I usually write about things that I have experienced or care about. But many times I include some research to add validity to the subject at hand.
I am not sure if I can tell if a hub is going to be great, no matter what your definition of great is. But I do like to do my very best to make sure that my thoughts in my hubs flow in a logical order; are easy on the eye with the right amount of spacing, bullets, bold text and images; are grammatically correct with good punctuation and no spelling errors; and are overall something that I would be proud for anyone to read.
I do enjoy when my hubs have truly struck a chord with someone and they leave me genuine comments. This seems to occur in a lot of the parenting hubs I have written.
I prefer to write about things I know and usually I do. Those are the hubs of mine that wind up getting the most views because hey, I actually know what I'm talking about. Whenever I do research and write hubs on topics I know little about, I go through them several times before I hit publish because I want to make sure I've grasped the concept.
I wind up spending days on those hubs instead of hours like others. What I write today can be seen through fresh eyes tomorrow and for the next three days. I can also find holes in whatever I've written or things that need to be tidied up or better explained.
I know my hub will be great if I'm already writing down where I can submit it to and know that it will receive several hundred views. If I feel right about it when I'm writing it, before even giving it a second glance, then I'm not worried about how its going to do. Hubs don't always do amazing the second you publish them.
Someone once said that they are an investment. If I feel good about my investment, if I think its going to be a sound investment, then I publish.
You can always go back and edit old hubs and make them better and/or update them. If I think something is good now and then find out a few weeks down the line that I can make it better, then I will.
I personally write about things I have experienced or have come to realize. "Gender Relations" is my favorite topic to write about.
Sometimes I do search for statistics to validate a particular point I may be making. However if someone disagrees or lacks interest in your subject matter he or she will not consider it "great" no regardless of how many stats you find.
Only YOU can determine if what you wrote was great. Did I stay on track with the subject? Did I make my point clear?
Is it a subject a lot of people could identify with? Is the photo I selected for the hub an attention getter? Does it add something to the hub or does it detract from it?
Have I really thought things through? Do I find it easy to "intellectually" NOT "emotionally" (defend my stance) against dissenting comments or is there a giant hole in my theory/belief? Nobody wins them all!
Not everyone is going to love what you write. Thereore you have be the one to decide if it's a great, good, or simpy fair.
Never forget that just because you hit the "submit button" it does not mean you can't go back to EDIT your hub. I polish my hubs from time to time if a better word or phrase comes to mind when I read them.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.