Three Quick Tips for Fine-tuning the Writing in Your HubPages Hubs
67Don't Click that "Publish Now" Button Yet!
By the time I pull a Hub together, all I want to do is click the Publish Now button, pour a Scotch in celebration of my hard work, and sit back to wait for the comments to stream in and for my new Hub’s score to go through the roof. (Does that desire ring a bell with you?)
That’s what I want to do so very, very badly. Instead, I use my left hand to slap my right hand away from the mouse, and thus away from the Publish Now button, thereby foregoing the euphoria that instant gratification bestows.
“How could you be so cruel to yourself,” you might be asking. I ask that same question of myself, every time I get ready to publish a Hub. And I always come up with the same clichéd answer: No pain, no gain. You see, I have a more important objective in mind, and I have to go through the pain to get there.
Reading Should Be a Simple Path
Here’s what I want.
I want readers to travel through my Hubs without any kind of logical, grammatical, syntactical, or spelling obstruction. I want them to enjoy a clear path from start to finish: no potholes to fall into, no fallen trees to navigate, no faulty trail signs to follow. I want people to read my Hubs, leave their insightful comments, and ultimately share my writings with others. And, of course, I want my readers to keep coming back for more.
Here are three quick tips for fine-tuning your Hubs so that readers don’t stumble so often and so badly that they click the back button to venture out on someone else’s trail.
Tip 1 - Use Those Writing Tools, Again
Use That Spell Checker
Even if you used a spell checker religiously while you drafted your Hub, use it one more time. It's so easy to make a mistake when your Hub is on the final lap to the finish line. Go through the pain again to catch any mistakes you made in the final editing process. And for Pete's sake, don’t ever publish your Hub with this wrong spelling.
Use Your Brain
Also, use the tool that is your brain. Spell checkers are not context-sensitive even though some claim to be. Put effort into looking for ware vs. wear, their vs. there, its vs. it's, whole vs. hole, rein vs. reign, and all the rest of those tricky homonyms.
Use a Word-count Application
Don’t underestimate the power of numbers here, because if your Hub falls low in word-count, it's a sign that you should be looking for content that you didn’t develop in your early drafts. In other words, are you giving the reader his money's worth, not in terms of exact number of words, but in terms of the fullness of your thoughts?
Please Visit the Twilight Zone by Yourself
Use a Grammar Checker - Or Not
If you feel you have to use a grammar checker, then either you need to take a writing course (or five or ten), or you are the person whose grammar is fine but who likes drifting off into the convoluted dimension a grammar checker will lead. This journey will not contribute to the success of your Hub; in fact, it will lead you to the Twilight Zone of wasted time, bizarre grammatical constructions that lead you to doubt your normally good sense, and ultimately, to an unproductive writing process.
Tip 2 - Re-examine Sub-headings
Sub-headings create a map of your Hub. Readers want to know, starting at point A, how to get to B, to C, and to the end. Many studies have shown that Internet readers scan sub-headings (or link text) before they delve into full-bodied text, because they want to know if it's worth their time. Look for these two things in your own Hubs to keep readers on the right path.
Make Sure the Title of Your Hub and the Sub-headings Tell a Story by Themselves
Think about the contents of a book. When you read the well-written contents page of a book, you should get an excellent idea of whether it's worth your time to read the whole book, because the contents page will show you, like a map, where you will start and where you will end. Apply the same thinking to your Hub’s title and sub-headings.
Where I Learned To Love Writing
I learned to love writing through my graduate work at Arcadia University, where my heart became full with the desire to communicate, to do it well, and to use communications skills to make a difference.
Arcadia (aka Beaver) has one of the finest English Masters programs in the USA, perhaps in the world. That's because the university committed to integrating American life with international life, even before the name change and even before "global" was a well-known concept.
Arcadia University used to be called Beaver College. With the advent of the Internet, the college had to change its name, because a search on "beaver", well, do I need to say more?
Check that Related Sub-headings Are Consistent in Syntax and Grammar
Strive for consistency in the syntactical and grammatical forms of related sub-headings while keeping your reader’s goals in mind. In this Hub, all of the sub-headings related to the three tips are in the same form: Do (something). What if I had written sub-headings like these:
- Writing Tools Work to Your Advantage
- Examining Sub-headings
- Look for the “So what?” Factor
I think I would have given you enough of a headache for you to head out on someone else’s trail (unless you are a loyal fan of mine who is willing to put aside painful moments for my sake).
