Do you have to keep updating fiction articles to keep them featured?

1. 86

   NateB11posted 5 years ago

   I wrote a couple of fiction articles on a whim, wanted something pleasurable to write. I like them but I'm already predicting they will eventually end up unfeatured due to lack of traffic. I'm curious what others do with their fiction pieces. I'm guessing, but don't really know, that they eventually go unfeatured at some point. Do you just keep updating them every time they are unfeatured? Or what?

   replyreport
   1. 74

      Marie Flintposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      I used to write at sites like F2K and The Next Big Writer. These are fiction sites. Yes, sometimes we like to write fiction here on HubPages because we simply enjoy writing creatively, and the templates here are nice.
      
      If you like the fiction piece the way it is, you might try sharing it on a social media site.

      replyreport
2. 94

   AliciaCposted 5 years ago

   I generally treat my creative writing articles in the same way as my other ones, which means that I update them based on time since the last update. I do sometimes update them based on views, though.
   
   Most of my fiction and poetry articles contain factual information as well as creative writing, so they aren’t hard to update. I do have one article that’s entirely a short story. So far, every time I’ve gone into the article to update it, I’ve found something that I think I should improve in the story. I am concerned that eventually I’ll reach a point when I feel that making any more changes to the story will spoil it. If this happens, I think I'll add a short and relevant passage at the start or end of the story, such as thoughts, facts, or quotes related to the story’s theme. I know that some people wouldn’t want to do this to a work of fiction, but that’s my plan.

   replyreport
3. 84

   Kenna McHughposted 5 years ago

   I update my fiction work because I feel it is a work in progress. Google responds to my articles better if I update them regularly.

   replyreport
4. 0

   Marisa Writesposted 5 years ago

   I don't see the point of publishing fiction pieces on HubPages at all, even if they get moved to the niche site. The chance of getting readership is vanishingly small.
   
   If the piece is any good, I'd be looking for a fiction site to publish it on.  I believe Medium has a poetry magazine, for instance.  You may still not earn much, but at least you'll get some readers. 
   
   Alternatively, join a site like Critique Circle where you can post fiction pieces for critique by other writers.  You don't earn anything, but you get valuable feedback to improve your writing.

   replyreport
5. 69

   PaulGoodman67posted 5 years ago

   As far as I'm aware, individual fiction pieces aren't generally searched for on Google, unless it's a particularly famous story, or something that's studied by students. So I wouldn't bother updating them for that reason alone.
   
   If your short story happens to be called: "How to replace the heating element on a Whirlpool washing-machine" and it gets a thousand views per day via Google, then I would consider writing a non-fictional version of it.
   
   Joking aside, there are lots of sites that publish poetry and fiction. I'm not sure why you would do it here. I think HP includes it for the community aspect.

   replyreport
   1. 0

      Marisa Writesposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      Exactly right. Search for fiction on Google and you will get results from websites that specialise in fiction.  HubPages does not have a niche site purely for fiction. 
      
      I know some Hubbers have attempted to get around that problem by writing articles which are a blend of helpful information and poetry/story, but  the only people who will find the article are people interested in reading the factual section, so the reality is they may not even read the poem or story.
      
      Yes, lots of options out there for poetry and fiction. Not many with earnings potential, but then they don't earn much, if anything, here.

      replyreport
6. 82

   bhattucposted 5 years ago

   I also feel that there is nothing wrong in updating all our articles periodically though special preferences based on views would always be there.
   
   What I am not sure is the periodicity. On an average after how much time we should update? 6 months or 1 year or 2 years? What the members feel about it?

   replyreport
   1. 94

      AliciaCposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      I have an opinion, though it's just my personal feeling. Someone who's done more research about the topic may have a different idea. Ideally, I would like to update my articles every six months. That's going to be hard to do because of the number of articles that I've written, unless the updates are minor and not very significant. Realistically, I'll probably have to settle for getting as close to six months as I can manage.

      replyreport
   2. 66

      OldRosesposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      Most people update once a year.  Google gives preference to articles that that were published or edited during the current year.

      replyreport
7. 92

   Venkatachari Mposted 5 years ago

   I try to update my all articles once ina year or so with some minor changes. You can change the keywords, shorten the titles, add relevant search words in the titles, and change some sentences. These are the major items that can be considered. But, getting traffic is not to be expected for fictional stories or articles.

   replyreport