HubPages: Is That All You Got?
76Recently, I came across a Hub about a Hubber saying he had finished writing X amount of Hubs in a month, and he was going to go out and celebrate. If I remember correctly, he was going to get out the champagne for accomplishing this amazing feat.
In the amount of time it took for him to write these Hubs, I was not impressed with the number of Hubs he had accomplished.
I looked at the amount of Hubs he had written and laughed. I wasn’t making fun of him. Actually, his actions as a writer was no big deal. It was a very small amount for 30 days, and to refresh my memory, I tried to find the congratulatory Hub to himself. But he must have taken it off the feed. Maybe this writer found out that online writing is a very different breed of cat. When you do online writing, you have to keep going. And, you must produce copy in a short amount of time.
If you get down and dirty about it, I could write that amount of Hubs in my sleep. No problema.
But what got on my nerves was the little quiz that he added to his Hub as he boasted about hitting what he thought was a milestone. To me, the quiz was just a way for him to pad his Hub. He used the quiz to make it look he put more effort into it than he did.
To me, adding a quiz to your Hub may look like you’re really thinking about your Hub’s subject, but it does nothing but break the space and gives the reader’s eyes something more to look at. So why are you wasting my time with a quiz when the focus should be on you and your writing? Or, are you, by collecting information in the form of a poll, are setting yourself up to write another Hub?
I hope so.
Being retired, I used to get all kinds of phone calls during the day and into the night. Not only were these people trying to sell me something or trying to get me to get my husband to come to the phone so they could sell him something, they were also trying to get me involved in their questionnaires and polls. Which, to me, was a waste of my time.
“Are you paying me for my time?” I would ask. Trust me. As a retiree, I’ve got loads of time.
“Well, no—“
“Then, I’m not interested, and I’m done with you.”
Click!
So this is what this Hubber’s quiz automatically did to me. As a reader, I didn’t appreciate him wasting my time, so I bypassed his meaningless quiz and moved onto the next Hub.
Here was this Hubber who was explaining that he was going to celebrate his Hubs with some bubbly. But to me, it was a very small amount of Hubs that he had completed. But what got me and wasted my time was that quiz. He was asking the reader:
Should I write more?
Should I and can I do the 30 Hubs in 30 Days Challenge?
Should I give up?
Should I not try?
He asking me as the reader, showing his doubts in his writing abilities, and was wasting time. I challenged him to join me in my quest for the 30 Hubs in 30 Days. He would complete this challenge on September 30, 2011—like me. I would meet him at the finish line. In the time he put together this little quiz and worked it into his Hub, he could have spent the time writing another Hub. It would count as a Hub to add towards his goal.
Of course, my gut feeling told me that this Hubber would back down from my challenge. He had shown me that he went so far and completed X amount of Hubs. It was not, to me, an impressive amount for the amount of time it took for him to do it. I knew, if you were going to brag about something like this, it was a good indication that you were going to sit on your laurels and not look for a challenge. He was not going to do any more writing. At least, not the kind that would put you into the 30 Hubs in 30 Days category.
As a first born child, one of my traits is pushing buttons to get what I want or make people think what I want them to think. If you are familiar with birth order, this trait is only part of the territory. I received no response from the Hubber when I issued my challenge, so I know I won’t be seeing another Hub of his, congratulating himself for writing 30 Hubs in 30 Days. I just know.
So if you are looking to do a challenge like the 30 Hubs in 30 Days Challenge, you can do it. It’s all about how you go about doing it. By reading his quiz, I only see doubts in this celebrating Hubber. The questions he gives says he is not confident at all in approaching and completing the challenge. And, he is actually begging for someone to fuel his excuses. But I also see excuses for not doing this task outnumbering the pluses of him going after and completing this project.
As a writer, you don’t have the luxury of pausing to ask yourself if you should continue with your work. And, you don’t sit on your laurels whenever you accomplish anything. That goes for a literary prize or hitting that goal or milestone.