Also, I could have written the sub-headings this way:
- Writing Tools that Work to Your Advantage
- Techniques for Examining the Effectiveness of Sub-headings
- More Techniques for Keeping Your Reader's Attention
These are all consistent in form and syntax, but they are boring as hell and therefore have little value for your reader. Who wants to follow this boring path?
Strive to engage your reader with the promise of an exciting journey’s end.
Tip 3 - Re-read for the “So what?” Factor
When your reader finds himself saying “So what?” as in, “So, what’s the point?”, or worse, “Why should I care?”, then you’ve lost him. If you leave a passage in your writing that triggers this response, I guarantee that the rest of your work will not be read, and the back or forward button will be clicked.
Here’s an example.
Brilliant fall colors greeted me as my car made its way up the rugged road to my uncle’s cabin. Fall colors include reds, yellows, oranges, ambers, and browns. The glorious colors punched a hole in my heart, precisely in the place that missed him so much.
Hey, who cares about what the characteristics of fall colors are at this point in the telling? I, the reader, want to get to the uncle-love, to the point of the story. Now, thanks to this digression into the characteristics of fall colors, I’m outta here.
The digressive, off-the-cuff words that don’t contribute to the message you want to deliver need to go. If they don’t go, then your reader does.
Off-the-cuff thoughts are important in developing your drafts. They are the ways to examine yourself in order to come to an ultimate meaning. But in your published Hub, these ramblings are not only superfluous, they are also a sure-fire way to send your reader down any path other than the one you intend.
Your Hubs Will Be Fine-tuned and They Will Be Read
If you follow these three simple steps, your Hubs have a better than good chance of being read and shared.
vote upvote downshareprintflag
- Useful (4)
- Funny
- Awesome (1)
- Beautiful
- Interesting (1)
CommentsLoading...
Sally thank you for putting this together to remind us to do our best with our writing since we are doing it anyway. I must admit that I am one to want to write and publish sooner than later. Now I am holding onto my writing for a few days before publishing to give myself a chance to reflect a bit more and catch my mistakes. I also don't stop editing the artilces once I publish them. I read them several times over and I still find errors or ways in which I could say things better. This one of the reasons why I like this medium. You can't do that with a book.
BTW, that example you gave regarding the mispelling is too funny..lol
Right now, GT, I'm going to pour some. I deserve it. Please join me with your beverage of choice, or let me know what I missed before I pour...poured. But I think I covered my ass. Cheers!
Mayra, thanks so much for your astute comment. Your are right...this HubPages venue is dynamic. You can change things on the fly, unlike what you can do with a book. Geeze, so much to be said about all of that!
I'm glad the ridiculous / rediculous link caused you to smile. It's a great rant, a great Hub. Keeps us all on our toes.
Um...I'm guilty of all of these things. Except for grammer...maybe. Oh, well. Bottoms up. Thanks.
Great tips Sally. I like the concept of "reading should be a simple path". This really means a writer needs to do a lot of work to make his/her writings easy to read. It takes skills, senses and practices to reach to such a path. Not an easy thing for most writers.
I always feel that managing a hub account is sort of like sing Karaoke, there are many chances that one gets to express his/her performing ego (by writing whatever one wants) but someone else might not have any fun listening to what one sings (or simply get torture...).
ST, this is quite a change from Polish Easter traditions! But then I like you because you're versatile! Great piece - good tips! Salud!
Grammer... hee hee hee...
Thank you for a wonderfully written, well-thought-out Hub that follows its own advice. How did you know I was currently working on a Hub, and needed some wisdom to keep me on the right track?
All three of your points remind me that the best writing comes from people who take pride in their work. When you put effort into something, it SHOWS, and people respond to that! I'll admit, though, that the third point is my favorite. I can imagine myself as a high school English teacher, half-hidden behind a desk full of mediocre term papers, scribbling "SO WHAT?" on every cover page with my big red pen, wildly hoping that some student will actually answer that question!
Now, what's this about Easter? *rushes off to read*
Sally I happened to land up at this hub by mistake ... while hunting for a piece written by a friend.
I don't blog or hub or whatever else it may be called, but I do enjoy reading: Reading anything that is well written. The subject doesn't matter so much, but the story must be well crafted and the words strung together with the harmony and dexterity displayed by a skillful painter as he splashes paint on an empty canvas.
Just thought you should know I loved this hub, it's really well written! I might even venture forth and read some more of yours.
Wonder what's your taste in scotch? :)
Wow, I'm impressed. You never cease to amaze me :) I think this is the fastest I've known you to publish a hub. I so love this one as it is so dear to my heart.
Two things. First, I love the Twilight Zone clip! I sat here laughing my ass off! Secondly, the 'So What?' factor LOL That really is a good one, and one that I'm going to have to learn to fine tune.
