What makes a good trip report?

Ok I am heading out to Vegas in about 3 weeks and want to write a trip report when I get back...

Let's hear some opinions on what makes a good trip report...

My dislikes:
when people mention everyday crap like "I went to pick up son, i read the newspaper..."; non las vegas events, personal family issues *yawn*

My Likes:
Non-ordinary observations, funny comments, gambling stories, reviews, with specifics of food,shows,hotels,games

 

I don't play blackjack or poker and am a novice at craps so I tend to skim over most gambling parts of trip reports Doesn't mean I don't like them. I like ALL trip reports!!! Any style, any length--you write it, I'll read it. And if a particular section isn't of interest to me, I'll just skim down until something else is

 

I don't want to discourage anyone from writing a TR, thinking we're all english teachers out here, but since you asked, here's some elements of the good ones:

Stories. There's a lot of human drama going on there, if you see some good stuff, wrap it up into a little anecdote and pass it on.

Impressions. What you thought about what you found/saw/did.

Finds. Even with 3000+ of us combing the city and reporting back, there's still something new out there.

Stuff you wish you'd known beforehand, and that might help the next person.

News. This is an ever-changing city, more than most. How's the downtown light show coming along?

I agree that sometimes there's overmuch detail, some stuff just isn't germane to the story. For instance, I included my flight number in one only because it was 777, which seemed to bode well. Normally, that's cutting room floor stuff.

Gambling - this one can be a laundry list as well if there's no story to it, no context. "Won $50 off of Elvis. Little did I know that was the last win for the week." Although if you mention you're at the slots, tables, whatever, the next question in the reader's mind is definitely - didja win?

[ April 27, 2004, 12:05 PM: Message edited by: doctor_al ]

 

Proper use of punctuation, capital letters, and paragraphs make it much easier to read.

If I see a trip report thats written in 'chat' format (no paragraphs, no capital letters, etc.) I usually just skip it because it's tedious to read.

Here's a tip...If you use MS Word to write your report in, and then copy and paste it over here, hit the enter button at the end of each paragraph--it spaces it nicely when it comes over, instead of indenting each paragraph, which doesn't copy easily.

I'm looking forward to reading about your adventures.

Mikey

 

just write it like a hurricane hit it.

 

Just write it like Mickey - he ought to take Norms place at the LV Review & Journal !!

 

As much as I adore Mikey's trip reports, it would be a shame if everyone tried to copy his style instead of finding his/her own style. While recognizing that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I like variety with my trip reports

 

Yup I am with Hoya - I don't gamble much but I still like to read ALL trip reports regardless of the context. I just like to read about the city that I love so much. And if it happens to be new stuff I didn't know - That makes it much better.

 

IMO...it's nice to have the different varieties that eveybody shows. I like gettting different views and angles to things that I may passed over on my travels to Vegas. But then again there can also be too many details in some reports. Finding that happy medium is what I look forward to while reading the reports.

I do like when they are broken into paragraphs and the grammar is close to being correct. Spell checks help when poossible !!!

Hopefully I can follow my own advice a month from now!

 

What makes a good trip report?

Having it posted all at once--Multiple posts for the same report are annoying, and I tend to skip them.

I was raised with Christmas, not Hanukkah (hence my inability to spell it properly), so I like to get all my presents at once, not spread out over eight crazy nights...

I *love* the reports that give a sense of somebody having a good time--not just 'played here, lost $30, moved next door, won $15'. Any drama from table games is always a bonus. And of course, any interaction with random strangers usually makes for good reading, too.

Mikey

[ April 29, 2004, 10:57 AM: Message edited by: HurricaneMikey ]

 

I agree with Hoya, if someone takes the time to write a trip report,more power to them!!! Some hold my interest more than others, but we shouldn't discourage anyone from telling their tale!!

 

Sometimes the way a report gets posted depends on the writer's personal situation.

I always wrote long, detailed trip reports for each of our Vegas trips from 1993 on. I tried to write from a journalistic point of view. What I mean by that is instead of making it a "what I did on my vacation" type of report, I often presented the components as mini-reviews so that readers could decide whether one attraction or another was worth their trouble.

Upon returning home, I'd write the report, which often took me a full 24 hours of writing to put together, even if spread over several days. But I'd post it as a single report, all at once.

When we got our laptop, it became much easier to write a daily report and post it from our hotel room in Vegas. This made my writing job easier, and it allowed me to do additional on-the-scene research and answer questions from readers while we were still in town.

 

How about "not making s***t up"?

Remember that guy that showed up here, went on his first trip, scored with models, never had a losing session, comped everything, hitting hundreds on penny slots...blah, blah, blah

It's rare here, and that's just how I like it. We all appreciate Vegas enough that we don't need the embelishment to enjoy the story.

 

What also motivates people to make a great trip report is knowing people will be reading it and replying! I only got 3 responses for my trip report and I put alot of thought into it! Boo hoo...my feelings are hurt!

 

I hope I'm not too late to weigh in on this topic.

A trip report reflects the personality of the writer. With that said, balance information/detail with opinion. I like when a writer provides the details someone familiar with the scene will also be familiar with, and then providing a little more detail.

Example, the handicap fellow that sits in his electric wheel chair outside the IP near Harrahs nearly every day. That guy has been there forever, it seems. And when someone mentions him, and happens to provide a little more detail, maybe share an anecdote about a conversation with him or some other witnessed encounter involving this fellow, I learn a bit more, and I feel I get more from the trip report.

A trip report is a bonding exercise: writer and reader making a tenuous connection about a common love or interest, exchanging information, subconciously extending friendship, marrying education with entertainment.

An excellent trip report manages to engage the reader, like any good piece of writing. While I'm tempted to express my opinion about what makes good writing, I'll limit it to this: good writing has the ability to make we want to read it. It's subjective.

Sharkster

(My first post.)