Dobson Interviews K9keystrokes
A writer of many talents finds growth, wealth, and solace on HubPages
1. We met as a benefit of the second 60 day challenge. What did you learn about yourself during this 60 days of concentration in your writing?
Ahhh, the 60 day challenge. You Mr Dobson encouraged sunforged to lead us on this trail of abuse if I'm not mistaken! And what a beautiful bit of abuse it was. When I read that there was a 60 day challenge in the works I had been on HubPages a mear 2 or 3 months and had a heated desire to learn how the whole online writing thing worked. I am far from a tech savvy writer, using my heart to accomplish the task more than anything else. I did however end up learning some very useful techie things from some of you more skilled marketers. As far as what I learned about my own writing, there was much!I found some wonderful methods to create a Hub strictly to 'show-off' a product I really liked. I learned how to share a useful product with others. If someone bought it, I felt even more joy as the shekels gather in my pockets- and they do start to gather with time.
I found that to accomplish a good Hub everyday took some deep reaching and quick use of knowledge I had on board, as well as a double-time pace to be thorough in my research (thank you shazwellyn). Before the challenge I paid little attention to the time it took to do such research. In taking the 60 day challenge I found I can really fact-check quickly and write a comprehensive Hub a lot faster than I could before the challenge. In essence, the 60 day challenge has increased my output 2-fold, with little to no impact on the quality of my Hubs.
Most importanty, I discovered the fun of writing for myself and for the HubPages community as a team. My writing became more of an effort to be useful within the team, helping to promote team members, reading and being read in support of something just a little bigger than myself. It was a gracious time of befriending, learning, helping and above all communicating; all for the sake of writing. I mean really, what could be better for writers like us? I recommend a challenge for all new, and tenured writers alike, it's hard work, and requires dedication, but well worth the panic and fast pace!
2. Did you learn anything new about Hub Pages or about marketing your writing?
The 60 day challenge is directly designed by nature to teach you how to improve and market your work. I found myself referring to the FAQ on HubPages to make certain I was following the rules. My fear was making a mistake and becoming a drag on the team. This alone taught me much about community etiquette and methods. What I learned about marketing is more valuable than I ever imagined. I expected to pick-up a few tid-bits of inside information here and there, but nothing like I what actually took away.
During the challenge we were taught to do some linking (fancy linking in terms of my know-how). I struggled with RSS (really simple syndication) feeds and found the more I tried to understand RSS links, the harder it felt. So, I shot off a "HELP!" email to wavegirl22, who was a huge help to me during the challenge in many ways. She gave me a road map to a wonderful step by step Hub written by Edweirdo that was like the sky opening up and handing me RSS magic powers. What I ultimately discovered was that I was in fact making the whole process much too hard, as it is a really simple step to a productive Hub.
3. In your profile you talk about a love of dogs. Is this due to experience with your own pets or due to a professional interest?
I grew up with dogs, my family raised AKC dogs for many years before I was even a spark in my Da's eye. My parents were ranking members of the AKC and most of their off hours were spent breeding and caring for high quality dogs. As I grew, these wonderful beasts became more like siblings (in a non-alpha dog way) than one could imagine. This connection with dogs bloomed into a desire to study the behavior and communication of the animal. I won a scholarship and studied vet medicine and k9 behavior at a well known California University. When I found myself unable to conduct vivisection on the critters, I bowed out and simply studied their behavior. At that point my education took a turn in a far different direction, and Law Enforcement became my field of study, along with a deep interest in photography.
Over my lifetime I have trained and raised many beasts in the art of 'good K9 behavior'; and a few of them were even dogs...
4. What subjects do you find the easiest to write about? What subject is the hardest?
The easiest subject for me to take on would have to be the topic of mans (woman's) best friend: the dog. I always feel rejuvenated and uplifted when I write about the beasts. They just make me feel happy and loved- unconditionally loved.