I also loved yxhuang's reference to singing :)
So, hats off to you, my mentor, editor and dearest friend in the whole world. I've learned a lot from you and you'll never know how much I appreciate the time and patience you share with me.
PS: Just keep my kahlua chilled :)
Thumbs up!
Damn, I miss my Scotch--but I digress.
Yes, I've read some pretty annoying hubs and keep my reference books handy and am a compulsive proofreader, but I too am anxious to push that publish button.
Thanks for the reminders.
Thanks for an entertaining Hub and some good advice. Sometimes we write Hubs slowly, and usually they turn out to be the best ones. Now I think I can guess why! (How's my grammar?)
One other thing: some Hubs seem (IMO) to contain so much interesting information that they could be split into 2 or more Hubs. What are your views?
Christoph, I'm a horrible speller. I actually had to look up "grammar"...is it "er" or "ar"? I didn't notice your grammer until I read annemaeve's comment. Thanks for your comment...the bottom went up and I went out like a light.
Yxhuang, I love your comment about karaoke. So much, in fact, that I'm at a loss for words. You said it all.
Hey everybody, if you didn't read yxhuang's comment above, please do.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful, insightful words, yxhuang.
Hi JamaGenee! I believe you have me mixed up with Patty Inglish, and I'll take that as a compliment, because her Polish Easter Hub was great. And look who's talking about being versatile! I love reading your Hubs, and the most recent, the spring Hub, is absolutely magical.
Annemaeve, I'm so glad you are working on a new Hub. I know I'm not the only one around here who misses your well-written Hubs and thoughtful comments. I made a comment on Patty Inglish's Polish Easter Hub (go read it, you'll love it) and included two Polish words. You'd know them if two of the letters hadn't turned into question marks! Needless to say, I thought about you and Mom and the famous Polish language road trip as I was looking for the translations. LMAO
You are right about effort showing and people responding to that. Your words reminded me of the last couple of times I visited the barn. I felt immediately at peace, relaxed. The incredible effort put into the barn and grounds is really showing, and I responded in a way that surprised me.
The "So what?" factor is tough to use when you're editing someone else's writing. Tough, meaning it's potentially cruel, especially when delivered in red ink. There are millions of high school students out there who don't know how lucky they are not to have you grading their papers. ;) But your scenario would never happen, because you are such a wonderful teacher and writer...your students wouldn't ever deserve that red "So what?"
Hey the best is Glenmorangie, served by itself and on it's own.
Brilliant bit of advice thanks a lot
Jaspal, I am so glad you wound up here by mistake. You are just the kind of reader I like to write for--someone who has many interests, a love of language, and the desire for a good read, no matter the topic. Perhaps you will scout around a little more at HubPages? There are many excellent writers here who cover an infinite number of subjects.
Thank you for reading and commenting. Your thoughtful words add so much to this Hub. (The Scotch? That would be Dewar's.)
Trish, it was you who lit the fire under me. It's all your fault. :) Yes, this is the Hub that's had the shortest turn-around time. After spending time with you on your latest Hub, I had all this stuff right at the top of my head, ready to spill out. So thanks for the push, and the matches!
Now, about that Kahlua...you know I never chill the bottle, but I'll be happy to crush some ice for you.
This is great advice! Thanks
I have to start using subheadings!!! Great hub Sally...I tend to want to get things finished and out of the way and I'm sure I make many of the mistakes you mentioned!
Druneric, that urge to click "publish now" surely is strong, isn't it? I wasn't kidding about having to slap one hand away with the other! I am comforted to know that I'm not alone in fighting that "publish now" temptation. It's obvious that you put a lot of time and effort into your skillfully crafted Hubs, which I am enjoying very much. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about proofreading and keeping reference books handy. The importance of these disciplines can't be overstated.
Escellent (oops, I mean excellent) reminders of things of which I am far too guilty. Your hubs are good example for us all!! I find I make many typos in the comments sections of hubs, forgetting to use that spell checker at the upper left corner here... =))
A great read and good connection to Shadesbreath!!!
2Patricias, you bring up an interesting question about some Hubs being too information-rich. I think the answer is complex, because it's influenced by both the writer's goals and the reader's expectations. I'll speak only for myself here...My goal at HP is to provide useful information in a style and format that will engage the reader from start to finish.
I think online readers, in general, are attracted to concisely bundled packages of information that can be assimilated quickly. But, when we are passionate and knowledgeable about a topic, it's easy to deliver so much information that the reader sees our work as daunting rather than inviting. So, yes, often two or more Hubs are better than one.
