Do you have a particular technique for writing your hubs?
Do you write it out first on paper, or do you create it as you go along? How long does it take you ,on average to write a hub?
x
Paper whats that! I can't write on paper anymore - I do however generally write the content in a wordprocessor or similar and then cut and paste it to hubpages - Why? Ive lost too many words when text capsules fail to save - probably because of my ISP but it does happen from time to time.
Also for a longer hub its easier to see it on one page and edit it in one go I then create the capsules (vid photo) etc as I go.
Lenght of time - somewhere from 30min to days - depends on how well I know the topic
I write mine in Word first, do my editing, etc. Then transfer to the hub page.
Years ago I used to have to write on paper first, then go to the computer. I loved those big legal pads;o) I still write notes on paper when I am working on a book or article.
Sometimes I just begin to write my thoughts on HubPages review and publish , other times I save it to word and go back and review and then transfer to HubPages, it just really depends.
I write my opening paragraph, then my notes, and any outside links in word. Then, think on key words and title, and finally write the entire hub online in layers, in between doing whatever life has going on. This stop and start method, helps me see errors and proof read, whenever I come back to the hub, before finishing.
It depends if research is necessary or not. I tend to do a lot of my writing on paper still, for HubPages and for the other sites I write for. Of course, the writing I do do on paper is more in note form. But f I'm doing some writing on my breaks at work I write it all out.
I sit on the toilet and really strain those cheeks and think long and hard about the hub writing day ahead, I have so many unfinished hubs in my account that this year one of my resolutions is to clear them out, I often sit on the old potty and think with a notepad, although I do have a laptop in every room except the toilet (I don't want to splash it with...yes anyway!)
My technique if you can call it a technique is to write the titles of things I like and just random thoughts I may have and then go off and research it a bit further, usually though the subjects are my hobbies like fantasy art, affiliate marketing and online promotion and blogging.
A top tip is to write and never stop except for toilet breaks!!
I agree with you on this, sometimes its where your deepest thoughts can happen! For me, I might catch a little peace and quiet in there and maybe that's the trick to it all, just get to that quiet little place, happy thoughts, happy thoughts, we're on our way.....
I only write, for the most part, when I'm angry and bitter (which can be more than my normal state of being). A lot of my things come across as sarcastic and humorous and that's actually what got me through my first degree.
I wish I could offer better advice pertaining to your interests but it's really the only thing that works with me.
I think finding great topics to write on that are a little odd tend to help too. Absurdity is really a friend of mine.
I type all my hubs into the hub publishing software and edit there. Sometimes on breaks at work I go back to old hubs to paste these into Microsoft Word to check for any errors. However, since I do not have a word processing program on my computer I just find it easier this way.
Have you tried OpenOffice? Free, open source, and great.
thank you all for your thoughtfull responces, it's interesting to hear what techniques other people use.
Thus far i have written mine straight into the capsules, but this is coz i'm new and eager and stuff... i'm sure when the novelty wears off i'll go back to wordprocessing then cope paste!
I tend to write in the capsules direct. I can see how it's shaping up and where it needs pictures, videos etc. However I often end up cutting and pasting between Word and the Hub, especially if my computer's having a slow day.
The rule of thumb for online publishing is to write offline in the word processor of your choice and then copy and paste. The reason for this is possibility to lose all or significant part of your work if connection/site problem occurs.
It gets really frustrating to see the results of a few hours of work just evaporate into nowhere, and one occurrence is usually enough for most people to get the idea
I do write on word processor first. Since most of my hubs photo-based (glamour), my contents are short. But still I prefer writing it in word processor.
Very occasion, I do it write on capsuals - to properly align the pictures and text.
nice to hear people saving trees by using "Word" (gulp Microsoft hater) or Notepad which are actually two really good programs from the giant. I only have qualms with their browser
Ditto with Misha on this one. I always go Word, find the breaks for photo insertions and mark them.
Occasionally, I will write into a capsule as it looks like it could use a subtitle.
Go to flickr where I favorite the ones for the hub, download them into my computer just long enough to get uploaded into the hubpages editor - rather than upload from the url which sometimes gets disconnected - then delete them from my computer once the hub has published.
Send the hub and photos to CD burner and voila! look no paper!
Though sometimes, when the photos are too awesome I will print the whole hub, oh well, so much for going green...
I've done both ways, writing entire hub text out in Word then cutting/pasting into Hub capsules. I've found recently, however, that typing directly into text capsules is more efficient. I tend to put only about 1 paragraph of text in each capsule so I have more flexibility to interrupt text with photos, links, affiliate offers, videos, etc. In other words, the Hub grows organically like a "hub" rather than as an article.
