Hints and tips for making your writing sparkle!

Sue Moss, Editor, Hindsight

 

A strong hook

Catch the readers’ attention right from the start with a short opening line, an interesting fact, a quote or a question that pulls them into your article.

Know your audience

Think carefully about who the readers of Hindsight might be. Tailor your writing style, tone, language and content to what your audience will find most engaging and relevant.

Organise your thoughts

Outline your main points before you start writing, and keep the article focused and flowing smoothly from one idea to the next.

Easy to read is easily read:

  • Always aim for clarity in your writing:

  • Don’t over-complicate

  • Make sure sentences are not over-long or too complex

  • Keep paragraphs short and simple, grouping similar ideas together

Examples and anecdotes

Personal stories and relatable scenarios will help bring your points to life.

Images

Two or three carefully selected images can make your article more visually appealing and engaging. High resolution images with brief captions should be submitted as separate files (jpeg) with their sources clearly stated. Please note that most images will be printed in black and white in Hindsight, as opposed to colour on the website and in the booklet.

Sources

Always use original sources for the information you include in your article. These might be historical documents, first person experiences that you have recorded or your own research.

Avoid using Wikipedia as a source as the information cannot be relied on to be accurate.

All your sources should be acknowledged and listed as ‘endnotes’. This is very important. Look at the current issue of Hindsight to check how to do this.

Avoid plagiarism

This is the unacceptable practice of taking someone else’s work, research or ideas and passing them off as your own. You should avoid this at all costs. 

Details

Pay attention to important details in your writing: 

  • When referring to historical figures, events or battles please provide accurate and relevant dates

  • WWI and WWII should be written as: First World War and Second World War

  • Use single inverted commas for quotations and double inverted commas for conversation

  • Avoid using too many quotations

  • Avoid everyday abbreviations, jargon and slang

  • Write numbers one to ten in words and numbers 11 onwards in figures

  • Use numbers for money and measurements

  • Give metric equivalents as appropriate

  • Write dates as: 4 July 2025

  • Write centuries as: 19th century

  • Write book titles and newspaper names in Italic type: Northampton Chronicle & Echo; The Times, etc

Katie Boyce at Northamptonshire and Rutland Open Studios

Edit and revise

Don’t settle for your first draft. 

Reading your work aloud will help identify awkward phrases and sentences, grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. 

Check that the article flows and that sentences and paragraphs are linked and in the right order. 

If there is a chronology, make sure it is understandable. 

Check the word count so that this is about 1000 words although you may also submit shorter pieces for consideration.

It’s also a good idea to ask a friend or colleague to check your article before you submit it.

Conclusion

Make sure your article concludes by reminding the reader why it was written in the first place - but without repeating it.

Check all the hints and tips again and, before submitting your article for consideration, make sure it is carefully polished like any work of art!