You have to move forward with your writing, and no matter what, you keep writing. You challenge yourself all the time.
So when it comes to the writing, ask yourself each day:
Is that all you got?
Then be the writer that you are and show us what you’ve got. Go after the writing and make it happen for you. Don't even think of sitting on those laurels.
A Note from Arlene: I've written quite a few Hubs on writing for HubPages, so please check out my Hubs on Hubs. I have been a writer for most of my life, but I've found online writing to be a totally different breed of cat. Since reading and writing go hand-in-hand, I hope my Hubs will encourage you to write.
- HubPages: Writing for a Byline
How important is your name when it comes to freelance writing? Arlene V. Poma explains why she prefers using her legal name over an author's pen name.
- Hubpages: Why a Writers' Group May or May Not Work for You
Arlene V. Poma dropped her writers' group and gives you reasons why joining a writers' group may or may not be the answer for you.
- HubPages: Hop Some Hubs and Release Your Inner Critic
As a loyal Hubber, contribute to HubPages by volunteering to hop some hubs.
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Don't Kid Yourself, Dude. I Can Write More Hubs in My Sleep!Loading...
Arlene...well damn...30 hubs in 30 days? I was considering trying for the 15 hubs in 45 day challenge...we shall see. At the moment I am only sitting on my laurels because the dog kicked me off the couch! ...still trying to come up with that next idea... Voted Up, useful, and interesting!
Hey, paulineleo, thank you for your comment! So true. I have no patience for people who voluntarily get into their DOUBT BOX and stay there. Get out! Get out! Do some living, I say. That's a cute dog you've got there. I bet that dog has you wrapped around its paws. I know. My gruesome twosome have the same effect on me. 24/7.
Hi there, Reno man! And thank you for the vote of confidence! ThoughtSandwiches, the best thing my ex-husband did for me was taught me how to fish. And he also bought me the best loppers. A pair which I have and still use today. This online stuff I've been doing for a year and a month. And, I've learned that you don't have the luxury of having a piece assigned to you. Or, like a newspaper reporter, have a deadline into the following week. And you don't have a copywriter or an editor, so you need to do these things yourself. Hate it, but need to do it. So, I picture myself on a fishing boat and slamming these Hubs. On one of my birthdays, I went fishing on the Columbia River for sturgeon, and I kept bringing them in. Not one in the dozen were keepers, and I was pissed. It was, after all, my birthday. One of these days, I will get back on that boat and catch me a keeper sturgeon which I will smoke. I will eat the smoked sturgeon for a week by spreading it on saltine crackers. If I die in the process of enjoying this sturgeon, I will have no regrets and die happy. And until I slam my keeper sturgeon, I am writing these Hubs and turning them in. I am editing them each time I see them because I'm no editor. This last piece, I caught more errors after publishing it. I hate that, but I'm no editor. I need to check my work all the time. I have plenty of ideas. They multiply like flies because anything I read or come across in real life inspires me. Reading your comment alone, I already have an idea. So this is what I have been doing since accepting this challenge and writing a hub to finalize my plans. But then again, I am retired and have a lot of time. Most people work and juggle, juggle, juggle. Unfortunately, I am a slob and don't have any desire to clean. I am on my way to having my home look like one of those hoarders' homes on TV without really hoarding. Things are piling UP, UP, UP! So what? I'm not inviting my mom over, so she will never know. I am doing what I've been doing all my life--chasing whatever interests me.
Voted up and loved this. You can only get better if you keep writing. I try to write from my heart and for me there is a ton of stuff I can write about. It's more about balancing work, family and my newfound hobby of writing on hubpages. You can't go wrong when you write from your heart. Thank you for writing this. Still though I might try to challenge myself to try the 30/30 challenge.