The spitting Hubs I wrote are examples of exactly the question you raise. I amassed so much information about spitting that I was overwhelming myself. I thought, if I'm overwhelming myself, what will I be doing to readers? It then became a matter of organizing the material into theme categories and creating one Hub per theme, then linking the Hubs to each other.
And now I'm overwhelming myself with this response to your question, so it's time to end this comment. There's a good Hub (or many good Hubs) in your question, 2Patricias. Thanks for all the food for thought!
Hawkesdream, I agree with you about Glenmorangie neat. Unfortunately, single malt Scotch gives me an almost instant headache. I discovered this sad condition only after I had been generously gifted with a fine, fine bottle of G. I still have that bottle, sealed up tightly and kept in the dark, for friends who like it and can drink it without peril. *sigh*
Julie-Ann, you are welcome. I'm glad you found this read worthwhile.
Feline Prophet, thanks so much for coming by and commenting. Sub-headings usually make for a better reading experience, and they also help the writer find potential problems with organization and flow. Hey, I like your writings. So don't go changing too much! Which reminds me, I need to run over to your Hub, Robbing the Idea Bank. I read it a little while ago and loved it but got interrupted by the phone and failed to comment. See you later!
Marisue, I hear you about the spell checker in the comments box. I'd be bypassing it myself if I weren't so painfully aware of my own inability to spell. I LOVE that Hub by Shadesbreath, one of the finest rants ever.
Thanks for your good words. BTW, I'm missing reading your Hubs. Aren't you overdue for giving us another Escellent read? :)
My two bits: Never hit the publish button after a long writing session. Let it ferment for two days and then come back and read it. Sometimes that requires a major redo and another two days and sometimes it just requires some quick edit. These are awesome tips
Hey, HD, your two bits are always welcome here. And spot-on, they are. We become blind to our own words when we live with them intensively and for too long. Gaining that distance you recommend can make all the difference between failure and success. Thanks for sharing your awesome tip.
I AM so overdue...on many parts of my life! I'll try to get one up soon!! It's there, cookin' in the brain. =))
Glad to know I inspired you :)
And no, you don't have to crush ice for me. I like playing with the ice cube button LOL
Yeah, well, you like playing with the publish now button too. Maybe I should just get you the "That Was Easy" button from Staples.
Love you!
Yes!! Our birthdays will be coming up before we know it :)
love you too!
Sally, if I weren't your fan already, I be right now after reading this hub :-) The examples about sub-headings are marvelous -- everything in this hub is, really.
I don't necessarily think reading should always be a simple path, I enjoy complexity too, turns and twists and unusual language and what not, but I would very much agree with you on the nature of the internet making "simplicity" of texts a rather important factor. Here in this medium, where everything is a click away, content needs to be read easily.
What Mayra said about this medium is oh so true: one can go back and rework a whole hub, even unpublish it if one doesn't feel satisfied with the result after a while. For that very reason, I find it a bit in "bad taste" that hubs where a lot of spelling mistakes can be found continue to sport them after a few days.
Oh well, off my soapbox now :-) Thumbs up!
Good tips! I liked it.
Elena, you are welcome to stand upon your soapbox here any time. Your words are important and useful, and if even one reader can get something valuable from them, then you've done your job!
I struggled with the path metaphor, and I'm glad you brought it up. First, I agree with you that turns and twists bring excitement. And when the turning and twisting are done well, the path is still simple, because the reader never stumbles unexpectedly. By that I mean, the writer's language and flow keep the reader going in the intended direction, smoothly, where the grammar, syntax, spelling, and punctuation are flawless and the logic is apparent. If this kind of accuracy is not there, then the reader has to work entirely too hard to get the writer's meaning. "Readers' expectations" and the importance of meeting them is a topic in itself.
I liked Mayra's point too, and I'll take your "bad taste" idea one step further. When a writer publishes a piece that fails to meet those standards I mentioned, he's asking the reader to put the effort into the piece that the writer himself should have done in the first place. And that's disrespectful. (I have one of those soapboxes, too!)
Thanks so much for your insightful comments.
Vivekananda, thank you for reading and commenting.
Very good tips as always. I'm slowly bringing some of this into my normal routine. Like you said in the very beginning, it is really hard.
Sally as always great hubs, Im sorry if im little late commenting on your hub but life is a tad crazy right now LOL.I am sure if I had more time I would write as well.Keep up the good work my friend and I will talk to you real soon.
Love always.
FP
I love the part about the "So what?" factor. You can flaunt your writing skills with impressive and sophisticated vocab and not-so-prose, but in the end, people want to take something away from what you've written.
