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Random Thoughts on Day 30 of a 30 Hubs in 30 Days Hub Challenge

An Open Letter to the HubPages Community
Dear fellow writers in Hubsville,
It's Day 30 of the 30 Hubs in 30 Days Hub Challenge hosted by Karen Hellier. With roughly an hour and twenty minutes left before the deadline and 8 hubs yet to go, it's time for my concession speech. I'm hoisting the little white hankie up the proverbial flag pole, my tail tucked between my legs, as I limp on over to the side of the road.
The hare with big dreams and squandered opportunities by way of silly distractions, poor choices, and skeletal planning is tired of watching the backside of the tortoise.
This was a huge fail.
And yet...
All is not lost. There are always valuable lessons to be learned. This is the process by which failures are seen in a different light. Not as shipwreck disasters but, rather, as incremental steps of progress towards eventual success.
With a rejuvenated spirit of let's make lemonade out of these lemons, I'd like to share with you more of my random thoughts on Day 30 of the 30 Hubs in 30 Days Hub Challenge.
The Next Time Around
The next time I tackle the 30 Hubs Challenge may very well be on my own. With malice towards none, maybe I'm the sort of writer who agonizes over deadlines imposed by other entities, whether corporate or individual.
Don't get me wrong. I love the team I had for this initial attempt at boosting my inventory of hub caps. You couldn't ask for a better leader than Karen Hellier. You couldn't ask for a more personable and supportive teammate than wetnosedogs. Come October (if I'm still on HubPages), this is the team I'll make like Audie Murphy and go to hell and back with.
No, what I'm considering is challenging myself, a la billybuc, to write a hub a day for an extended period of time. No fanfare, no public announcement, no mention. No muss, no fuss, Gus!
The personal challenge. I'd be doing it just for me. Just because...
I need to know that I am capable of climbing to the pinnacle without having had to do it HubPages' Way or No Way.
As a writer, I consider it a basic tenet that if I'm to have a credible voice, I must be honest.
Even when the honesty takes the absurd form of shooting myself in the foot.
What am I talking about? Okay, I'll say it loud and clear so the writer wearing the plaid shirt in the back of the auditorium whose eyeballs are rolling because he stayed up too late last night watching Jimmy Fallon can hear me.
HubPages, the following is for you.
Did I see an increase in traffic to my hubs? Nothing out of the ordinary...or, rather, my ordinary.
Did I see a rise in my earnings? What!?! Are you kidding me?
Did I get more followers? No more than in an average month.
So, why, then, do the challenge?
With apologies to George Mallory, Because it's there!

Where I Write
Here Are the Things I'll Change
I know I have been mentioning Bill Holland or billybuc several times in the past few months, but in keeping things real, folks, I have learned more from this talented, ambitious, and, yes! published writing guru than all the English classes, textbooks, teachers, and professors I have known in my life.
He's been known to crank out a hub a day for well nigh the last century or so. People from all over the globe--from his hometown of Olympia where the fermenting beer of nearby Tumwater commands greater respect than the politicians twiddling their thumbs in the Washington state capital...you know, that town with the Big O--to the capitol dome of that other Washington to the crowded streets of Mumbai (Oh, look! There's Rajan Jolly!) to the sparsely inhabited expanse of Antarctica to the meandering serpentine sweep of The Great Wall--are talking about our HOW protagonist.
And I'm busy listening. Studying. Analyzing. Tweaking what I see working for him into what I believe can work for me.
Bill makes it all look so easy. But it's in his sound planning ahead of time that he saves precious hours during the week. Monday is his busiest day. Why? Well, for one very good reason, I do believe that this is when Bill will crank out all five to seven hubs (the number varies depending on how anal Bill is feeling on the first day of the work week AND whether or not he's taking his lovely wife to a movie on Sunday). Point being, folks, there is a method to Bill's madness.
So what I draw from this is that I need to have a plan.
