Ardie Interviews Haunty
More about the man behind some of HubPages' most fascinating Hubs
It was my extreme pleasure to interview Haunty, also known as Bela Mongyi, this week. We started some jazz music and sat down together over a bowl of spaghetti-o’s. This is the result.
It is often stated on your Hubs that you write about unique topics. How do you come up with the ideas?
I write on unique topics because I'm far from being a fully-fledged online marketer. Writing is my thing, and I do it in an obsessive-compulsive way, but promoting my writing... not so much. Unique topics mean less competition, which hopefully translates into more readers in the long run. I have been told that I tend to swing back and forth between extremes- meaning my writing either appeals to both scholars and the average reader, or it perplexes both.
The topics come from a variety of sources including blogs, books, even dreams. And yes, I steal my friends' ideas too. However, one thing that's important to me is to write about subjects on which I can't find sufficient information online (mostly, I do my research in books). It kinda annoys me that no one ever writes concise articles on such interesting topics as ancient Aztec festivals or ninja houses, so I have to do it myself. When I run out of ideas, I go to Amazon or document sharing sites, browse the content and grab the first topic that peaks my interest. Scribd is one great site because you can read the whole content of the books and documents shared by members.
You've recently added poetry to your collection of Hubs, what caused you to branch into other genres after almost two years of strictly article writing?
I think I like the fact that a poem has different meaning to each reader. Poems are only capable of conveying the same message to people to the extent of their sharing the same background and experiences in life. I love reading people's comments on my poems and finding ones that resonate well with my own thoughts. This is a great way to find like-minded people. Of course, if your goal is to find kindred souls among your readers, you'll have to write your poems in a somewhat ambiguous way and about things that matter the most to you. At first, I was quite shy about my poetry. The person who encouraged me to get started at it and to whom I owe for this new passion is Cris Advincula. He suggested that poetry was for everyone and prompted me to participate in his writing challenge on Facebook, which I did. Thank you, Cris A!
You have several newer Hubs on investing, is this an area of expertise? How do you have the knowledge to write such Hubs?
I don't exclusively exist online, which means I have a physical body that requires feeding and shelter (and the Internet). Sadly, that also entails the necessity of a job, which in this case has something to do with personal finances. I work for a firm that helps individuals achieve their short and long-term life goals by engineering personal investment plans for them. I have no difficulty in scouring different financial sectors for the best deals that meet individual needs due in big part to the terrific background of my firm and also the fact that I have done this a long time now. Under external pressure to produce Hubs while out of ideas, I often revert to financial or marketing topics.
I've heard rumors you teach on the weekends. What do you teach? Have you ever thought about using your teaching material to write Hubs for your students to study?
I teach almost anything they teach in a business college. My students are mostly college students that go to the same school that I went to and they come to me when they have questions about some of the things they are being taught. I usually assist students with thesis research or preparation for exams. However, most of my regulars are students of English, so I spend my Sundays teaching English to them. I also used to hold corporate English classes. I haven't used HubPages for my teaching simply because every student has individual needs and I prefer having casual discussions to lesson plans. Also, I can't write Hubs in Hungarian.
You're currently on your second bout of the 30 Hubs in 30 Days Challenge. Now that you've been with the site longer how are you going about the challenge differently?
I first entered the 30/30 challenge when I started on HubPages. It was a cool and exciting time for me when everything was still new and I knew little about how the site worked. I just wanted to get started writing and the challenge was supposed to keep me right on track. I had never written anything online before and I wanted to know if I was cut out for it at all. The community support I received was beyond belief. So you can imagine I enthusiastically produced a bunch of Hubs full of waffle that got me nowhere in terms of earnings. Of course, I have since deleted most of them.
Today, I know the rules of HubPages, what is expected of me, and - most importantly - what doesn't work. I still have no idea whether the Hub I am currently working on is going to be a success or a failure, but at least I know better than to churn out Hubs that lack focus and a central topic expressed in the form of key phrases.
One of your Hubs that really stands out to me as being completely different from your usual writing is Romance Literature Genres from Porn to Erotic Romance. Will this be a new topic you'll explore further?
Why do you have to bring this up now? Wanna get me banned? I was lucky enough it went under the radar of HubPages and now they will come to get me. Truth be told, I've been thinking about a follow-up article, entitled Erotic Romance and Kink. Also, a Hub about sex addiction is on the way. I didn't know sex was a topic we should shy away from on HubPages. It's a natural part of life. So is porn. Or maybe not.
OK last one, what's your favorite color and why?
My favorite color is red because it's the color of blood and evokes energetic, exciting, and erotic feelings. Also, red is the color of warmth and strength, which means it needs to be used sparingly, otherwise it creates fervor and makes one argumentative. That's why people with high blood pressure are advised against dressing up in red. Prettiest things in red: strawberries, bed sheets, and a woman's hair.
Thank you very much for your open and candid responses to my questions.
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