I'm new to Hubpages, and this hub was really helpful! Thanks. I'm going to become a fan right now.
You have mentioned very important points here. Fortunately I have always followed whatever you have mentioned here. Thumbs up for a good helping Hub!
Hi RGraf! Yeah, it does hurt, doesn't it? :) Thanks so much for the kind words.
FlyingPanther, I always appreciate your stopping by. Don't apologize for being "late", your comment is hardly late! Look how long it takes me to get back to you. That's what I call "late". :)
Lena, I'm glad you commented on the "So what?" factor. You are exactly right; people want to take something away, in fact, that's precisely why they read. If they have to ask "So What?", then they aren't going to take anything away except themselves. BTW, just the other day my daughter and I were reminiscing about when I used to review her school papers. She reminded me that it wasn't "So what?" that I said to her, it was "Yeah? So?". She says "So What?" is much more polite.
Packerpack, thanks so much for reading and commenting. It means a lot to me when someone finds my stuff helpful.
Even more polite would be "Your point being..."
This may apply more to reading fiction than hubs, but too often I find myself reading an unnecessarily long chunk of text that doesn't say anything. Saying something without saying anything at all may add to the word count, but readers will scan right over it!
Sally Are these the reasons that you have only 25 hubs after 13 months. Just a question, not a critcism.
good information
issues, your comment cracked me up. I'm still ROTFLMAO. I have 25 Hubs in 13 months, you have 101 in 2. Our Hubs are very different, as I suspect our goals are, and also the amount of time we devote to publishing on HP, not to mention the amount of time we put into each Hub.
Just wait...at least three more tips about fine-tuning will show themselves in another Hub of mine, maybe next year :)
Thanks for leaving this oh so cool comment.
Sally
I didn't post the comment for humor, but a laugh is a laugh and we certainly need something to laugh about these days.
You must spend a lot of time on HP because you have some many fans and that is impressive.
I looked at some your topics and you are right about the different interests. Your topics are ones that for the most part are not time dependent, except for the one on John McCain and the other one on Hillary Clinton. Spitting on the other hand is timeless and can be a topic at any time.
The reason that I have many hubs in such a short time is because they involve real issues that I don't see that get much attention.
The real issue hubs are similar to going to the mall to buy something that you need, but while I am at the mall it is relaxing to look at the stores and window shop. If I see something of interest, I will go into that store and browse. That is what I do on the hub pages, in between publishing hubs. I came across you hub and like that store in the mall, I went inside to browse. It was interesting enough for me to comment.
resume LOL
Issues, I really like what you said about mall shopping. I read your profile and looked at more of your Hubs since you commented here, and I see the big difference between us. I am not interested in bringing current issues to these pages (with a few exceptions, as you noticed); I leave that for those who have that passion. I am interested in what's been called "evergreen content" around here (and elsewhere), as in, what are the topics that have lasting interest because they affect our lives not just today, but every day, across every generation, and maybe through history. That's a kind of grand aspiration on my part, but that's where I choose to go. "How to hammer a nail into a piece of wood without smashing your thumb" is of much more interest to me than the current economic fluctuations....but who knows, I might find a relationship between hammering that nail and the economy, and then I might write a Hub like that one about dogs, McCain, and tomato soup.
I cherish my fans. And I cherish good ideas and good writing. It doesn't take a lot of time to acknowledge people in this exceptional HubPages community. If you keep up this pace you have, issues veritas, your fan base will soar, because you are a wonderful commenter and a damned good thinker.
Now, resuming LOL with you :)
Submitting a comment to other hubber is sort of like doing radio call-in. I personally like to keep my comment short but sometimes can't help writing a little bit longer (and come back again some other time) if the subject really interests me.
Sally
Thanks for your comment and explanation, I think we need all kinds evergreeen, issues and other types of HP. How not to smash you thumb is a definite plus and best yet, it is something within our control and easily measured.
I appreciated your kind words of encouragement,
Thanks for sharing.
Yxhuang, here you are with another one of your great metaphors! Love the radio call-in parallel. And I always love getting one of your thoughtful comments, no matter how long or short.
Issues, I agree that there's room on HubPages for just about any style of writing and any kind of original content (barring the obvious, like "adult" content). That's what makes this place so interesting and inspiring, too.
As a new hubber I appreciate any information to make my hubs more reader friendly and interesting. Thanks for the great hub.
Hi lafenty. I'm glad you find this Hub useful. Thanks for reading and commenting. And welcome to HP!
