An Interview with viking305
Cookbook Contest Advice and Helpful Hubbing Tips from a Seasoned Writer
You're one of HubPages' best recipe Hubbers, and are actively participating in our Cookbook Contest. What tips can you give to other Hubbers who would like to submit entries in the contest?
There are so many recipes out there online that you need to make your recipe Hub stand out. Let the reader feel your enthusiasm for whatever you are making.
The other very important thing you should do when writing recipe Hubs is to use your own photographs. This gives your reader the confidence that you really know what you are talking about. They can see for themselves that you have actually made the recipe yourself. Videos are popular too. I have just started to use videos in my recipes too and I plan to develop this further.
If you do not cook or bake you can still enter a recipe in the competition. Ask a member of your family, a relative or friend if they have a favourite recipe they would like you to write about.
You can take photos as they prepare it. If they are shy tell them it will only be the food you will be taking not them. Write down the ingredients and instructions straight away as it is very easy to forget them once you get home.
For how long have you been a freelance writer? How did you get started?
I have been writing for over thirty years. In those days there was only a typewriter and later a word processor so it was hard. I researched and wrote in my spare time. There was no internet either for research so that took a lot of time too. But I loved it and spent many days in libraries and second hand book shops.
My first full article was published in an Irish history magazine in 1990 and it was so exciting. Finally after years of doubting my ability some one else decided my writing was worth publishing on the front cover of a well known magazine. After that I had many articles published in magazines over the years.
I discovered online writing in 2005 and joined a writing site. This was a bad experience and put me off writing online for a while. Then I came across HubPages. What a difference this made to my writing. I grew in confidence and have been writing many articles and Hubs since then.
How does your HubPages account factor in to your freelance writing career?
HubPages and the writing community here have really helped me progress as an online writer. Becoming part of the writing community and getting feedback from other writers makes me feel like I am among other professionals who have the same aim as myself.
I do not write for magazines anymore because writing online is so much more satisfying. I get my articles read by people from all over the world. They can leave comments and this is satisfying for me that something I wrote has touched another person in some way.
I have a few blogs and I am just about to publish some e books. But most of my articles are published here at HubPages.
As someone who writes about Irish history, what would you say sets Ireland's historical figures and events apart from those of other countries?
I believe every country has its own unique history, but Ireland has only been free from British rule for over ninety years. There were still many people living that remembered how the historical events that created our freedom happened. So people of my generation relate to our history from our own families memories.
My own grandmother only died five years ago at the age of ninety eight. She had many stories and vivid memories of the 1916 Easter Rising and the Irish War of Independence to tell me about.
My parents are still alive and they have told me about their time in Ireland as children and young people during the 2nd World War and economic difficulties.
I am fascinated by my Irish family history and so I have recorded and written all this in my history Hubs here.
In addition to writing crafting Hubs, you make and sell crafts at craft fairs. For how long have you been doing this? What are your favorite things to make?
I have been painting in acrylics for years and was part of an art group. We held an exhibition twice a year and I sold my art there. I have always made my own greeting cards too for years for family and friends.
It is only in the last three years that I have been making crafts to sell at fairs. This is because I was made redundant and needed the money. But I really enjoy this activity too which is just as well because the amount of time needed to create these crafts does not make it as profitable as writing in terms of hours spent on it.
I love to paint on canvass but I had to make other things that would be cheaper for customers to buy. I paint on stones and make Christmas decorations and fridge magnets from clay. These always sell well. I also make greeting cards.
I do the fairs with my sister and she sews Christmas decorations, knits hats gloves etc and clothes for Barbie dolls. She has just started to crochet flowers too. I have taken photos and plan to write Hubs on all these crafts very soon once the recipe contest is over.
What first inspired you to join HubPages? What did you hope to do on the site?
I was looking for a writing site that I could trust. I read about HubPages and decided to check it out. I liked what I saw and decided to join. I wanted to write my Irish history articles so others could read and enjoy them. After a few months I decided to write on other subjects to see if I could earn money from them.
Until Google Panda and Penguin hit us I was doing very well. I still earn money but not as much as I would like to.
Do you have any big writing projects in the works?
Yes I have three ebooks I intend to finish in the next few weeks and publish. Two are children’s books and the other one is about taking control of our own lives through our thoughts and actions in a certain way.
I have other e books in various stages of development and intend to concentrate on this writing medium for a while.
What sorts of Hubs should we expect to see you publishing in the following months?
I have about seven or eight recipe Hubs to publish for the contest. Next on the list are the craft Hubs. I am looking forward to writing them. I have all the photos ready in folders so once I get started it will not take too long.
I may create another dedicated account just for the craft Hubs because there are a lot of them. It might keep Google happy and get me more readers if I stick to the one subject.
Finally, what advice might you offer to new Hubbers who have just joined the site?
The Learning Center at HubPages is full of valuable advice and tips for anyone who wants to write online. I would recommend to all new writers that they study the tutorials before they begin on HubPages.
Everything they need to know about writing online is there.
After that they just need to keep writing as many quality Hubs as they can. I always write the intended Hub on a word document first because I find it so much easier to edit. This also gives me time to save it and come back later to read and make changes. Check and recheck for grammar and spelling mistakes.
Wherever possible they should also use their own photographs and videos.
You will earn money here from your Hubs but not straight away. It takes time and hard work. So please if you love writing then do not give up. Continue to write quality Hubs and you will begin to earn money from your writing.
|
