K9keystrokes Interviews Mighty Mom
An Elite Hubber elaborates on tolerance, generations, and her success as a writer and entrepreneur
1. I caught sight of you in the forums a while back and discovered you are a
very formidable soldier for tolerance. Where does this humane sense of self
come from?
Wow! What a question right out of the gate! Like so much of my outlook
on life, it comes from personal experience. I’ve had a lot of exposure to
the “misunderstood” of the world. I’m a big underdog cheerleader. So I tend
to get my back up when people spout absolute vitriol based on nothing but
ignorance and fear. Somebody’s gotta stand up to intolerance. There are some
notable Hubbers who are much more vociferous, but I do try to do my part.
Kumbaya, everybody!!
2. What keeps you coming back and writing here on HubPages?
Within weeks of joining I discovered the communal side of HP. “Back in the day”
(on the list of most overused/annoying phrases of 2010, btw) there was a jolly
group of hubjackers who met pretty much every night. We worked ourselves
into a frenzy of silliness and double entendres. As HP has grown and evolved, its
attraction for me has grown. I’ve met even more cool Hubbers and discovered
the “allure” of the forums. There is so much intelligence, wisdom and humor
here! Oh, and I’ve recently discovered you can actually make money through Hubbing! Who knew?
3. You are a very successful online writer, even winning some significant awards
for your work. If you could tell a newbie just one thing regarding online writing,
what would that be?
I hope this doesn’t disqualify me from offering advice to newbies, but… my
awards are all old school. You know, for stuff like ads and brochures and annual
reports and things that actually get printed. On paper. I’ve made the transition to
online because that’s where the action is. I would hardly say I’m a “successful”
online writer (unless you count writing other people’s websites).
What I would say to newbies is you can do it the hard way or you can do it the
smart way. The smart way is to read every piece of guidance HP provides. Then
search for Hubs that will answer the rest of your questions. Very quickly you will
be led to Hubbers who really know their stuff. Read their Hubs.
Learn how it all works. Use the tools.
As for the writing itself, there are many theories as to what works best. I’d
simply say write what you know, write often, and you’ll become a better writer.
Oops – I just reread the question and you said only ONE thing. Um, I guess the
ONE thing would be to write quality, original content.
4. Mighty Mom, you are among the HubPages Elite; how did you attain this lofty
roll and what do Hubbers who aspire to such great heights need to remember?
Giant LOL on this one. If I told you that my particular squadron of Hub Pages
Elites was not long ago called the Hub Freaks (instead of Hub Greeters), would
that burst your bubble? Seriously, being an Elite is not a status thing. It’s a
service thing. It’s my responsibility to greet at least seven new Hubbers each
week. Other Elites contribute to other areas of HubPages.
If you’re interested in doing extra work to make HubPages a more vibrant
place, I’d say show yourself to be a loyal, active, and positive member of the HP
community. That’s the best way to get noticed and invited.
5. In your profile, you speak of being part of the "sandwich generation". Will
you elaborate on the topic?
Goes to show how much has happened in my life
since joining Hub Pages! I’m hanging on by a single crust now – my son’s out on
his own and we’re down to only one living parent. Yikes!
The “sandwich generation” refers to those of us mid-lifers who still have kids in
the house but are also caring for our aging/ill parents. PB & J squished between
two soggy slices of Wonder Bread -- that’s us.
6. Moving from the east coast to the west coast must have caused you to make
some adjustments in lifestyle. What do find to be the biggest change you had to
undergo?
Moving from Boston to California was like moving to another country.
Or maybe another planet. After about two years I acclimated and no longer need
the oxygen mask.
7. You write about some pretty deeply serious subjects while
offering some really helpful life changing information. What drives you to take on
emotional topics like rape and alcoholism?
Yeah, and don’t forget bipolar, teen drug addiction, hospice, death, and familial
betrayal. Gosh, I’m a regular little ray of sunshine, aren’t I? Seriously, I write
about what I know. Some people garden. I recover.
8. If you had to speak about the importance of having a service
commitment while in recovery around the holidays, what would you say and
would you recommend any Hubs on the subject?
I’m a big fan of having a service commitment at any time of year. It keeps you
out of trouble because it takes you out of yourself and makes you feel good, too!
But the holidays are tough on so many levels. I’d say do anything/everything in
your toolbox. Whatever you normally do, do more of it, not less (being too busy
with shopping, etc. is not a legitimate excuse). If you’re not working on your
recovery you are working on a relapse!
There are some excellent Hubs on recovery. Recovering Addict has written
extensively on all kinds of addiction issues (although haven’t seen anything
recently). See also Kimh039 and my homegirl Lorlie6… I’m probably forgetting
some great ones. Please forgive me if I left yours out.
9. I find it fascinating that you write Marketing Copy for businesses. What is
your favorite type of business to market?
I find writing for businesses fascinating, too! The best part for me is the
diversity. I’ve done a lot more B2B than B2C, but that’s changing as I work with
more clients online and internationally.
These days I write about teen leadership programs, “green” charcoal and
grilling products, laser hair loss treatment, predictive analytics for casinos, risk
management consultants, construction services – each client presents a new
challenge. I love them all (as long as they are appreciative).
10. In 2002 you launched your own business after realizing "herding cats" was
a costly expenditure of energy when marketing for law firms. How hard was it to
take your first step in creating your business 'Mighty Pen'?
That’s true. As my lawyers caught on to the power of marketing, they wanted
more, more, more. I found myself doing a lot of stuff I pretty much hated (Example: I spent the day of 9/11 writing, producing and delivering a proposal). After four years I had my epiphany. Luckily, I already had relationships with
some fabulous graphic designers. I figured out pretty quickly how to market
myself by partnering with them. Hard to believe it’s been almost nine years, or
that I’ve been Hubbing for two+ years! Time flies when you’re having fun playing
with words, that’s for sure.
|