Dearest Sally: I am now taking more time with my edit, spell, and grammAR checking. And please inform annamaeve that I now spell check my comments. Who would of thought that a comment written quickly would fall under her discerning and ridiculing eye, so she can get back on her horse and ride off into the sunset, protecting all from spelling errors everywhere.
Great hub, Sally! I too, loved the part about "so what". I've ditched some of my fiction because I asked myself the question and didn't have an answer. When I can come up with one, I'll return to it. :)
Yes I am guilty of giving in to the"publish it now' temptation. I hadn't written a hub for awhile and yesterday I did (yes,... I did) publish almost immediately. Too eager to share my morning experience and photos, I guess.
I did find a few mistakes and went back to change them-- but I am sure I will find some more.
I repent, and will try harder to slap my hand.
Christoph, you left such a gem here. I don't know if you know that annemaeve is my daughter. I know she will catch this thread at some point. She follows her mother, and she follows a few other special Hubbers, among them, you and Trish.
Annemave's the one who blew raspberries at your grammer. She is discerning, but never ridiculing. Plus, she knows how much I favor you. (Love my girl.) If she hadn't seen it, I never would have (can't spell, plus I went to Harold G. Grammer Junior High School, and how does that f**k with your language brain?).
I am glad that you will be paying more attention to the rules of language going forward. You are a stellar pupil. (ROTFLMAO) I am going to be inspecting your Hubs.
I am your most adoring fan. I know you have a dedicated following here among women, and probably among men as well, but I must insist that I am your most adoring.
Shirley, I'm so glad to see you here. It's been a long time since we've shared thoughts.
Thank you for for reading and commenting.
OMG! Open mouth...insert foot!
Rochelle, I will be thinking of you when I next slap my hand. :) I took a quick look at your latest Hub, and I already know I am enchanted by the text and the photos. I will be there later.
Instant gratification (the publish now button) is encouraged here, and it's fostered online in general. It's a tintillating, good-feeling thing to do. Get that out there, no matter the quality, because someone's going to read it and act on it, no matter how pukey it is, because they want another fan or another backlink or another hit on a sales site.
What you and I learned in school, about reading and writing and the importance of getting thoughts across to another human being, seems to have little relevance to the stuff that's out here.
Well, I could go on...maybe that's another Hub.
Ah. Finally got to the bottom of all these comments! Glad your hub has generated such feedback, and such good-humored feedback at that. I am assiduously trying to get out of the American habit of qualifying every single statement with an exclamation mark -- as if we don't really mean it unless we punctuate the hell out of it?! But as you can see, it's difficult. . . .
I hope your foot tastes good.
I love when you give us tips as I know that I can use them and sometimes I have to brush up and re-write. Thanks soooooo much!!!!!:)
Teresa, I so identify with your words.
Online communication has its challenges. We can't see each others' faces, we can't see the body language, so we resort to exclamation marks and smiley faces. It's the best we can do while in a hurry. Hurry, hurry.
I'm so glad to see that you are here to get to the bottom of what's going on. Perhaps you will lend more insights into this. In fact, I know you will.
It's a broadband failure of human communications, but a great broadband success of broadband communications, for its own sake. I hope that makes sense.
About good-humored feedback, I believe that if you open a door to others who want to express their views, and don't put any critical slant on what's going on, then the feedback will be positive. I like to think I open the door.
AEvans, you are so welcome. And let me say to you, it means a great deal to me that you find some value here. I like to think that I give that. THANK YOU!
Good advice, Teresa! (Notice the exclamation point?) Ha!
This is truly an informative hub filled with good advice. I will hold off publishing for a few days as you suggest. In the past, I have had to go back and edit. Now I will try editing prior to publishing.
Thanks Peggy W for commenting. Teresa is helpful to all of us.
Sally,
Excellent – Thanks I needed that. ~ eddie
Hi Eddie! Guess what? We all need that, even if we think we don't. Thanks so much for reading and commenting.
Hey you don't know me but i want to say thank you so much for the information on you hub its so helpful.
i also invite anyone to make any suggestions on how i can make my hub more presentable
Langson, thank you for your kind words.
For advice on your Hub, visit the Forum and start a new thread under "Extreme Hub Makeover". You should get good advice there.
Welcome to HubPages!
Thank you Sallys
This is excellent advice - when I've finished a hub I leave it unpublished for a short while (dog walk, meal) then go back to it. At that point I view it the rough the 'Preview' feature - it's amazing what small mistakes and layout problmes come to light at that stage.
I also tend to write in a word document so that I get the word count as I go along and later I break that document up into text capsules and work out appropritae headings.
I guess that every writer has their own way of doing things and its good to share ideas. Thanks for this. Enjoy the scotch !