Here's what I'm thinking:
- By Sunday of each week, I will have written on my notebook seven specific topics that I will write hubs about
- I will seed the titles by starting each of the seven hubs and then saving the resulting hub sprouts
- On Monday, I will finish the first hub
- Then, I'll add a little bit to Tuesday's hub
- If I'm feeling energetic, I'll also add a little something to the other designated day hubs, ad infinitum
- Each day of the week will feature a different niche--Monday will be about Family; Tuesday will be about eBay; Wednesday will be about coffee shops, and so forth.
- I will put my walking and my eBay work ahead of my writing for HubPages
NOTE: I made the mistake in June of relegating my walking and my livelihood on eBay to the back of the bus so that I could start the day off writing. Big mistake! I found myself floundering. On the contrary, whenever I would amble around the countryside for a few miles, the exercise facilitated my writing in terms of clarity and content.
- I will not go to bed each evening until I've kicked one hub out of the nest and begun bottle-feeding the next infant hub.
Bare bones minimum.
Baby steps.
Turning failures into stepping stones for those baby steps.

22 Hubs Down--And Plumb Out of Time! If you'd like to check out more of my writing, please use the link below! Thank you!
Comments
Atta, Sir! You're not a billybuc-wannabe. You've created an identity of your own. Congrats for making it through on HubPages. You're more successful than me (I).
You're right. Being through to yourself here @ HP will help you persevere.
Keep on hubbing! (Ireno Alcala from PH)
Thank you Joe for your kind words and thoughtfulness. See you around...
Cranking out as many hubs as you finally did is an accomplishment in itself plus the ideas you derived out of the whole challenge is in itself a reward for the hard work you put in. you are a winner in that you had the nerve to jump in.
Congrats to you on this achievement and I will be waiting to read more hubs on the niches you've decided to write upon each day!
Right now Joe, I'm in China visiting my daughter and will be here for sometime.
Wish you all the best in your personal challenge and you will rock, buddy!
Aloha and have a great coming week .
Aloha my friend Joe! How I love your idea of having a niche each day. Now, why didn't I think of that? Well, of course I write depending on the mood and these days, I'm such a lazy bone or maybe just too tired with so many overwhelming stuff outside HP. Send me some much needed energy here my friend. :)
Back on the ground; not done packing yet but peeping once again and couldn't resist--guilty pleasure. Then again, I needed some time off this summer and what better ways to enjoy it but RRR (Read, Relax, Rest). So, here I am reading your wonderful, very engaging hub. You are an inspiration...round of applause to you Joe! Sharing your awesome write!
Love from the sky~
Good for you! I've never even tried to participate in a challenge so I commend you for doing so! I like the new plan that you have outlined for yourself. I am still in the midst of devising a plan myself. For someone like me who flies by the seat of the pants, planning takes some getting used to. I'm the exact opposite of planner, but I am trying to adhere to a schedule.
Great to know you, Joe and thank you for the inspiration that your hubs so greatly provide!!
What an accomplishment that was to get at least 22 hubs completed. Bravo~
And all were very high quality too, I might add. I enjoy your honesty, and your creative writing style. I have so many other irons in the fire to even attempt a 30 day/30 hub challenge. And Bill is the most amazing (next to you) person I have ever had the priviledge to get to know. Blessings friend.
Voted up ++++ shared and tweeted. :) Aloha
Congratulations to you sir on going as far as you did, despite not having reached the 30 hub mark. I've done the challenge once before, and I said I most likely wouldn't do it again. It can force your creativity a bit, and have you feeling like a failure if you don't complete it entirely. The only way to be effective at that challenge in my opinion is to plan ahead, similar to what you appear to be planning on doing now.
I admire your dedication on here. You are really one of the shining stars on here in my opinion, and it's only matched by your kindness and willingness to engage with others on here. Kudos and much respect to you. Very well written hub as always. Voted up, rated awesome, shared.
Congratulations on completing the HUB challenge, Joe. It has been a pleasure following the journey. Aloha!
" I am capable of climbing to the pinnacle"...I think you already have my friend. Read through these comments again and see how loved and appreciated you are...2 or 22, your hubs are all amazing and a joy to read.
