Do a lot of people seek out creative writing on HubPages for reading enjoyment?

1. 64

   mcbelposted 11 years ago

   Do a lot of people seek out creative writing on HubPages for reading enjoyment?

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2. 65

   A K Turnerposted 11 years ago

   It seems to me to  be just a small number, most people who are using it, are either using it because a search engine brought it to their attention (they were searching for something obscure or because they are trying to make money out of it. However I do occasionally get the odd person stumble across my stuff and comment on how much they like, by in large I do not believe that is what hubpages was designed for.

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   1. 64

      mcbelposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      That's too bad. With so little time on my hands, it's nearly impossible for me to really get involved in any kind of writing community unless it's online. I'm not willing to pay for further education in writing, but criticism is just as useful.

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3. 90

   JayeWisdomposted 11 years ago

   I think most of the creative writing (fiction, poetry, essays) published on HubPages is read by other HubPages members, usually those that follow the writer or the work is shared with a member's own HP followers. Some creative writing is also shared through links on social media.
   
   However, people using search engines are usually looking for information that can be found either in an informative or "how to" article or on the website of a company selling a product they need. Although I've been reading voraciously all but the first four years of my life, I never try to "Google" a short story.  If a story contains keywords, either in the title or body, that match a searcher's words, he or she might open it, but it's doubtful the creative writing would be read by someone looking for helpful information.
   
   I think most of us who publish creative work (fiction, poetry, essays) on HP do so for it to be read by other HP writers and to get their feedback.  If you want true critiques of your work, you will have to join a writer's group to get it. I've found that, while HP writers will give you positive feedback--even specific comments about what works, it is rare that someone makes a critical remark or points out something you should change. I think this is because (1) most HP writers do not want to discourage other writers, especially newbies, and (2) I've read comments by many HP writers that they don't want critical reviews of their own work.
   
   So...if you enjoy creative writing and want an outlet for it, mcbel, HubPages is a good site where other writers will read your work. Many will vote and leave feedback in the form of clicking on one of the adjectives listed. Others will comment, and what they say may be helpful or just make you feel good. Either way, you will have written and put it "out there" for others to read. That's a step in the right direction for a serious writer.
   
   Good luck!
   
   Jaye
   
   P.S. You might also check out the online writing community www.booksie.com as a potential site to post your creative writing.

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4. 86

   Polly Cposted 11 years ago

   I write creatively on hubpages frequently. I often write poems and occasionally other pieces of creative work, but never stories because I always think nobody will search for that kind of writing via Google. Most of my comments come from other hubbers, and of course they are generally positive comments - I think most hubbers would rather not comment at all than leave critical feedback. If you want people to critique your writing you can post it in the Improve Your Hub thread on the forums.
   
   It's not altogether true that it is only hubbers that read creative hubs. Most of my poetry views come via search engines. I have been contacted and asked for my permission to use my poems in schools on a few occasions. I have also been asked for permission to print one in a Swedish secondary school text book and for another to be used in a college project and printed on posters. This is not by any means a profitable scheme - but it is rewarding to me simply because people obviously like them and find them useful.
   
   One or two of my essays are also used for education purposes - I can tell simply by the highs and lows of the traffic. If there is no school there is no traffic!
   
   My biggest tip in having creative hubs read online would be to be careful of your titles - some are so obscure that I always wonder how anyone could possibly find them. And the hub must provide a use for someone, my feeling is that not many people look for creative hubs just for enjoyment, unless they are other hubbers reading work by those they follow.

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   Lady Wordsmithposted 11 years ago

   I came to HubPages with the impression that it was a place where I could just practice my writing, and possibly have it read by a few people.  I found it by searching for something like 'creative writing sites'.  HP must try to attract writers to the site who are interested in creative writing, otherwise the keywords I typed in wouldn't have led me here.
   
   When I got here I quickly found that there was a thriving creative writing community, and many of them are happy to provide genuine critiques.  However, more often than not a creative writer will get positive praise, or no comments at all, because most readers don't like to post anything negative.  For that reason I think that HubPages is a good place to start, to gain that little bit of confidence needed to start putting one's writing into a public space.  I've been thinking that it's high time I moved on to somewhere else, but I'm not sure where to go from here - people have different opinions about which sites are the best.  It's also the daunting task of having to start again right from the beginning - but that can also be fun.
   
   I don't believe that many people seek out creative writing on HubPages, apart from other hubbers.  Obviously there are exceptions, and perhaps Polly C's poetry is one of those exceptions.  Part of the reason that my type of writing isn't viewed from searches very much is because I pay no attention at all to keywords, and I know that many of my fellow writers treat them with similar contempt!  But then, we're not really interested in making money here, or getting a 100 score - it's purely about having an outlet for creativity, and sharing a little bit of our talent with other similarly minded people.

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