When did you last visit the Learning Centre?

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   sallybeaposted 8 years ago

   I have posted a few short blogs to Niume and I like the platform with some reservations.
   
   One thing is patently obvious to me though is that they are doing a terrific job of helping writers how to write posts correctly and promote their posts with fresh interesting tutorial videos and regular posts to my mailbox. 
   
   An increasing number of people are asking for help with their Hubs in the forum and I do wonder if these people even realise that there is a Learning Centre which exists on HubPages!   Do you think HubPages should adopt the same approach?

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      TessSchlesingerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      This morning?

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   2. 62

      Annette Rousseyposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Maybe I'm too old to figure this out. I thought hub pages would be a good place to see if I had any talent for writing. I keep being told to go to the learning center. I must be missing something, because I've watched the advice on how to start, but I can't find anything on actually creating a hub.
      First time ever looking into this world. Hoped for real feed back on how to improve and all I got was that  it was not up to their standards, but nothing about how to correct the problem.
      Any advise would be very helpful. Thanks.

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      1. 59

         TessSchlesingerposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         If you had a talent for writing it would have been picked up at your school and your teachers would have told you. There is a difference between a talent (for writing) and basic literacy.
         
         Literacy, however, can take you a long way. Understanding sentence structure and how to put paragraphs, etc. together in an essay or article, will enable you to write in a way that gets people to read your articles.
         
         Also, creative writing is about storytelling. Hubpages isn't a fiction site. It's a site for articles, and it is expected that you can already write. It would be difficult to come to a site like this in order to learn to write.
         
         That said, you appear to write perfectly well from your above post, so I don't see any issues in that regard.
         
         What you would be learning here is not how to write, but how to make your writing pay. That takes some learning.
         
         You will need to find topics that people will to read but nobody else has written about. That's hard. For most of us, it's a search for keywords (which you need to learn about) and then putting a good article together on that topic.
         
         Please could you be more precise about what you mean when you say you want to learn aobut writing. Do you mean creative writing as in storytelling?

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         1. 62

            Annette Rousseyposted 7 years agoin reply to this

            Actually I haven't decided what area of writing to be into. I was recently presented with a life change and am exploring.
            I have actually been told often that I am a good story writer. I didn't think I could earn money that way, so I didn't pursue it.
            I've spent most of my years being told things that made me feel I was not smart enough to do any job let alone write. 
            Some one very close to me finally said, I believe in you and you should see if others do to.
            So here I am.

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            1. 89

               theraggededgeposted 7 years agoin reply to this

               Good for you.
               
               There is a lot to learn, but take it in small steps. You have lots of experience that will translate into articles. What you need is inspiration.
               
               I have to churn out three 1000 word articles every single week. Even over Christmas. The way I get my inspiration is to look at the contents sections of magazines and headlines on websites. I then approach the topic in my own way. You could give a topic or an idea to a dozen different writers and they will all come up with something different, so don't go thinking that because someone else has tackled a subject you couldn't do it better. Or at least in your own way. That's where I went wrong with writing when I was younger - I was too afraid to write about things because 'they'd all been written about by someone better than me." How stupid was I?
               
               Inspiration doesn't come easily to most people - you have to go and look for it. You have a unique perspective on the world, so share it with us.

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               1. 62

                  Annette Rousseyposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                  Thanks to all for helping. I received notice that my hub was published. I'm not sure how to send people to it though.

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                  1. 89

                     theraggededgeposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                     Congratulations. Now on to the next.
                     
                     You can share the link on social media if you like. I don't much - I try to make my hub titles Google-friendly, then after a few days/weeks traffic begins to trickle in and then, hopefully, increases.

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                     1. 62

                        Annette Rousseyposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                        I hope all who helped would take a peek. Give honest opinions.
                        I honestly want to grow.
                        The rush from having the first hub finally accepted was amazing.

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                        1. 89

                           theraggededgeposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                           Can't see it on your profile page. Can you post the link?

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                              Annette Rousseyposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                              Sorry I missed you when the link was still up. I was able to link it to my facebook page. A few of my family was able to view it before it was dropped.
                              I have a horrible habit it seems, of trying to get traffic after midnight. Not that the info I was trying to provide isn't relevant all the time. Just seems since I couldn't revise or edit before going to my other job. They may have thought I wasn't serious about improving.

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               2. 62

                  Annette Rousseyposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                  Wow. You are very talented. The way that little bit came across was inspiring on it's own.
                  Do you write the 1000 words because you want to or because you have to?
                  I'm trying to figure out if you're given time to get one hub as perfect as you can before beginning a new one. Or do you create as many hubs as possible even if they aren't perfect.

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                  1. 89

                     theraggededgeposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                     Nah, not talented just pragmatic. I write for money. My earnings feed and keep my six dogs and four cats.
                     
                     Get your hub as best as it can be before pressing 'publish'. However, there's always the option of editing later. Then keep going and write as many as you can. Give yourself a target of one a week.
                     
                     Learn about finding searchable titles. I think Marisa has one on her profile... perhaps someone can correct me if I'm wrong?
                     
                     To start with think of a topic, let's say um... tarot cards. Type it into the Google search box. Notice the other terms that appear underneath. Make a note of any good ones. Press enter to get the results. Now scroll to the bottom of the page. You'll see a box that says, "People also ask..." Make a note of any likely titles. Now look at the very bottom - you'll see 'Searches related to tarot cards'... again, make a note of titles that appeal. Now you've got your article title and topic.
                     
                     This writing lark is easy once you get the hang of it.

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                     1. 62

                        Annette Rousseyposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                        Wow. That's cool. Unfortunately,now,I feel really dumb.
                        I like to write stories. I have searched for info on things I could learn. Am I headed in the wrong direction to write stories about how I've used the info in my life?

