First impressions !!

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   Eiddwenposted 13 years ago

   What first drew you to HubPages??
   Ever since the passing of my daughter three years ago I really wanted to write;I had been writing all through my life and it's given me an escape route many a time.
   I set myself up on here but it must have been about six months later that I published my first hub and I have never looked back.
   This warm community felt so right;I belonged and through the community of HubPages I have one book published and another book of poems in my daughter's memory almost published;final proofs have been returned to publishers.
   Therefore I am so interested to read what any of you out there have to say.
   Take care
   Eddy.

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      klarawieckposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Eddy! I'm real sorry to hear about your loss, but I'm glad that you found solace in writing. I went through something similar. After my mother's death all I wanted to do was write.
      I had been looking for a blogging site where I could share with others. I was very lucky to find hp. We have some wonderful people here. This place rocks!

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         SomewayOuttaHereposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Interesting Eddy...i stumbled upon HP for the same reason..i needed to write.....and i'm still stumbling sometimes.......peace to you and you to klarawieck!

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      glmclendonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Good to have you pass your thoughts on. I am sorry about your loss, but remember, God wqill never leave you or forsake you.
      
      Stay Well

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   3. 61

      rlahaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Eddy.
        I am extremely sorry about the loss of your daughter.  That has to be so hard for a parent to lose a child.  I am happy that you found solace in writing though. 
      
        For me, I have been writing ever since I was 11 years old. I wrote my first poem, received commendations on it and haven't looked back since then. I have actually published a book of poetry that you can find on Amazon.com and Createspace.com.  I eventually want to publish the rest of my poetry and maybe a few short stories. Who knows? Maybe I will eventually publish a novel, but right now, I'm happy with writing small things. 
      
      Have a great day!

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      Derdriuposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Hello Eddy, First impressions and every subsequent impression are the same in regard to you and your creative endeavors. You always rise to the challenge and simply do not know how to disappoint ;-]!
      Thank you for sharing your unique talents.
      Respectfully, Derdriu

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      J. Frank Dunkinposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Eddy, I'm about to check out your hubs momentarily, but wanted you to know how wonderful I think it is that you've turned your sadness into a testament to your child.  In addition to several travelogues, I have posted 3 short stories plus a hub about my grandchild's birth.

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   Lisa HWposted 13 years ago

   My story isn't as meaningful as yours, Eddy.   (I remember when you were new here, and  you do seem to have changed in outlook (if that's the right word) since then.  It's so nice that you've found writing, this site, and your other projects after such an awful loss.  Continuing to wish you nice things in the future.)
   
   There are a lot of people on this site who have found some meaningful things by writing here.  I'm not one, but here's my story anyway:     I was spending time on one site or another that was aimed at writers and saw an ad for HP.   The overall message to potential members was (essentially) "Write what you want, and if it's informative and/or useful it will be more likely to make money than stuff that isn't either of those things."  I looked appealing to me, so I signed up.  Being aware that HP made money if I made money, and not being sure what I should be writing, I filled out the profile in a way I thought would look reasonably professional and make me look OK to anyone who saw it, but also wouldn't make HP look bad to anyone.  Then, because I didn't want an empty profile (and because duplicate content was allowed then), I found a handful of what I thought was my best ("most redeeming value") online writing/articles and added them.  After that, I didn't really know what I "should be" writing, so I went to the questions section (then "requests") and wrote one after another Hub to answer those. 
   
   Some of them were, I thought, very weird Hubs/pieces of writing; but some did well.  So I had a weird mix of half-way professional-looking material and "weird" answers to people's questions.  Since then, I still don't know what to write much of the time, so I still have a weird mix of stuff.
   
   Somewhere in the first two years I had a question or two about doing something on HubPages, so I went to the forums to ask.  Other than that, I didn't really find "the community" for about two years.  A little at a time I started to go to the forums to see what discussions there were, and eventually I felt brave enough to kick in on discussions.  I'd eventually develop the habit of using the forums when I was looking for a break from "serious stuff" or else just seeing what new stuff showed up on there.
   
   I stayed because I thought it was a nice site (still do), it has worked for me (earnings-wise, and at least for now), and I do like the sense of community. I agree that it's a nice site (nicer, I think, than a lot of others out there). 

