Embracing your style and understanding ours

Raise your voice! The Platform was created for people with something to say, for a message that needs projecting, and for stories that can’t go untold. We always welcome new perspectives, this is Your Platform after all. Here you have the chance to reach thousands of people, all over the world.

There are no rules for writing (except for the appropriate use of a semicolon, still hotly disputed). There are, however, a few dos and don’ts that would be good to keep in mind.

1. Pop in and say hello.

Virtually for now. You’re welcome to send us a full article for submission, but it might be nice to discuss your idea before you write it. Feel free to email us and we’ll aim to reply within three days. Eventually your article will be checked by two experienced members of the editorial team and we will offer you as much time and feedback (and love) as you need.

2. Wordcounts.

We publish an array of written treasures including in-depth analyses, shorter features and round-ups, and occasionally, poetry and photo galleries. The word count is assessed on a case-by-case basis, but as a rule of thumb, 800-1200 words works well for heavier analyses, and 600-900 words works well for shorter reviews and light-hearted commentary.

3. Help your readers relate.

Our target audience is chiefly British, with an increasing following in the United States, South Asia and elsewhere. This audience includes people from many different walks of life. Don’t assume readers will understand all your niche references and make your piece as accessible as possible. Try to give a brief background explanation of technical points where you can. Avoid condescensions and alienating people, and never make anyone feel stupid.

4. The Hottest Takes.

It’s important to write about the right things, at the right time, and back it up well. We live at a time when news moves faster than you can read it, and if you’re writing what everyone else is writing, you run the risk of getting lost in the fold. Choose a topic that lights your fire. Mix it up a little. Give us the unusual, the unfamiliar, and convince us that it’s an idea we simply have to say “yes” to. We love hearing stories from individuals and grassroots organisations with undeniable flair and passion.

Please note: Don’t turn your piece into an advert. Unravel the issue and explain the bigger picture, bringing in your organisation subtly where relevant.

5. Love your thesaurus.

You don’t have to adopt a sesquipedalian lifestyle in order to use more interesting words. Try to avoid saying the same word twice in one sentence, and don’t be afraid to stretch your legs when it comes to connecting words – there are only so many times “however” can be used in a piece without it sounding like GCSE coursework. But be careful; a dictionary should not have to be a prerequisite for your readers.

6. Give your piece some bones.

Everything needs a structure. Even water has a structure (life without hydrogen bonds would be unbearable). Be acutely mindful of where you are leading your readers and how you are developing your point to them. Avoid the mistake of skirting around small details without coming to a conclusion, and try to bring digressions back to the main topic. If you’re going to be poetic, please be clear as well. Your readers (and your editors) can’t read your mind, only your words.

7. The tone of objective subjectivity.

It’s up to you whether you want to take a more personal first-person approach or a more formal detached approach. We want you to write with passion about a topic you care deeply about, but be mindful to back up your points with facts to really convince your readers. Take care to use both tones to build, logically, towards your argument.

8. Don’t fight with your brain.

No matter how hard you stare at the screen, sometimes the words just don’t come. If you force them, this might mean just giving your delete button lots of exercise. Put the laptop away, do some exercise, go for a walk, bake some bread – do absolutely anything else to give your head some space. Then come back and write when you feel the inspiration returning. Read your article twice before submitting. This will give you a clue as to how ready it is.

9. Carry the tools of your trade.

Sentences without commas will make your readers breathless and the misuse of semi-colons can only lead to apoplexy. Here are some of our specific rules and standardisations:

Academic referencing: Don’t fill your piece with authors and footnotes. Be selective with your references and use them in the body of the article, retaining the flow. For example, “Edward Said writes in his book…”. We use brackets instead of footnotes where relevant.

Hyperlinks: Hyperlink to reliable news sources where required. Don’t use Wikipedia.

Sentence length: A good acid test for the length of your sentences is to read them out loud. Short sentences can have important dramatic impact, while longer ones can be used to develop a deeper point.

Spellings: Drop the ‘z’ and use British standardisations if possible.

Punctuation: Readers don’t want to feel that they are being screamed at by the editors talking about Jeremy Corbyn. One exclamation is all that is ever needed! Use brackets tactfully and sparingly. This goes for semi-colons too.

Capitalisation: We often favour the lowercase. Names of roles like president, presidency and vice president can all remain lower case, unless they form part of a title, such as President Barack Obama.

West versus west: Compass directions are all in lower case, such as the north, the far east and western Europe. Again, specific places are capitalised, such as the West End, the Orient, the Middle East, the Global South and North America.

Italics: Book and film names are always in italics. Quotes, publications and common foreign words don’t need to be italicised. Follow “the big and little trick”. Big things and things that can stand on their own, like a song album, are italicised. Little things that are dependent or that come as part of a group, like chapters and song names, are put into single quotation marks.

Quotation marks: Use double quotation marks for all direct speech and quotes. Use single quotation marks for title names and in headlines. Be consistent.

Numbers: Use words for single-digit numbers and numerals for multi-digit numbers. Our standard for percentages is now the symbol (%) rather than the word “per cent”. If the number is starting the sentence, write it in words.

Abbreviations and acronyms: Spell out at first mention and put the shortened form in brackets. For example, “United Nations (UN)”. Then continue to use shortened form, “(UN)”.

10. Read more books and less tweets.

With further reading and exploration, your own writing style will develop.

Finally, enjoy the process!

Write for us.

If you’re writing for us for the first time, please include ‘new writer’ in the subject line. Email: editor@the-platform.org.uk.

“We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives.” – Toni Morrison

Guidelines updated June 2020