Website Examiner, 500 Fans, 211 Hubs, Joined 16 months ago
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An Interview with Website Examiner
Insights from an involved writer, podcaster, and HubPages community advocate
1. How did you first come to HubPages?
Purely by coincidence. I can't even remember what I was searching for at the time; must have been one of my not-too-infrequent departures from scheduled activities.
2. Your Hubs are on a broad range of topics. While some are more article-like, others are in short fiction form, and still more are focused on writing, online writing, the HubPages community.What is your favorite sort of thing to write about on HubPages?
I sometimes feel almost guilty when reading other Hubbers' Hubs. Why? Because of the enormous work they put into it. The graphics, layout, amount of text, and thoughts that go into the process is simply overwhelming. Warms my heart, it does.
Personally, I use HubPages mostly as a platform for writing exercises and for presenting my ideas to the readers. In my private life, I prefer writing fiction; much of which I would hesitate to put online. On HubPages, I prefer writing the types of Hubs that directly respond to other Hubbers' interests and needs. This would include practical advice for Hubbers, Hubs about the community, reviews of other Hubbers, pointed advice for creative writers, as well as motivational pieces.
3. Off of HubPages, you have produced more than 100 hours of fiction podcasts and audiobooks, and you are also contributing to HubPages' soon-to-be-released Fascinating Fiction podcast. When did you first start doing voice recordings?
I had compiled a whole catalog of previously unpublished short stories, novellas, and essay-type pieces with a slightly fictitious coating (so-called "diplomatic dispatches.") I did not have a suitable venue for getting them published in print or online, and so I decided to make each and every one into an audiobook. All counted, they are about 50 audiobooks subdivided into 4 so-called "literary showcases." That went on around 2008-2009. The following year, I wrote and recorded two novella-type audiobooks: One about a witch who gets reborn every time she is ready to go to "that place opposite of Heaven"; the other about a noblewoman so unfortunate to be neither dead nor alive, as she resides horisontally in frozen environs.
4. Do you have any tips or advice for those who are interested in contributing their own audio recordings of short fictional stories on HubPages?
I'm so glad that you asked this question! Writing and recording audio is fun; audio editing almost certainly is not. Even assisted by good software and solid computing power, cleaning up long audio recordings is quite laborious. Although I'm not a heavy breather or anything, I literally go over every second of audio to remove any hissing sounds or unwanted noise. Oftentimes, I zoom in to edit the individual waveform. I don't even dare think about how many hours of work it takes to produce a publishable audiobook. Other authors pay their way out of it - good for them.
The wrong way is haphazardly positioning yourself in front of the computer. Your computer will probably shut down, the fan will produce more background noise than expected, and you will soon start building up tension. That neither makes for a stylish narrator nor a happy listener. Easy does it.
My advice is as follows: If you can afford it, buy a quality portable digital voice recorder that supports .wav files, which are much easier to edit than MP3 files. Such devices are available in many models from Sony and Olympus, at a cost starting around $100. Also get a decent noise-canceling headset. Print out your manuscript or use a teleprompter program (I use one called Prompt). Sit back, relax, and take your time to rehearse. Find a calm and steady speed for reading, since re-doing recordings is the most wasteful and frustrating experience imaginable. And then, oh yes! Don't forget to have some fresh water by your side, keeping your voice clear and open, consistent at all times. I've noticed that audio recordings made on different days never sound the same, so see if you can arrange one session with a whole short story, novel chapter, or the like.
5. Earlier this year, you started offering reviews of other Hubbers' work. What inspired you to do these reviews, and what do you enjoy about writing them?
The Hub review was something that I really had to try. I had to see if it was possible to write so many reviews - 100 - in about 1 week. I had written some Hub reviews before, and was comfortable with that, and felt they tended to be well received. But this 100 Hubs review was completely different: I had to either make it, or it would break me. The amount of support I received was overwhelming, and I never felt down or pressed during the exercise. As a result, I have come to know other Hubbers and their work better than ever before. Again, nearly all Hubs reviewed were of high quality, and I re-discovered the fine writing going on at this site.
What I enjoyed the most.... I think the challenge of being able to review such a diverse set of Hubs. People nominated themselves or their friends on the forum, I did not pick and choose whom to review. It really did not matter whether I found them interesting: No, I had to make the reader take an interest in the Hubbers and Hubs being reviewed. If I could do that, I could earn both the readers' and reviewed Hubbers' respect.
6. You also offer help with quality assurance and collaboration to Hubbers and other online writers- when did you start helping others with their writing, and what inspired the move?
I had started another, now obscure account about 18 months ago. Two months later, I decided to create this account, Website Examiner, to implement a Website Quality Assurance model that I had initially developed for the legal profession, then modified. I figured that I'd better not start imposing such criteria on anyone in an unsolicited fashion. Instead, I went straight onto the Help forum and offered my opinion and advice; simply because that was the best way for me to learn about the site and to connect with fellow Hubbers.
Today, the Quality Assurance and Free Collaboration programs remain active, but I have never done anything to promote them other than mention them on my profile page and write a few Hubs about them. Anyone is welcome to sign up. Essentially, what these programs can do is help people structure their work routines, become more self-aware about problem areas and unexploited development potential, and hopefully come out with a clearer vision of where to go next.
7. As you've become a mentor to and advocate of many Hubbers, you must be brimming with advice. If you could give just one tip to Hubbers regarding online writing, what would it be?
Learn to collaborate with others. Do not try to go it all alone. Instead, take full advantage of the exciting and highly valuable collaboration options the Internet has got to offer. That involves self-discipline, good communication skills, a trusting attitude, and the mental strength to remain in contact even when the going gets tough. You will become a better writer, you will find some way to get published, and chances are fair that you'll be financially compensated as well.
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