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                        1. 89

                           theraggededgeposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                           It's good to introduce personal experience into an article. Most people are looking for information and if you can offer yourself as an example, then readers will warm to you.
                           
                           If by 'stories' you mean fiction, then that doesn't do so well on HP. You can do it, and many do, but you won't get much traffic.

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                           1. 62

                              Annette Rousseyposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                              Not fiction.  I like to write about personal happenings to me that others can either relate to or use.
                              I'm hoping lots will like knowing. I also hope I'm not retelling info that's been well read about before.

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      2. 89

         theraggededgeposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         Annette, HubPages is basically a magazine site. You create hubs by writing the text into text capsules, adding images via the image capsules and any other media you want to include.
         
         Not sure why Tess said that a talent for writing would have been picked up at school - that is so patently wrong in many cases. Anyone with the will to write, can write. Grammar and sentence structure can be learned at any age - the talent comes with the ability to express oneself. Some writers don't start writing until quite an advanced age.
         
         So, yes, HubPages is a good platform to test out your writing abilities. The main obstacles are learning how to actually use the site and getting your early hubs approved. Once you've cracked it, you'll be on your way.
         
         The best kind of writing for HP is factual and informational writing. Fiction doesn't do so well. If that's your area of interest, there are many writing sites and platforms on the web that can help you with that.
         
         Good luck and don't let anyone put you off.

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         1. 62

            Annette Rousseyposted 7 years agoin reply to this

            Thank you so much. I'm not a fiction writer. Most who know me would say I tell to much truth. I am just starting to see if the world/ my friends would like to read what I write.
            The frustration jumps in when all tell you you are too dumb to figure this out so stop trying.  I'm doing my best not to fall in that hole.

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         2. 59

            TessSchlesingerposted 7 years agoin reply to this

            Why I said writing was a talent? As a San Diego comic con staffer, I have met a good few famous writers, and they all say privately that it is a talent. One of my closest friends has been an editor for 40 years, editing the work of Nobel prize winners, Booker prize winners, and international best selling authors. She says, it's a talent.
            
            It is picked up early. All talent is. A child who can sing is picked up pretty early. A dancer is spotted very early on. Raw talent is spotted almost immediately. You just see the child do it, and you know. I'm sure you've watched many talented children.
            
            Literacy is learnt. Literacy, however, does not give one the ability to tell a story. Nor does it give you the innate rhythm that comes from reading hundreds and thousands of books daily from a very early age.
            
            The only people who will tell you that creative writing can be learnt are those people who have something to gain by telling you that, i.e. they want to teach you how to do it and therefore they earn money from it, or even they want to flatter you so that you can read their books.
            
            There is a difference between talented writing and good writng. Good writing will take on far.
            
            https://www.brainpickings.org/2013/05/2 … d-writing/
            
            There is, of course, a lot of debate whether writing is a talent or can be learned. I have, however, never met an author who hasn't told me privately that it is a talent.
            
            DId I tell you about the author who told me privately that writing as a talent, and then inside the seminar he was conducting he said, "Everybody can learn writing."
            
            My job dropped.
            
            That said, good writing will get one far!

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            1. 89

               theraggededgeposted 7 years agoin reply to this

               Tess, that is utter rubbish. Many, many people don't discover they have a talent for something until later in life.
               
               Artists, writers, actors - there are too many to count.
               
               Liz Smith, a British actress who died a few days ago at the age of 95 was not discovered until she was 49.
               
               Jo Verity, a British novelist, wrote her first short story at 54. Prior to that she'd hadn't written anything.
               
               George Eliot didn't publish her first novel until the age of 40.

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   3. 62

      Annette Rousseyposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      I do think what you mentioned would be more helpful. The learning center spot is always the same information.( Not very in depth.) It's also not easy for writers that own computers,but up till now didn't use them for more than keeping in touch with family and playing games. I feel I'm typing a valid question,but the search answer is not the answer I was looking for.

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2. 91

   Will Apseposted 8 years ago

   You can lead a horse to water but persuading one to write well is a lot harder, lol.

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      theraggededgeposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I had great success persuading one horse to write 'bucket'. I bet I could have taught it to write 'well'

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         sallybeaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         Persuading a horse to find the Learning Centre definitely won't teach him to read either.

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      2. 91

         Will Apseposted 8 years agoin reply to this

         I can't ignore this pun. I tried but it eventually found the schoolboy in me. Burnt into my psyche, lol.

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            theraggededgeposted 8 years agoin reply to this

            Gotcha!

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      sallybeaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Neigh...........Lol

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      TessSchlesingerposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      You just made me laugh!

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3. 86

   Marisa Wrightposted 8 years ago

   The trouble with the Learning Centre is that it's vast.  It fosters the erroneous impression that HubPages is a place with "far too many rules" - surely it must have, if it needs so much explaining!

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   1. 80

      sallybeaposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Perhaps it should be made more visible or more interesting.  Many people learn better when something is visual.   A video or two might be helpful!   The 'rule book' concept is a killer, a video or two would be far more refreshing.

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   2. 59

      TessSchlesingerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      There is that. Also when I am looking for something in particular, it is sometimes difficult to find. I tend to google it with site:hubpages.com. Easier to find.

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4. 91

   Will Apseposted 8 years ago

   If someone is serious about learning to write then the learning center is not a big read. It is hardly a degree course, and if you want to succeed online you will need a degree level understanding of what is involved.
   
   So, a few years practice and with any luck, you will know what you are doing.

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5. 82

   earnerposted 8 years ago

   To be honest, never.
   
   *runs and hides*
   
   

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