The most difficult thing for me to write about would most certainly have to be that which speaks of my departed spouse. As healing as this writing may be, it also takes me several days to shake off the pain of the loss and anguish of her absence.
5. On your profile you said you are a published professional photographer. Where have your photos been published? Do you use any in your hubs?
My work has been published in news articles as close as the west coast of California and as far as the east coast of New York, and in a book called Portal To The Past put out by the International Library of Photography. I took a refresher course several years back at the The New York Institute of Photography where they use several of my images as sample works for teaching new students. I have a couple awards hanging on my home office wall, nothing too impressive, but still kinda fun.
I use my photography in my Hubs quite often. I try to fit the images with the story line or topic as much as possible. Most recently I have been modifying the images creating retro style works that are poster edge stylized art. This is mostly what you will find within my Hubs.
6. Your profile is pretty comprehensive, telling us a lot about you, but if there is anything you left out we need to know what would it be?
If there were one thing I left out that I wouldn't mind sharing here, it would have to be that I am a full fledged Ordained Minister and that I am truly a very passionate and loving human. I have performed many weddings for people from all walks of life, yes, even gay and lesbian services. I have a deep disdain for the mean things in life and have little tolerance for cruelty of any kind. I have served in the U.S. Military so I know evil when I see it, and find no hesitation to destroy evil when I can get my grip about it. But as it stands, this righteous anger for evil has been dormant for some time now, as I prefer to find the beauty in human kind and believe that we should, above all things, always choose love. Corny I know, but this is really where my heart remains.
7. You have over 100 hubs now, are you seeing any monetary results?
This is the best and most exciting question so far for me! I am seeing monetary results from my mear 100+ hubs. I have been read over 193,000 times so far and have, in the past month, witnessed a significant rise in revenue. I have even had an AdSense day that topped $30+ for me this is huge. I have made more (lots more) shekels this month than I have made in the previous 6. I attribute this to the things I learned in the 60 day challenge and applied to my Hubs. It just takes time and following a few simple methods I was told, and now I am a believer!
8. What inspires you to write?
A couple of things inspire me to write: emotional reaction and advocacy. I write to help resolve inner struggles and desires, and this is the emotional inspiration. I write when I feel an injustice or struggle is in the works, and this is the advocate in me. I am a very purposeful person, I rarely do or write anything without a meaningful nudge from inside my heart.
9. I was sorry to see you lost your spouse to Cancer. Have you written any hubs about that experience?
Wow...thank you for your concern Dobs, very sweet. Yeah I have written on the subject of my grief and being a widow. Debbie was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer in August 2007 and 10 months later on June 6Th, 2008 she was gone. I was devastated and thought her end would surely lead to mine. Her death was the reason I started writing on HubPages to begin with, to soothe and spill those emotions. I wrote a Hub about it and two follow-up Hubs. It was cathartic and as I wrote looking through my rain filled eyes, I found a peace sinking in. I read the comments from the community and I knew that HubPages was the community I was in need of. So I planted my flag and laid claim to K9keystrokes on HubPages!
I had a really difficult time revisiting the Grief Woman to Woman Hub, I know it needs work and could stand some editing. I want to make it a more popular piece of work because I really think it has a lot to say about grief woman to woman, and how different grief can live within alternate lifestyles. Being a lesbian woman who lost my spouse, it became very apparent that my grief (and those like me) was far and away different from a more customary grief. It changed my being in more ways than I thought possible. I still miss her smile and the bright glint she had in her eyes. It is a much different life today without her.
10. Do you enjoy reading the comments left behind by readers?
I love to read the comments left by readers and I love to leave comments. Nothing makes my day brighter than to read a funny response or a statement of appreciation for a Hub I have written. I am so grateful for the comments! They are very inspiring and healing. The first thing I do when I get to my computer is head to the comments section of my account. It breathes life into my finger tips and drives me to want to write more and more. This is one of the biggest reason I find HubPages so delightful, the community. I adore this community of writers!
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