An Interview with Mark Ewbie
A seasoned online commentator makes comedic, witty waves on HubPages
1. First, could you tell us a bit about yourself?
It may seem silly but I hadn’t realised an interview would involve me answering any personal questions. Apart from that minor point I’m good to go.
My wife has suggested I try to make the responses funny while I think it should be informative. So I have compromised and achieved neither. Memo to self: never compromise. Unless she insists of course.
The about yourself question is the trickiest – I’ve scanned down and checked the others. I am a private person, especially where the internet is concerned, and on top of that I am English with the reserve that entails.
OK – I can avoid it no more...
I am happily married despite the children, and my life is settled. I work but don’t want to. I mow the lawn and quite like it. I walk the dogs and think about writing.
I like looking for the funny angle, the unexpected view. Making people laugh, or very occasionally think, is high on my Favourites list.
I am fortunate enough to have no interests, hobbies or social life – which allows me plenty of time to get on with learning how to write for amusement, pleasure and hopefully one day… profit.
I don’t get asked to do a whole lot of interviews…
2. What brought you to HubPages?
I used to contribute informative comment to an internet forum. In fact I contributed so regularly and in such an informative manner that I was occasionally banned.
One day, while I was on my third ID and proxy server, I noticed a well regarded regular talking about things like Adsense, and affiliated marketing, and earning money through writing. The penny, and so far it is still a penny, finally dropped.
I asked where she wrote and the answer was HubPages. Her name is earner on HP and I am very grateful to her. The rest, as they say, is mystery. (ed: surely history?)
3. What are your favorite subjects to write about? And do they differ from your favorite subjects to read?
I write about anything that pops into my thoughts. Since being on HubPages I seem to have written a lot about writing, marketing, SEO – these being things on my mind. But any topic that I feel could make an amusing or briefly diverting article is fair game.
I write hopefully amusing articles rather than informative well researched content. This gives me a fairly free rein to tackle a wide variety of subjects. It does help if I have sufficient knowledge to sensibly subvert them though.
For me, writing is about the style and humour first, with an element of content if possible. If I can make a valid point about something, particularly a target for satire, then I am satisfied.
I don’t read much. I scan and skim the internet, read a newspaper and occasional magazine articles.
I find the hypocrisy of politics interesting, the mystery of celebrity culture – the amusement and confusion in everyday life.
The more I write on HP the more I analyse rather than read. How are they making the article work? Why am I reading it? Could I do it?
4. You augment your Hubs with fantastic, hand-drawn illustrations. When you create a new one, is it with a specific article in mind, or do you just create illustrations, upload them, and use them where they're relevant?
My first few articles were without pictures and I realised they needed something, if only for the short preview of articles shown in various places. I wasn’t sure about copyright issues or putting in the effort to search for pictures that fit. I had already stumbled on Shadesbreath and seen the real artistry he puts into his drawings, and appreciated the uniqueness of his output.
I thought I would try my hand at drawing – all that I needed was a symbol of something and a smart caption. At first I hid these at the bottom of articles, but thanks to positive feedback I became more confident and they are now a part of what I do.
I initially create a picture to accompany an article. I think of the simplest thing I can manage to represent and have a go at it. If it passes my quality test which is on the low side art wise, then I put it into my article with a neat caption if possible.
It takes me more time to draw than to write – therefore I tend to re use pictures where sensible. Writing an article about SEO or Google? I have a couple of images I use repeatedly, although the Gay Panda has possibly been overdone recently.
I would like to say a heartfelt thank you for the responses I have received, as without them I would not have continued to grow in confidence, which one day may turn into ability.
5. Your Hubs manage to be at once spot-on, insightful, and hilarious. How do you DO that??
Thanks!
I have had a lot of practice. For ten years, maybe more, I have wandered forums looking for places to have fun, make smart remarks, and gain attention.
The feedback from this appalling waste of time has helped me tighten up my offering – to see what works and what doesn’t. What do people find funny for example? What offends them? What do they simply ignore?
As for insightful - well despite my apparently slack approach I put some thought into what I do. Although my online persona is sometimes a slacker who doesn’t care or understand – in real life I am more thoughtful about things that interest me.
Occasionally there will be a message wrapped up in a layer of wry amusement. But it doesn’t matter too much if the original substance gets lost or missed – I don’t want to preach to anyone.
My main thoughts when writing are – will a reader like the temporary diversion from the real world? It’s hopefully infotainment.
6. What, in general, inspires you to write?
I enjoy the act of writing, the thought organisation and creative process. I find it very relaxing and occupying to work on a piece. The publication of the final article, the subsequent views and comments are all bonuses – it is fun writing and being read!
In the longer term I am hoping to achieve some element of financial reward from writing. This may come from HP itself, perhaps through eBooks one day or maybe gaining the courage to approach newspapers with articles.
First I need to find out what works, how to do it – and to do that I need to keep on writing, practicing and learning.
7. You're rather successful on HubPages- do you have any tips or advice for new Hubbers?
When I joined up I was a little lost at first. There seemed to be a lot of technical things to learn and impossibly high scoring authors and articles all around. I wrote a couple of pages and didn’t know what I was doing.
I started selectively following a few of the successful Hubbers. I read articles on the Hot and Best lists. I visited the forums and read what people were talking about.
A lot of the topics were like a foreign language – keywords, long tails, affiliation and so on. Some of these I spent some time researching.
I contributed to the forums where I felt I could. Not like my previous flaming and getting banned days though! My HubPages writing ‘career’ is much more important that that. On here my gratification comes from article writing - not from forum nonsense.
I am aware that every thing I write, including this, is an advert for what I do. A sensible or humorous post in a forum may gain some attention – perhaps a read, maybe a follower. A long boring rant may not.
My advice is to write a little and read a lot to start with. Get to know people in the forums. Maybe answer a question, or leave a comment on pages you like. Do this without spamming and you will meet a truly great set of people. All writers, all learning and trying, just like you.
I’m not just saying that. Good luck – it’s a great place to be.
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