Eight Hubs to go, and I'm Out of Here!

Eight to go and I’m Out of Here!

Now there is 392 hubs attributed to Diogenes on this hub account. More than most; fewer than many. There could have been many more in the year and a half of writing. Pleading retirement is only 20% true; laziness makes up the other 80% of the reason for a mediocre performance.

Why do I bother to practice keeping myself out of the story as in the above paragraph? Many years of journalism does that, but it still makes the story sound artificial as if the author knew how clever he was being but was really itching to use the first person singular. But for aspiring writers, it is still a good practice to ‘practice. Churchill once said he cut any person dead who mentioned the word “I” in the first five minutes of knowing him. Conversation with Churchill made that easy, because it was sure to have been mostly about him!

Now, you read the header and what it said. Actually, it will be a relief to have a rest from HP and all it implies to members. Not so much from the writing, which is easy, but from all the duties membership requires if one is to keep a decent score and get some returns, both personal satisfaction and monetary.

Did that read “monetary?” OK, that’s not true, I never made more than ten pounds in any month from Google Adsence, and it was usually less than five pounds. In fact, it has been so little I have actually banked 120 pounds in over two years, and I have forty owing! I know - or have heard - some hubbers are making thousands, but they are the rarified air and I can’t find their secret, or who they are - anyone know?

It must be confessed, much as I respect and like many of my fellow hubbers who I am regularly in contact with, I am sick and tired of emails and commenting. There’s something not quite right about the comments requirement, unless this is just me. So often you don’t have time to really read and absorb a story - especially obscure poetry - yet you say a few trite words in comments. Many comments I see aren’t worth the 10 seconds in keying them. If you can’t say something that appeals to the intellect, mind and heart of the hubber, forget it and pass on: at least, that is what I believe and have tried to comment accordingly, which has elevated me to a level 7 commentator (or commenter) I know not whether this is good or bad after all this time.

So I won’t miss the income (Ha!) which pittance will continue anyway, because I will probably return, or stick around to just publish something meaningful, interesting or ground-breaking, and Google articles are almost carved in stone and stay up in perpetuity. You will be seeing my hub score, consistently at 100, going down and down as my articles get less attention and I am not contributing to all the other bits and pieces which HP says increases our scores.

I may pop in to keep up with the regular hubbers I admire, they know who they are by now. Some whom I miss occasionally seem to have left or are resting.

When you start to feel you are doing things by rote rather than as a result of creative energy or a joy in success, it’s time to step back and reevaluate. Perhaps - in fact, I am sure - the big problem after a while is the thought I am enriching Hubpages while getting no reward except personal satisfaction, and, heck, I am on a pension, a few quid here and there wouldn’t go amiss!

As long as I felt the personal satisfaction it was enough, but now that has unfortunately lessened and the quality of my articles has dropped off: so much so, I often just delete them half way through in disgust.

So about another two weeks should see it through; at least before this blasted Christmas nonsense anyway (…see how I am?)

So this is a sort of goodbye; more a “hasta luego.” Much thanks to friends met on here and to HP itself, they are, all in all, good guys…see ya later.

I may be in Mexico soon! Pleeze, pleeze anyone!

Robert Challen de Mercer as Diogenes.