Like Bill said, when we learn something we've accomplished something.
After completing the Apprentice Program I have backed down to four hubs a month...more if I have time and I'm able, but a minimum of four. That allows a little time for life and other things. Perhaps a break like this will rejuvenate you and allow you to see what an asset you are to us and HP. Your literary pitcher overflows with quality...so much better than quantity!
Okay my fine sexy genarian, no more lectures except, you had better not leave HP...one hub a month is better than none at all. Love to you and yours. Aloha.
Voted up, useful, awesome, and interesting.
Great work on all of your 22 hubs. Loved visiting you and reading your thoughts. I think you did a stunning job - I would rather have 22 brilliant hubs than 30 so so ones - that's what you achieved. Hooray!
Hawaii,
Whatever it is you are rearranging/thinking, wishing you the best and I hope some of it is still hubpages. Trust Ebay will spring back up for you.
We are supposed to get storms, so it may not be the fireworks that the wetnoses will be nervous about.
Happy and safe 4th.
Hawaii,
Back to answer Karen's comment. Yes, the challenge does bring us closer together. Hawaii, you agree?
Are we still talking about Hawaii leaving HP? Oh say it isn't so. Take a break. Go for your long walks. Go with your plan to do your own challenge on HubPages. Leave? Selfish me, I say oh no, Hawaii can't leave hubpages!
No failure in sight Joe! You wrote high quality material for whatever number you ended up with, and we were entertained and enlightened as always with your humor and great writing talent.
And Bill writes a blog as well!
Dear, dear, Hawaiian Odysseus,
My goodness, I don't think of this experience for you as a fail at all. On the contrary, look at all you have learned that you would not have learned if you hadn't participated in the challenge! I would say it's a huge win. Not only did you learn a lot, but you also published 22 new hubs, which I don't think you would have completed had it not been for this challenge. Good for you, and although you didn't reach the goal of 30, what you came away with was in the end, much more rewarding. I do hate to think of you leaving HubPages altogether. Maybe after you write one hub a day for awhile, you can slow down and just pop in once a week or so with some profound words for the rest of us? Please don't go!!! Thanks for participating in this hub challenge. I will say a challenge like this does bring the participating group members closer together...right Chris and wetnosedogs? Congrats again Joe...you did well and learned more about yourself and your personal writing goals.
It is one of the most engaging hubpages I have read recently. Very well written - and for sure not from a 'failed' hubber!
Looking forward to your next challenging month!
voted up.
Well done hawaiianodysseus once again you prove yourself to be an inspiration to all of us who enjoy reading your hubs. 22 hubs is not a failure my friend....it is an achievement of note and I congratulate you. Your efforts in this challenge deserve our praise and respect...again I say well done.
Excellent job at realizing that the key is to be self-driven and disciplined. I can't wait to see what comes out of this ambitious new self-regulated program. The important thing is to accept small failures along the way and not be defined by them. The prize always goes to the most stubborn. Every word counts!
Cheers!
I don't think you failed either! I could NEVER write one quality hub per day...and work too. Face it, unless you are doing WAAAAAY better than me, a day job has to exist. You are to be congratulated for being brace enough to even attempt such a thing.
Aloha Joe! 22 hubs is no failure! Congrats on what you did achieve in June, and good luck going forward. It's always refreshing to have a plan in place on the 1st of the month! =)
22 hubs is great! Congrats to the attempt, and I like the lessons you have learned out of this, as well as the challenge you have made to yourself. It sounds like you have a wonderful plan!
Have a great day! And relax :)
~ Kathryn
Joe, Your articles are always top notch and entertaining, funny and fun to read. You generously give us your sunny attitude and tell us wonderful stories. How can you even contemplate that you failed in any way at all?! You refused to serve us junk food for the sake of cranking out just any old hub--thank you!
I admire your recipe for 'lemonade', and I look forward to reading many more of your excellent pieces, my friend ;) Pearl
Billy! Don't make me come up there and beat you with a wet noodle as I enjoy your temperate climate.