Iphigenia, you and I have similar approaches. I also write in Word first, using the word count and spelling features. And I use the Preview feature at every addition or change, because for me, the final visual impact of the Hub is as important as the text.
As I write, I AM enjoying that Scotch. Thanks so much for your thoughtful comments and good words. Cheers!
Great writing style and good information, thanks.
Very good hub.Thank You !
Hi Sally, oh I simply love the way you put things in perspective with punchlines in appropriate places. Thank you for another wonderful lesson on writing. I still have much to learn from you and am looking forward to more. God bless:)
eonsaway and santoion, thanks so much for reading and commenting.
Dayzeebee, it's always a pleasure to hear from you! Thanks so much for the good words. Be assured that I learn a lot from you, too, and I'm looking forward to catching up on your wonderfully inspirational Hubs.
Thanks for nice tips. it will improve my writing skill.
All very good points, Sally's Trove! I've always been a huge fan of subheads but now you've got me wondering if mine are aligned or a mish-mash of sentence structures.
Glad I followed Prasetio30 over here! Hope you're well. Best, MM
That was a very useful hub ST. I am sure it will help me improve the quality of my hubs.
Are you a single malt fan by any chance?
prasetio30, thanks so much for reading and commenting.
MM, so nice to see you! I'm glad you find this Hub informative. And thanks for the nice fan mail. :)
Sabu, many thanks for the good words. About single malts, I enjoy the tastes very much, but for some reason they don't agree with me. I have no idea why taking more than a sip or two results in an instant headache. Isn't that sad? :(
Well yes that is sad ST. My personal favourite is a brand called Ardbeg - ever tried it? No I guess you'd better not. Its among the smoky and peaty ones. I also enjoy Jack Daniels - it has a flavour very different from the Scotches (is it ok to discuss things other than the hub?)
Now you're making me think that the title of this Hub should have been "Four Tips...", the fourth being to reward yourself with a sip of spirits for a job well done, with the appropriate warning to not touch the stuff while you are working on the other three tips. As for Jack, that's a thumbs up from me. Check out their awesome website at http://www.jackdaniels.com/.
Why not start a thread in the forums to talk about a topic not related to a Hub? Or join in a conversation that might be going on there already? It's a great way to engage with the HP community.
Sally once again a great hub. Super advice that we all should follow especially when in a hurry to get to the Scotch oops I meant to say to the publish now button.
I'm just getting around to reading hubs that have piled up in my Must Read Pile. Yours was at the top.
Hope your well, greetings to you and your Mom
Zsuzsy
ZsuZsy, how wonderful to see you! LOL about the hurry to get to the Scotch. I mean, hey, it's hard work writing a good Hub, and we deserve that reward as quickly as possible. :)
I know what you mean about the Must Read Pile. I've been terribly neglectful lately.
Thanks for the greetings to Mom, I'll be sure to pass them on. Back at you and yours with the same from me.
Sally, I loved your opening. It's almost word for word what I think and feel. The honesty grabbed my attention right off.
I like how you laid out this hub. It is so much better than my own attempt. Basically we are saying the same thing - I think?
Reduce, Revisit and Remove.
You have a wonderful way of communicating, so the education you received certainly was well worth it. (In my own humble, and perfectly correct, opinion)
Yes, we are saying much the same thing in our two Hubs, Duchess, although in different ways and with different flavors. I think we can both say that our "tips" are strongly focused on creating reader- or audience-centered writings.
Yeah, that urge to hit the publish now button is pretty hard to resist, isn't it?
Thanks so much for reading and for the very complimentary words.
Sorry...I hit "Post Comment" prematurely.
Word to the wise for us all, thanks!
abcd, thanks so much for reading and commenting. I'm glad this Hub is a help.
Loved this hub! For the newbie or experienced hubber, this article is loaded with helpful reminders of why we should postpone our rush to push the button. This was entertaining to read and always useful.
There is something to be said for delaying gratification...I swear, the Scotch always tastes better if you have to wait a bit.
Peg, thanks so much for your good words!
Great Hub! This will be used to improve my hubs.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, carltonsbooks. I'm so glad you find this Hub useful!
Hi Sherri!
I used to use a grammar tester, and got COMPLETELY confused in the process. They don't help anybody.
I also do the 'So what?' test. That really does help.
And I always publish too soon.
Subsequently, I spend 7 to 14 days editing on-line, having probably already lost the majority of my potential readership before it's done.
At least I know it's a common problem -- now I've read this Hub.
I suppose it's a question of not seeing my own work objectively, and this absolute craving to press 'Publish Now'.
