Letter From an Editor: June 2010
I too am a fan of the short writeup, for much the same reasons as those given by OldMiner above. I do not believe that a writeup needs to be a major undertaking, a work of art, or even interesting. (I frequently look up boring things on E2.)
However, even a short writeup should meet certain standards. It should give a clear and simple definition of the node's subject. It should never confuse the reader. It should have relevant hard links. It should use full sentences, good grammar, correct spelling, and pleasing formatting. And it should only be short because you can say what needs to be said briefly. If you cannot say what needs to be said briefly, make a long writeup instead.
We often see short writeups that do not meet these standards, and these writeups often get deleted. This does not necessarily mean that you should give up on short writeups. You should make sure you understand why your writeup was deleted. If you are uncertain about reposting a short writeup, you should ask an editor to review it before posting. It is probably wise to ask the same editor who deleted the original.
As I said, I like short writeups, and I have many of them. I have learned that if you do a short writeup justice, it usually won't be very short. I have also learned that short writeups are not a good way to level. My conclusion is that truly short writeups are rarities, and are likely to remain so.
Oh, don't forget to read lede.