I thought squeezebox was a dirty word, but I looked it up and saw that it was an accordion. Always learning from you, Joe. Like how I should get my mind out of the gutter.
As far as the store goes, I'm still lining my toes up at the edge of the diving board but I have yet to take the plunge. I'm going to have to one of these days. I'll have to email you about the breakdown I had earlier today.
Done commenting on comments. Love ya, buddy.
As for Billy, he's in the doghouse. LOL (that's impossible)
Hawaii,
Thanks for the mention! But I saw that in parenthesis - I hope you are still here on Hubpages. Whatever ails you HP-wise or any other wise, I hope it all gets better.
Goodness, you did NOT fail. You set out to do quality hubs and you did just that. As always.
You have a splendid plan and I trust it will work for you. (As you could tell by my hubs in the challenge, you can see I'm not organized.)
I appreciate your giving it a go and now, for you, coming up with a better plan. And this is a wonderful hub for the end of one challenge and the start of another. The best to you.
As for Lizzy's remark that I don't know what I'm talking about....well, consider the source. LOL
Joe, first of all I say congratulations on publishing 22 great Hubs over the last 30 days. I too am quite familiar with how life can get in the way of writing. My hub production is down to 4 or 5 per month but I anticipated this during the summer months when there is oh so much to do. I agree with Bill, you did not fail, you succeeded in publishing 22 quality hubs that always had me riveted to your every word. Bill has set a high bar for all of us and in the long run we will all be better writers because of it. Well done my friend.
I'm with Billy on this one.
Which is funny, because that guy usually doesn't know what the heck he's talking about. Budum-ching! (I have no idea how to spell a rimshot--who's the failure now?)
Writing 22 hubs is definitely not a failure. The best part is that your writing never waned in quality. You have so many great stories to tell.
Your plan sounds like a good one. One of the things that popular bloggers suggest is keeping a handful of articles saved for those times when you can't get one out in time (according to your schedule). So if you choose to do the challenge again, use the next couple of months to tuck away a dozen or so articles. That should ease the pressure, especially the blood pressure.
I have yet to see a mortar and pestle out and about. I'm not sure about juicing jars--haven't heard anyone talk about those. I found an awesome thrift store just about three miles away that helps the homeless. They have sales every day, and on the last Saturday of the month they set up an area where you can stuff a bag full of clothes, accessories, and shoes for ten bucks! And they're the sweetest people ever.
Back to listing! Aloha, my dear friend. You're brilliant--don't forget that!
Hi my friend, those who have tried never fail but learn something on the way, as you did. And if and when you try this again you will get it done in record time because you have learned what kept you from doing it the first time.
Have a great week my friend ! Aloha !
You didn't fail, buddy. You learned something and that is never a failure.
Aloha my friend, and thank you for the very kind words.
You are right of course. The only reason I am able to write so much is because I am very organized and structures and I have a schedule that I adhere to religiously. It's not that I can write faster than anyone else but rather that I do not waste time during the week or get distracted.
You are one of the finest writers on this site. I believe in you and so do the others who follow your wisdom.
Failure? I think not, buddy!
Have a great day my friend.
Aloha,
bill
Thats some challenge you have undertook. I hope i can have the time to undertake this sort of challenge too . Thumbs up :)
Hi Joe,
Congratulations my friend, I love how you turn something that you may deem a failure (I sure don't) into a positive learning experience on the road of "stepping stones to baby steps". You have been truthful and inspiring by showing your own difficulties in "completing" this HP ruled concept. Bill has been a leading influence on my mindset and the amount I have absorbed from this great man is very real so I know exactly what you mean. Bill's help, knowledge and experience is there for the taking and it is up to each of us whether we "choose to accept this mission" or not.
Hold your head up high Joe because you are a man with a plan, you have learnt and you succeed every time you put thoughts down and write. What you write is always a pleasure to read and learn from.
Well done and Aloha, Voted up, useful, awesome, interesting and shared!
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