Hi, Stephanie. Thank you so much for the vote up and your comments. Depending on the kind of writer you are, the 30/30 will help you. It's not about writing the 30 Hubs in a particular time fram. What the challenge does is get your feet wet. You will see what it's like to set a writing goal and where that goal takes you. Whatever you write during this period will only add to your Hub portfolio. And, you will see what is needed to pace yourself. Whatever Hubs you write, no matter how many, will be icing on the cake because you have learned a little about you as a writer. This Hubber I wrote about started his celebration party a way bit too early, if you ask me. You don't write a number of Hubs, celebrate and ask your readers if you should write more. If he was serious, he would have gone after the 30 Hubs in 30 Days without even thinking about it. To be honest with you, I don't take him seriously. It was wimpy for him to set up that quiz. Like, "Is that all you got?" From what I've seen of him--not much!
Great Hub..this inspires me as well. Thanks
Maybe you've galvanized him into starting to write a proper and meaningful hub, Arlene. I agree with you all the way. I'm tired of seeing half a dozen lines about some drivel on these pages. I always flag them. Thanks for trying to raise the standard.
Hey, Nora: Thanks for your comments. I hope you are inspired with anything you read on HubPages. I see a lot of people starting, but who knows if they will go the distance and stay? Each day, I see some new writer. Maybe they will be like this guy I was writing about. Write a few Hubs, relax and go and do something else. Oh, well! Anyway, you and I have something common--the Philippines. I was born here, but my folks are from Northern Luzon, San Juan Illocus Sur. Anyway, keep writing. Hope to see more of your work.
Good to hear from you, scarytaff. I was looking at your profile again and didn't realize that you had recipes. Hmmmm. I always find it interesting when writers write and can cook, too. I cook and bake, but not lately. Don't have the knack for writing recipes because I don't measure. In fact, I avoid anything which has to do with math. I need to check those recipes of yours out, too. Well, when it comes to the guy I was writing about, I doubt he will even know I was writing about him. He was so wrapped up in his fixed number of Hubs that he completed. I am sure that was enough for him. As you know, you've gotta write all of the time to keep your ideas and your memory fresh. I just had this gut feeling that he was going to take a permanent break. At least, his writing leaned that way. Which is why it's harder to track down a writer on HubPages. He was using a pen name, so it is easy to forget pen names if the pen name is not a name but a jumble of the author's favorite things. But, since I didn't get a reply from him, I am sure he deleted my comment. Hahahaha. I am glad you are flagging, too. I am picky about my reading, so I do not hesitate to flag. Unfortunately, there are times when I do nothing but flag, but awful Hubs can get to be a dime a dozen. Something must be said, so I do it. And I hope others are doing it. Great hearing from you--as always. Thanks!
i'm new to HP, so this is very useful information for me. Thanks so much and I look forward to reading more of your hubs!
Hello, stayingalivemoma! Thank you for reading my hub and leaving a comment. I hope I helped you out. I have a series of HubPages I write. I target these at beginning Hubbers because I still consider myself one. I read you profile, and it looks like you keep very busy. Keep writing. This is a great online place to write and express yourself. Welcome to HubPages!
Hi Arlene, very interesting Hub and I believe I have read the one also you are mentioning. To be honest... those hub challenges are quite annoying. It makes people to blur out Hubs that are meaningless and are just written for the writing sake. I personally would not do a challenge - I want to write articles alright and publish them but sometimes great things come with a bit of time :)
Thanks for your comment. You may not do the challenges because it's not your gig. That's fine. I just completed my second challenge, and I am back to knowing what I did in the past. I am a prolific writer, and I don't have time to agonize over copy. Online writing suits me. The 30/30 is valuable to those who want to learn about online writing because you don't have time to write "great things" with "a bit of time." You answer to an editor who wants the copy NOW. Online writing is different for both the writer and the reader. When you find the writing meaningless, you don't read it and look for something to suit you, don't you? If you want to spend time on the writing, write a novel. I see by your profile that you are not an online writer, so I'll leave it at that.
paulineleo52 Level 1 Commenter 8 months ago
You have to your heart into it if not you will not succeed at anything you do in your life