donnah75, From Upstate New York, 136 Fans, 32 Hubs, Joined 2 months ago
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An Interview with donnah75
One of HubPages' newsest Hubbers shares her insights on Shakespeare, education, food, and more
Before joining HubPages, what was your primary outlet for writing? Have you always been writing?
I have always loved to write, but I have never put a long term effort into the discipline of writing in order to be published. Over the years, I have done quite a bit of personal journal writing, which I believe helps writers learn how to get their thoughts on the page. I spent many years in school, so I did a lot of academic writing, some of which has ended up as articles on HubPages. I also write for my job as a teacher. I am always creating new lesson plans and models to use in my classroom. I have some poetry, a short story or two, an unfinished play, etc. all living on the shelf waiting for their time. I suppose my most public display of writing came when I adapted Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice into a script for the stage a couple of years ago. The script wasn’t published, but the show was performed, and that was a fantastic experience. HubPages is the first place that I have published my writing. It is exciting and addicting.
What are your favorite subjects?
There are so many things I am interested in, but I feel it is wise to follow the age old advice of “write what you know.” At the moment, my favorite subjects are education and teaching, directing, books, and food. I love to travel as well, so that is a topic I am eager to write about too.
You mention in your profile that you teach high school English and have a passion for Shakespeare and directing plays. What is it about Shakespeare's work that makes it so timeless- and do you think we can adapt this as modern online content creators?
You said it, Shakespeare is timeless. Shakespeare’s work is timeless because it focuses on common, human themes. His plays are about love and hate, power, jealousy, politics, deception, longing, loyalty, and so many other qualities that humans have been interested in for all time. We certainly can adapt Shakespeare’s work and style to modern times. Each of his works has many layers to uncover. As modern day writers, it is important to write with depth. No one wants to read an article that is so superficial that they take away nothing. People want to spend time reading concise, deep, meaningful writing. Shakespeare also wrote about the important human issues of the day. As modern writers, we too should focus on these issues. I believe that Shakespeare wasn’t afraid to be honest and that he challenged his audience to think and feel in deep, meaningful ways. As writers, we can strive for that same result.
Many of your Hubs draw from your expertise as an educator. What inspires them? Do any of your students read your work- or do any of your colleagues also publish guides and lessons elsewhere?
This is an interesting time to be an educator. The world is rapidly changing, and as educators we need to keep up with new technology. We are teaching a generation of children who have grown up with computers, cell phones and Smart boards. Educators and our system of education are held up to scrutiny and face new levels of accountability each year. Despite all of the chatter and chaos, teachers need to educate the students in front of them every day. I am inspired by my daily challenge to be the best I can be at my job. I am inspired by my creative colleagues and students. I am also inspired by the subject matter that I love. Those are the things you will see surface in my articles. I have a long list of ideas.
I have only been at HubPages for a short time, so I honestly don’t know if any of my students read my work. I hope they do, now or someday, if my writing interests them. As far as my colleagues writing, I am mostly unsure. However, I did find that two of my fellow English department colleagues have a few articles on HubPages! That was a fun discovery.
Your food Hubs are excellent- and are filled with splendid step-by-step photos. How do you manage to at once photograph a meal while preparing it? Have you adopted a particular system that works?
Before I published any food Hubs, I did a lot of studying. I looked at great food blogs on the web and honed in on a style that I wanted to create. It takes a lot of planning and following a few tips. I won’t give too much away, as this is a topic of one of my upcoming Hubs.
When you joined HubPages, what goals did you have in mind? What can we expect from you in the months to come?
When I joined HubPages, I didn’t know what to expect, and so I didn’t really have a goal. I thought, “this could be fun.” The idea that I could make a small, passive income was also intriguing, but not a driving factor. I was mostly excited to have a place where I could publish my writing without having to keep up with a personal blog, which I don’t have time for at the moment. Going forward, I do have goals. I want to finish my series on “How to Direct a High School Play,” which has several more installments still to be written. I want to share more of my ideas about education and lessons for the English classroom. I want an excuse to cook great, photogenic meals that I can turn into hubs. I find that the more I write, the more ideas I have, so expect a lot from me in the coming months.
Finally, you have been astoundingly successful in your first months on HubPages. What tips might you share with other HubPages newcomers?
Well, I am very new to writing online. However, good writing is good writing. One of the ideas that I see repeated over and over on HubPages from the experienced Hubbers is that it is most important to write good, quality content. An article’s ideas should be interesting and have depth. The writing should be focused and error free. The writing should also be targeted to the audience, and to find out how to meet that style, I suggest that new Hubbers read, read, read. Reading the work of other Hubbers is an excellent way to see examples of success. Finally, any writer should focus on and write what he or she knows. Experience and research are a writers best set of tools. In addition, I think part of my success has been that I participate in the Hubpages community. It is a supportive, friendly community, and interacting with other Hubbers will help newcomers find success.
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