishing their twenty-or-fewer words than their competitors did over their five hundred plus.
But I did think that this was a cool illustration of the power of succinct, sharp writing. And I’d hazard a guess that the writers at Luxe spent far longer polishing their twenty-or-fewer words than their competitors did over their five hundred plus.
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