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   Jonathan Jancoposted 13 years ago

   I was unemployed and needed an outlet. I write so much stuff that is generally void of formula or style, so I was glad I found this site. And I'm glad you found it too. Hopefully your experience here has helped you to deal with the pain of past experiences.

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   Patkayposted 13 years ago

   I was looking for a way to earn money online. At first, I was wondering what a person from a third world country (a country lagging behind technology) would write. Then I stumbled on HP after many days of online searching for writing sites. After writing several hubs, I realized that this is where I belonged. I realized that people were reading my work irrespective of where I came from. This gave me the courage to go on that I needed. I have enjoyed my stay here and am here to stay.
   
   Long live Hubpages.
   
   Thanks Eiddwen for coming up with this forum.

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   OCDKidsposted 13 years ago

   I began on Hub-pages and blogs because I want to raise awareness about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)in children. This disease is typically invisible to others, can completely debilitate and oftentimes steals all semblances of precious childhoods.
   Trained providers to treat these children are very few and far between. This inability to access proper treatment further incapacitates these afflicted kids allowing their mental illness to intensify. These children are falling through the cracks and are being left to suffer in silence. Without affective treatment many of these children grow up to be completely incapacitated, haunted by their insufferable thoughts and actions every waking moment.
   With awareness, more will be done to assure OCD afflicted kids are afforded access to quality care.

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   bravewarriorposted 13 years ago

   I actually found HubPages through an "ad" in Monster.com.  It spoke of a freelance writing position.  I wrote for a living years ago, as a TV commercial copywriter.  Circumstances necessitated a fallback to my accounting skills.  Now that I'm in my mid 50's I want to write again.  In fact, I've had 4 poems published since I left copywriting, so I have somewhat of a creative resume, although not current.  Needless to say, when I read what HubPages was about, I jumped on it.  I must be honest, though.  Certain changes in my recent life have resulted in my (once again!) taking care of needs outside my own.  I am determined to be back with some current posts!  HubPages is a great start and a wonderful opportunity for me to learn the new media, as it's much different than it was in the 80's!  There was no internet posting then, nor "self publishing".  Since when do writers have to pay to be published?  Isnt' the the purpose the other way around????  Anyway, the advise and friendships I've attained since coming to HubPages is astronomical, supportive and keeps my goals upfront.  Thank all of you who have supported me and given me advice!  What a wonderful family we have here!!

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7. 81

   Charu Bhatnagarposted 13 years ago

   Hello Eddy,
   
   It is really inspiring to read your life story. You are a strong and positive person.
   
   As for my reason of joining HP; I liked writing stories and poems, ever since I was a child. I was lucky to have encouraging parents. But with time I got busy and didn't gave time to this hobby of mine, that is, until I fell in love. from that time onwards, I only wrote when either I was too happy or too depressed. This went on for quite some years, until last year I finally managed to break through, and wrote just for myself. "You take my hear away" poem in my hubpage, was my first poem, dedicated to myself, to my dreams. After soemt ime, i wanted some platform to not onyl showcase my work, but also to get others' feedback. Of course, earning was and still is a very big factor, as I am stil unemployed. But till now, I havn't managed to learn abt tht aspect here.
   
   My story isn't anywhere near yours, but stil, thanks for giving a forum to share it. :-)

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8. 81

   Thelma Albertsposted 13 years ago

   Hi Eddy,
   
   I am sorry for the death of your daughter. I am glad you have recovered from your sadness.
   
   I came across HubPages when I was looking something to read on the internet. I have been writing intensely after I left my home country Philippines just to have an outlet of how I felt in a foriegn country, Germany. I was writing only in my diary but it became my companion throughout my marriage life as a wife of a German. I wrote almost everything I experienced. I am lucky my hubby is a very understanding and a kind person. He became my only reader until I found this community of writers. It took me a day to think over. I thought, "why not?". It´s free. It took me a few months to know that I could earn money here in HP. We´ll I am not earning any cents yet for I am still thinking if I should apply for google adsence.
   
   Writing in this community has widen my horizon and I came to meet very interesting people like you all over the world. Thanks to HubPages.

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