Is it all in the numbers?

When I used to write, it was for me. I found it cathartic, relaxing and a great way to organize my thoughts.Then, while looking for a job that I could do at home, I decided to attempt to use my writing as an income source. Now that I have started writing for the public, especially Hubpages, I realized I am, actually, just in it for the fame! Afterall, I DO have 97 followers!

My first poem that I recall writing brought me a bit of local fame as it featured the Viet Nam War. I was 8 years old and quite moved by the discussions going on around me. I wrote:

During the terrible war

When all our men were sore

They did not want to stay

They wanted to leave that day

But they wanted to save our country

They wanted our home to be free

I cannot tell you how it is I remember every word to this poem, especially when I can't even remember why I just walked into the next room!

My next near famous piece was when I was in junior high and wrote an essay for the Junior Optimists Club. and I won. I won a great, great prize! It was a children's illustrated dictionary and I loved it as did my children after me. Yes, I kept it all those years! As one of only five recipients, I also got to go to Springfield, Illinois, our state capitol to receive that prize!

Almost 40 years ago (has it really been that long?!) I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. I was young,scared and pretty sick. My writing was pretty emo style* for a while but it was a great outlet for all the uncertainty and fear. Several surgeries down the road, I got older, stronger and left the depressed writing behind. For the next 20 or so years, my life was busy and full and my writing was limited to tributes to friends on special days, "letters" to my children and the occasional workbooks, plays and songs for my ESL students. There weren't enough hours in a day as it was and I didn't start writing again seriously until this year. But...now that I have started again, I haven't stopped!

check out Brinafr3sh's hub: http://brinafr3sh.hubpages.com/_22ayf30gn016h/hub/Goodemotionalhealth

"Any activity becomes creative when the doer cares about doing it right or better."~John Updike

One of the factors when I started writing, that I didn't count on, was the community. In the beginning I wondered how I would get a following, where I would find fans but I never considered my fellow writers. I know, crazy, right?! When I got my first wordpress account, it was fun and funny how quickly my blog was viewed by fellow writers. I joined a small community of bloggers, it was like going to a party and exchanging numbers and facebooks. We were checking out each other's blogs, websites, twitter and facebook accounts. But that community...that community was nothing compared to my Hub community. Who'd a thunk? It happened like this: One day, my son said, "Mom, you need another venue. Check out Hubpages." I did and I joined. Thank you, Ben! My very first commenter and follower was CrisSp, a beautiful and bright lady. Check out her hubs! I did and became hookedr immediately. This is the hub I read first: Cat Poop Coffee. Being the somewhat immature person I am, she had me at poop! Since that day, I have now added 96 followers to my personal hub community and I follow 132 amazing "hubbers." I have written 60 hubs and just completed my first hub challenge. Under the wire but successfully!

"Don't forget-no one else sees the world the way we do, so no one else can tell the stories that you have to tell."~Charles De Lint

Most of us, especially when our work is so much our own, rely on feedback to measure our success. Some of you are probably saying that you don't write for the recognition but...if you put it out there, you should still know how it is being received. Hubpages gives you feedback. They do it in several ways. The first and most obvious is that which comes from your followers. But, how do you get said followers. Well...hubpages gets your hub out there but it is up to you to make yourself know! Being part of a writing community is like being a part of any society or group. It's all about give and take. You read, write, comment, receive, ask and join. Get to know other hub writer by reading their work. The best way to read new hubs is to Hubhop. You can read as many hubs as you like, as often as you like and I bet you could find a hub on any topic! I, personally, find interesting people in the comment section of hubs I am following. If I like the way they view something, I usually click through to their site. You can bet other's will doing the same to you so make sure you leave worthy comments. You can also share hubs (your and others) in several ways. On the right side of each hub, you will find share buttons. If you like what you've just read, share it!

For those of us who want to continue to write, maybe make a career of it, there are things we can do and skills to perfect. I subscribe to The Oprah Magazine because I am always able to find something of value in every publication. Recently, they published this, 12 Pieces of Advice from the World's Best Writers. It includes advice from: Tony Morrison, William H. Gass, Virginia Woolf to name a few. I highly recommend this read!

Wow, wow, wow, something more exciting than last night's election! Ladies and gentlemen, as you all know when we are in the middle of writing a hub and have to stop to do something else, we save it unpublished. Well, I was just about done with this one and I had to leave for work. I just got back and found two surprises. I now have 99 followers! Yay and thank you! Who will be my 100th?! And.....drum roll please....I opened my account to see little black h's next to each of my hubs. What is this, I wondered? Am I being flagged? What happened? I looked below and saw it stood for "featured hubs" I called to my kids. "Come look, what do you think this is?" I must admit to starting to feel a small frission of excitement! That is until Ben said, "Well since they are all featured, it can't be anything too special." Way to go Ben! It took him 20 seconds to almost undo the past 30 years and turn me back into that scared, uncertain girl I was. But....not quite. I decided to do something realy daring, I clicked on the link for featured hubs! It was that easy! And wow, how thrilled I am that I did. It turns out that it is yet another great feature of the hub community. It is a quality assessment process that deemed my hubs, yep....me...randi b better known here as btrbell, to be worthy of being in the featured catagory. I am honored! To read more about it, click here. Don't be afraid!

....my friends, my followers, my fellow hubbers, tweeters, facebook friends and those of you who just hopped on, I say: Thank you! It is FOR you and BECAUSE of you that I write. Your words and actions are my inspiration and muse. Your comments, my motivation. I bow to you, my friends and leave you with just one more thought.

"Listen to the musn'ts child

Listen to the don'ts

Listen to the shouldn'ts

the impossibles, the won'ts

Listen to the never haves

Then listen close to me...

Anything can happen child, anything can be."

"As a writer you ask yourself to dream while you are awake."~Aimee Bender

btrbell has her 100th follower and hit 2500 views (I love those round numbers!) Thank you to daisydayz for joining me here. I just hopped over to her hubs and she is good. she just started the 30 day challenge and I am excited and happy to watch her progress. Stop by and see her!

Thank you, Chantele for being my 100th follower!