I download photos to my computer and pull them into the hub capsules as needed, then delete from the computer. This works for me better than pulling them directly from websites.
I will admit, tho, that I've experienced tech glitches and computer slowdowns that make me crazy. Sometimes capsules (typically not text, but video and affiliate) just WILL NOT save for anything. So I have to sign out of HP and go do something else while I calm down. Otherwise I'm in that 'doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result' called INSANITY mode.
Good question there. Misha has it right on the nose. I get my idea, maybe jot a note or two, research when I need to and then open up my Word and start writing, usually until I'm finished. I try to pour over it for typos and misspellings then park it awhile, let it reat. Sometimes i let Wee One read it first. After a time i will proofread it, add something if I feel it needs it and when i'm satisfied with it, I cut and paste into hub editor and go over it several times again and with MUCH trepidation I finally publish. Scares the hell out of me every time. I guess that keeps on my toes.
I would hate to lose all that work because of a glitch online, especially if you feel it's pretty good.
Why not write a rough draft of your work and then type the content into word with the spell checker doing its job. Copy and paste the content from word onto the hub page. Again use the spell checker on the edit Hub page. Then proofread the content on the Hubpage by reading the content aloud making sure that you have a conversational tone to your content. This procedure is what I do with each Hub. Once I receive comments, I reread the content to check for errors. Sounds like a lot of writing, copying and pasting, rereading and proofreading, and reviewing comment but if you love writing, you want to produce a good product worthy of my readership.
As most of the others around here, I also will type in in Word, most of the time, and the copy it wherever I want...
the thing is, it happened to me couple times before (which is why I changed my method) sometimes it can take several minutes to write something, when its got real value, and the servers of the website would sometimes kick me out or there would be a bug and I lost everything I had written...!!!
"Nooooooo- nooo-nooo-nonono"!!!!!
(this is what I was saying in my head!!)
I think it happened like 3 times to me until I really got tired and changed my ways!!!!
So, don't make the same mistakes!!!
Enjoy your day and go check my hubs and say hi!!
M
I soooo know what you mean! I read, re-read, re-read, repeat, repeat, repeat, publish, and then compulsively re-read some more, and most of the time, I edit several times immediately after publishing ;-)
I think I've written a couple of hubs straight into the capsules, but usually I start in a word processor. If it's something fairly involved, that will take more than one visit, I work in Word. If I'm just churning something out quickly, I use notepad. If I don't have access to my computer (see my Jury Duty hub), I return to paper. Some things just work better on paper for me. I still journal on paper almost every day. Something about the physical part of pen on paper makes me "feel" like a writer.
And now the confession, this post is the most I've written in a *(&%$ month or more! And when I get busy with the J.O.B., or blocked, or whatever you want to call this unproductive state that visits every so often, I especially like to get back to pen and paper.
One of you mentioned printing a Hub. I didn't realize that was possible. Of course, I should know you can print any website, maybe. I wonder what it would look like in print.
Well, I guess I'm boring, because I do the same thing most of you do, write it in Word first. The headings often come last and may not materialize until I'm just about to cut and paste into the capsules. But my reason is not just to avoid losing my text and because I'm used to Word's editing function. It's also because I have friends without computers and I want to be able to print my articles for them if they're interested. The articles are best with the art and all, which of course I add from my computer. I was about to say I'm not going to print my Hubs with their art and all from the site, but it just occurred to me that I can put them in my portfolio. I'm off to try printing one!
Ive started to use Word now instead of writing directly into the hub, it helps me to play about with the information on the screen and get it all exactly as i want it, before i upload.
Thanks for all the responces by the way, lots of valuable comments :-)
xxx
by Megan Garcia 11 years ago
Do you write your hub in word processor first or directly in the hub?
by RolloMartins 15 years ago
I'd like to post via Microsoft Word. It asks for the API and URL blog post address (which I assume is my address).
by Megan Garcia 11 years ago
Do you write your hub in word processor first or directly in the hub?
by JS Matthew 12 years ago
Can you write an article in MS Word then paste it to HubPages?Could you do that with the text when you want to create a new Hub?
by Leni Sands 11 years ago
Do you write straight into your hub or do you copy and paste from your wordprocessing program?Sometimes my ideas go straight into my hub particularly some of my poems. Other times I use word to play about with the text before I copy and paste into my hub. Just wondered if you use your...
by Alistair Olver 11 years ago
How do you like to prepare for a hub?Do you like to write out an outline on paper first or start typing straight away?
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