Writer Balking on Republishing

1. 72

   Marie Flintposted 4 years ago

   
   No, not writer's block . . . I've started looking at my old, deleted hubs that I had saved on flash drive. Easy--just cut and paste, right? WRONG!  I'm finding myself in a situation that feels like a whole new article because of the updating process. With a new laptop and Microsoft Word that doesn't function completely (it should, I paid enough for this business-priced laptop). So, at this point, I have to create all new pictures.
   
   I'm also finding that style changes need to be incorporated too. [Italics should be limited to book titles and foreign phrases (maybe a little thought form in creative writing.)]
   
   To top it off, I'm just not as motivated by the subject as when I originally wrote it--it's not NOW.
   
   So, I'm very tempted to forget the whole idea of attempting to revamp saved, deleted hubs, which were originally deleted partly from trying to hone a voice and partly from low traffic.
   
   Does anyone else fall into this little SNAFU (Simply Not Able to Function Usefully) about republishing with updated revisions?
   
   Oh, I know--it's up to me to write what and when I want, but I'm just curious how others handle republication, if at all.

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2. 94

   Beth Eaglescliffeposted 4 years ago

   I'm currently doing exactly the same thing. i.e going through old deleted hubs to see if they're worth republishing.  Before even starting to work on them, I check out the competition. For two-thirds of them, I see articles that are way better than my deleted one, so I don't bother even starting to update. Like you say, it's hard to recreate the enthusiasm of a few years ago!
   
   Of the remaining third, half the subjects covered are ones that need major updating because things have moved on. Most of those will require a lot of (too much) effort to republish, so I leave them deleted. That leaves just a few which I am republishing a couple at a time. The surprising thing is that the ones that are garnering views are not the ones that I thought would, so I'm on yet another learning curve.
   
   Good luck with going through all your old deleted hubs. I'm finding it's a good way of keeping me busy when it's bitterly cold winter weather outside. :

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      Marie Flintposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Much appreciated! Your response is thoughtful and complete, just the kind of comparison I was seeking. Thank you.

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3. 61

   paradigmsearchposted 4 years ago

   First time I've seen that definition for "SNAFU".
   
   As for me; if the spark is gone, then so is the hub. Everything else said in the previous posts also applies.

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      Marie Flintposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      I was just guessing on the acronym, Paradigm, but my definition came easily. Thank you for noticing.
      
      And, yes, I think because the spark is gone, I probably won't be republishing many of my deleted hubs. Thank you!

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   FatFreddysCatposted 4 years ago

   I've canned numerous old articles for the same reasons you describe. If I'm not "feelin' it" anymore, then there's no point trying to keep it alive.

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      DrMark1961posted 4 years agoin reply to this

      I´ve canned peaches. Got to feel it!

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      1. 72

         Marie Flintposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         I helped my brother can peaches this fall, too. It was fun. I peeled, he canned. Sweet and tasty too!

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         FatFreddysCatposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         "Goin' to the country, gonna eat me a lotta peaches..."
         
         Dammit now that song is gonna be stuck in my head all day.

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            DrMark1961posted 4 years agoin reply to this

            I had to look that up. Funny, because the last meme I saw was of Donald Trump googling "what does it mean when someone puts you in peaches?"

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      Marie Flintposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you, Freddy. "Feeling it" seems to be the truism. Thank you for taking time to respond.

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   Titiaposted 4 years ago

   Same here. Most of mine are old Squidoo lenses. Sometimes I start on one and then it appears there's so much work on getting them in line with the today's HP requirements, that  I stop again. However I can't get myself to delete them from my pc.

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      Marie Flintposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, Titia. The original writing is a lot of work, and that's why I saved the deleted articles on a flash drive. I think many are worthwhile articles. I'm just flabbergasted, however, about the hurdles in trying to reconstruct them. Blessings!

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6. 87

   Projectlazyposted 4 years ago

   I hear you. I just came back after a 2 year break. I started to revamp things but I quickly deleted all of it. Kinda wish I had saved them til after the Christmas rush...O well.
   
   So maybe take a look at what can be viable for sales and toss the rest?

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      Marie Flintposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Maybe Project. One I have is about THE IMITATION OF CHRIST, supposedly the second most read devotional book (the Bible is first). I remember doing a fair amount of research about the 14th Century author Thomas a'Kempis. Traffic was originally low on that one, though. Maybe it just needed more time. The Christmas season should bring it a little traffic, one would think.
      
      Thank you for your input.

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   Kenna McHughposted 4 years ago

   I figure over half of the work is done because I consider these drafts. I edit, fix it up, and post. I use old articles from clients or websites that are no longer live on the Internet.
   I laugh a lot because some of my old writing is embarrassing, and I am so happy I can fix it. 
   Besides, writing for the Internet is a "new thing," and we can repeat our work over and over again.

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      Marie Flintposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      "No longer live on the Internet" is an interesting concept to me. Is there anything not on the Internet? I wonder. (chuckle)
      
      I'm glad you have the stamina to rewrite, Kenna. Maybe I'll get re-inspired eventually.
      
      Thank you for commenting.

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   Weber Collinsposted 4 years ago

   I wouldn't rewrite/re-post unless I was really into the topic.  I can really tell a difference in my own writing quality between pieces I was passionate about and ones where I was just pushing through.

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      Marie Flintposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you, Weber. Maybe I'll take a peek and see if I can figure which of yours are "passionate" and which are "pushing through" (labored, I presume).
      
      Hey, maybe I'll write an article about such differences! An interesting thought, anyway.
      
      Thank you for your helpful comment. Blessings!

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   Kenna McHughposted 4 years ago

   Well, a lot of it is rewritten and rehashed.

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    Eurofileposted 4 years ago

    I am fairly new to Hub Pages so all my articles are 'live'. Is there a limit to how many we can keep up? Is it advisable to delete some? Obviously if one was way out of date I would delete or revise it. I am trying to update the older ones when I can.

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       OldRosesposted 4 years agoin reply to this

       I've never seen anything limiting the number of articles you are allowed to publish on HubPages.  It's a good idea to review and revise all of your articles regularly to keep them fresh and up to date.

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