An interesting Hub, with good, sound advice.
All the best, Camlo
Camlo, I agree completely with you about the confusion grammar checkers can lead to, although for some people they can be useful, or at least entertaining enough to risk being confused.
Thanks for sharing your writing process. It's good to know we have company when it comes to the challenges we deal with in putting out a quality piece of writing.
Best regards, Sherri
:) Can we make this required reading for new hubbers and mark it as a part of a refresher course for the rest of us! :) Great advice and well written. Thanks for sharing.
LOL, The Rope. I'd love to make this and a number of other excellent writing tip Hubs that were written by many talented Hubbers mandatory reading. However, there is a certain "free spirit" to the Hubber, yes? That's why there's something called a "HubMob"!
Thanks so much for your good words.
Thanks for the great advice. The more writing advice I get the better.
lovelypaper, thanks so much for reading and commenting. I'm glad you find this Hub worthwhile. Oh, and I see you joined HP just a few days ago, so welcome!
Great thoughts. You had me with the mention of scotch as a reward for writing. Agree totally with your points. Would add that, at some point you are going to release that Hub into the wild. Your points still apply 3 days, or 3 months later. One of the beauties of online publishing is that your article never has to be finished. A great recipe can be refined for the next tasting.
That's the nice thing about HP, jstankevicz, you can come back and modify, improve, your Hubs any time. As you know, this is not the case in other venues.
As for the next tastings, let them be laced with Scotch. Cheers to you while I thank you for reading and commenting!
Lesson learned with my and spell check is my friend! Thank you for the refresher I needed to read this one. :)
AEvans, you are welcome. We all need refreshers now and again, and I'm glad this one was helpful.
The racoon says it all! Great article and good advice on technique. I will keep all this in mind as I proceed. And the best is, you can even make corrections to your comments. Is this a great site, or what?
slock62, welcome to HP!
The racoon does have quite a voice, just as you and I.
HP is a great place.
Very good information Sally!! You are so right about getting and keeping the readers attention,especially here on the internet where readers have lots to choose from. I have bookmarked this hub because it's got great advice and would also be helpful for new hubbers!
Thumbs up!
You are right about the Internet having so much to choose from. Readers will find the presentation that stands out from the crowd, but will they stay for the read? Dorsi, thanks for reading and commenting.
Sally's Trove, wow!!! It's obvious from the number of comments on this hub that you've struck a nerve. I definitely want to be a better writer, and these three quick tips will help me do just that. Thanks for the hub!
And thank you, Habby, for the good words. My reward for writing articles like these is when I hear that readers find them helpful. I'm very glad you took the time to read and comment!
Oi, Sally! How do you do, ma'am? I caught this in Feed, and thought to stop by to say I've been busy lately twitching old hubs :) My original comment here is over one year old, but I'll say, I could have posted it yesterday. The same can be said about this article, it's totally ageless :-)
Hola, Elena! What a wonderful compliment coming from such an accomplished writer.
There has been excellent advice from time to time here on HP about the value of "twitching" Hubs, and I, as you, have been taking the time to do just that. What a learning experience HP has been and is!
So very nice to hear from you, as always.
Great hub and thank you for all the tips. I will rate up and bookmark
Hi Sally:
I just found this little gem of yours. I was chasing through Granny's House's Hubtivity and found her comment.
Your introductions to each section are so very refreshing and readable.
Now that I've discovered you, I'll be sure to come to the well more often.
Granny's House, I'm so pleased you read this and found it useful. Thanks so much for your comment.
HubCrafter, thanks so much for your good words. No one's ever called this a "gem" before, so I'm delighted!
Loved this Hub! Thanks Sally, it is a useful and helpful read.
Love and peace
Tony
Glad you find it useful, Tony. Thanks so much for the good words!
Excellent tips, Cheers!
Thank you!
Some very solid advice.Thanks for the hint on 1000 words being a good for a hub,I usually target 500 only.
You are very welcome, Alladream. Glad you found this useful!
Your tip about re-reading for the "So What" factor really struck me. Sometimes I think we just fall in love with our words too much-it's hard to cut them even when we know we should! Good all around advice, thanks!
I'm glad you commented on the "so what" factor, Stephanie. We do fall in love with our words. After all, we gave birth to them. But leaving extra and pointless words in a writing does the reader no good. It's hard to shave them off.
A writer's job is to engage the reader, and thus a writer must have empathy for the reader in order to make a connection. It's always a challenge for the writer to spill the beans but also keep in mind how the dish will be served.
Thanks for your awesome comment.
goldentoad 3 years ago
How's that scotch?