At Glass, we love hearing your thoughts about the books, shows, new music, and all those other good things you’re enjoying (or passionately hating!). We know that writing a long-form review can feel a little daunting, especially when you’re juggling assessments and your day-to-day, so this year we’ve made writing reviews easier than ever!
What is a micro-review?
Like a regular one, just a little shorter! Remove the fluff and tell us how you really feel – in 250 words or less. Like an elevator pitch, or a quick recommendation to a friend. Be concise, be honest, and don’t be afraid to be a little snappy.
How do I write one?
A review normally involves summarizing the content, discussing what you liked and what you didn’t, some specific references (quotes or facts about the artist behind the work), and a rating of some sort. But you don’t have to follow this example if you don’t want to. Whether you choose to analyse the use of a specific writing technique used throughout a novel, or you describe your emotional response after listening to your favourite artist’s new album, the 250 words are yours to play with.
Does this mean I can’t submit long-form reviews?
Not at all! We’re just trying to make reviews more fun and accessible for both those who write and read them on-the-go. If you’re interested in writing a longer piece, or have already written one and wish to publish, you’re welcome to submit through our website or talk to one of our friendly editors.
Do you have any examples I can use for guidance?
Absolutely! Here are two micro-reviews.
Review: The Girls at the Back (247 words)
“There’s something about Spanish films. And it’s not just the smoothness of vowels, or the muted tones of lavish beach-front villas. Spanish filmmaking makes you feel richer just by viewing. Camera work places you in the mind of the director, their vision becoming yours. Dialogue as carefully crafted as home-knitted sweaters, made to fit.
Every time I sit down to watch a Spanish film/show, I know it’ll become my favourite. That’s why, within the first 3 minutes of ‘The Girls at the Back’, I knew that the mini-series would become a time mark. That there would be an ‘after’ version of myself that would be different to the ‘before’.
There are five friends with fresh-shaven heads, of which one carries a death sentence in the form of illness. But the focus of their yearly beach trip is, of course, the opposite. In unspoken, suspended grief, they dare to live. Each day, they take a folded note out of a box and live up to each other’s dying wishes, fantasies, and fears, stepping out of their comfort zones to comfort each other.
I laugh when they laugh, and grieve with them too. I don’t know who’s sick, so I can’t help but grieve them all. I’ll find out soon, but I don’t want to. I’m tempted to never find out.
There’s a magic to Spanish films that I never hope to tire of. Sad wisdom laced with joy. I cry when it cuts me, but smile every time.” – Konstanz
Review: Stick Season by Noah Kahan (124 words)
“Noah Kahan’s newest folk-infused pop album sounds like liquid magic. Which is an impossible way to say, there is a honey-like sweetness to the way he transports me back into my childhood home, hands me a hammer, and watches as I swing out my pent-up anger on the expired truths I once used as wallpaper and prayer. And when I am done, his is the music that is playing in the getaway car after a dramatic re-enactment of my youth plays out before me, the one who comforts me through a complex breakup and, surprisingly, the one who makes me want to fall in love all over again. In his saddest melodies, I make peace with my past and look forward to the future.” – Konstanz
