Hubpages.com - Where New Writers Become Better Writers

I've been in love with words since I was a kid. I couldn't read enough books to satisfy my obsession with how words put together in the right sequence could paint a picture or, tell a story. As I got older, I enjoyed expressing myself through letters to the editor of my local paper and writing for the newsletter of a non-profit organization I ran. That was the extent of my writing experience. In my mid 40's I enrolled in a creative writing class at the community college across town and the world of writing opened before my eyes. I was blessed with an instructor who knew how to pull ideas out of her students without intimidation or fear. She convinced me that I had talent but I wasn't sure what to do with it. So, I did nothing.

Fast forward fifteen years.

My discovery of Hubpages was accidental. After losing my job to a lay off, I started looking for a way to sustain myself. I replied to an on-line ad for writers knowing I did not have the experience they were looking for. I just wanted someone to tell me that I had potential. Yeah, a bit of wishful thinking on my part. Well, I didn't get the writing assignment but I connected with an editor who encouraged me and gave me some wonderful tips for exploring the world of writers. Following that advice, I started searching the Internet for opportunities to blog. I stumbled upon Hubpages and am so glad I did.

The writers and staff of Hubpages are some of the most generous, caring people I've ever met. I've only been here a little while but I have been given a lot of encouragement and support. Here on Hubpages, I found professional writers who wanted to help me learn. They made me feel welcome and encouraged me. I wasn't long before I knew I could trust them to tell me the truth about my writing and to give me good advice on how to improve my skills. I may never be an award winning writer but the people I have met here have given me a home.

Thankfully I've had no problems with my hubs here but I know that Hubpages doesn't tolerate abusive writing or spammers. That makes them a winner in my book. I know that when I log on I will have access to only the best in writing. Whatever the genre, I know that I will learn something if I read it. The Hub Police do a great job of keeping out the riff-raff and preserving the site for serious writers (or wannabees). Logging in here reminds me of slipping on your favorite old worn-out shoes. They just feel better than all the rest. And so it is here too. I log in and I feel good.

So what makes Hubpages better than the rest?

• It's easy to learn how to use it.
• The format is controlled just enough without feeling restrictive.
• The forums are simply awesome. There is nothing that can't be answered in the forums.
• The Help screens are well laid out and easy to use.
• The tools for monitoring your success are readily available.
• The opportunity to make money is here if you are willing to work hard.
• The accolades are fun and inspire me to be a real participant in the Hubpage community
• Other writers can rate your work or leave feedback.
• I own my work, not Hubpages. I can unpublish here if I want to publish an article somewhere else.
• Backlinking from other writers and sites brings traffic to my work.

I love watching my numbers grow and I am obsessed with watching.

Hubber Score:

Although I don't completely understand it, my Hubber score is important to me. I strive to keep it above 87 but I really don't know why. I'm still a newbie and trust I'll learn more about the Hubber score in time.

Ratings:

The majority of readers don't rate my hubs and it bothers me. I want to think that my hubs inspire or teach something. As a newbie, I don't know why more readers don't rate my hubs and maybe I'm obsessing about it too much. Do other hubbers care as much as me? Who knows but, I try to rate every hub I read just in case they do. Okay, I'll admit it. I don't rate every hub. I frequently explore other hubs and sometimes they simply don't hold any interest for me or the format is just a bit too cumbersome for me to get in to. I don't rate those hubs. You got me.

Accolades

I love it when I get a new Accolade. I don't even care what it is most of the time. I just want them. When I visit other hubbers profiles, I am so impressed when I see lots and lots of Accolades and I want to be like them. I want my visitors to go - Wow!

In my opinion, Hubpages is the gold standard for introducing good writers to the world. It is also a classroom where world class writers motivate and inspire newbies to become world class writers.

For those of us hoping to become better writers, this is a community of people who love words and phrases, grammer and punctuation and are willing to lead by example. Some have the extradordinary skill of generating creative titles; titles that grab you. Others have SEO writing down to a science. And some just write beautiful, inspirational hubs without care of gaining scores or financial reward. They are some of my favorites actually.

No hub about Hubpages can be written without mentioning the recipes. Hubbers must also be incredible cooks because the recipes and photos are enough to make your mouth water. This is an area that I have yet to contribute to because I'm not willing to put all that time in taking step-by-step photos of the process. That takes a real commitment. Good job you hubbers who document your cooking. I'm envious and surprised that a Hubber's Recipe Book hasn't been published.

I started this capsule to talk about my goals. They are very simple. I want to be a part of the Hubpage community for a long time and I want to become a respected contributor to the many forums and categories. My niche is yet undefined and may never be. I write from my heart and if I don't feel it, it's hard to write. So, my short list of goals as a writer looks like this:

• Write more
• Participate More
• Learn, learn, learn more
• Become a more professional writer
  

Thanks Hubpages. You're starting to feel like home!

© 2012 Linda Crist, All rights reserved.

Read more of my hubs here.