Making Hubpages Easier To Write

It's funny that starting a new hub can be so incredibly hard to do. What do you write about? That very question is literally the freezing point en route to the slow boil that is writing a hub. Amazingly, it's not as hard as you think.

The old adage of "sticking to what you know" is remarkably sound. Especially when it comes to writing hubs. You'd be surprised that "what you know" can be mined for the subjects of a zillion Hubs.

You might be thinking, "Well, what I know, EVERYBODY knows.". You'd be mistaken of course. Everyone is capable of delivering a "different take" on any number of subjects, as everyone has experienced those subjects differently and to a different degree of success or failure. One's "How To Paint A Flower" can easily be "Dealing With Frustrations While Painting A Flower".

Couple that with details of each experience or lesson varying as well, there are a ton of unique Hubs to be made from almost anything you've experienced, learned, have a talent for, been a fan of or been paid to do. You can draw from a well that's, quite figuratively...bottomless. Just ask yourself a few questions, like:

1. What do I like to do?
2. What problems or success did I have while doing it?
3. What details in my experience make it different from everyone else's?

There is nothing more frustrating than "the one that got away". You're sitting around, organizing your collection of Warren G. Harding memorabilia when the PERFECT Hub idea hits you. You quickly formulate how best to title it, and mentally file it away for later.

Then, when finally sitting down, ready to unleash your Hub greatness on the world, your brain won't budge; not an inch.

Where did the idea go?

Finally, after slapping yourself silly and playing "angry soccer" with your lamp, you retire to a defeated, slumped position in front of a glowing screen of t.v. serenity--battle...lost.

All of that could have been avoided with a quick scribble or texty note to yourself.

Everyone has had that great idea and trusted ourselves to remember it later; only to find ourselves embroiled in a great big non-remembering failure. Buck up! It's happened to the best of us. Fortunately for you, there's a solution, which is: write it down.

Now, physically writing things down has become a kind of anachronism as of late. Loads of people seem to have forgotten what paper is. If you're counted among that group, fret not, simply write a note in your phone or better yet...text yourself.

Everyone loves getting mail and they especially love seeing a number wedged in the corner of a phone icon. So, after the epiphany moment has passed and you've resigned yourself to Hubpage work, check your phone, and there is your past self helping you out. Aren't you a great person!

Now, you're ready to slap the Internet's face with your literary genius, and the idea is at hand, ready to be inserted into the Matrix.

Sometimes, a writer will get tired of talking about themselves, elaborating on hobbies and how to cook the best bowl of spinach pudding, what happens then? It's times like those that a Hubber can turn to the long winded media for inspiration.

Magazines, books, music, movies and the bulk of the Internet can all harbor some modicum of inspiration for Hub writing, when not distracting us from it. All of those, are also great tools to inspire, and research a Hub. It can, more than often, lead it to a distinct and unique informational resource on or relating to the topic.

What does that mean? You ask.

Well, as an example, let's say you read and interesting article in a magazine about Dean Koontz. Some random thing said in the article says that he often includes his love of Labrador Retrievers in his books. This, in turn, leads you to research things that authors put into books that, low and behold, they also have in real life. Before you know it,...poof...you have a full fledged Hub about it.

It's just that easy.

Being that you are also a traveler on the information super highway, chances are good that you probably frequent websites. You, being as you are, probably frequenting websites that interest you.

These websites and their various articles, videos and (at times) drivel usually, contain some interesting tidbit that you might want to SAVE...for future reference.

Bookmarked websites and more importantly their articles are a valuable resource when it comes to internet writing or any writing for that matter. They're great for research and inspiration. They can be mined for fresh ideas, credible sourcing, and extremely valuable information on one or multiple subjects. Sometimes, you may find a common thread running through several of them, from which you can write a whole new take on the subject.

Bookmark organization is key. Dedicating a little time to a good folder system will save a lot of time in the long run, especially, when trying to track down something you vaguely remember reading in some article or another. Keeping things even a little organized will cut an article hunt down to seconds rather than minutes or hours.

The internet is a huge cavern of information, as well as *wink, wink "information", you wouldn't want to find something useful in it, only lose it in the pile. What a travesty!

There are a multitude of inspirational and informative websites on this grand and wonderful thing we call the Web. Many of which can and will spur a writer's imagination and drive to create. The trick is to to use them to your advantage.

In essence, the kind of site one should aim for is one that communicates directly with others on a range of subject matter; quickly. Doing so facilitates a speedier turn over from inspiration to actual writing.

Swimming through sites that have a "categorical" layout; one which lumps like articles and pages together. For instance: CNN combines a multitude of related articles under different topics, like Politics, World, Entertainment, and such.

These articles, in turn, link to pages relevant to the information within the articles themselves. So, one could "hopscotch" their way to a myriad of pages related to similar information.

Two very good websites come to mind in the pursuit of material and inspiration: Quora and Yahoo Answers.

Both of these sites allow the writer to search for various questions relating to a large number of topics but, can also allow one to see how popular the subject of the question is. Choosing a subject/topic that the writer is knowledgeable about, as well as discovering whether the subject is popular enough to gain traffic with by writing a Hub is a delicate balance.

This lies entirely with the writer, I'm afraid. Should he or she read up on a question on one of the sites, find that they can provide a searchable, viable answer only to discover that the audience for the answer is small, traffic gain would be negligible.

It could be very hit or miss, but once a writer gains the knack for culling subject matter from sites like these, the rewards are glorious.

Sometimes, ideas for Hubs can be found in some pretty odd places. One of them being conversations with friends. It might, at first, seem like an unlikely well to draw ideas from but, you'd be surprised the myriad of topics friends can deliver. The accuracy of the information may be questionable, yet, that doesn't mean the subject matter should be dismissed out of hand either.

Although factual information might be sketchy from friends, the range of topics brought up by regular conversation can lead to a treasure trove of viable Hubs. Just remember...research is your friend.

As they say, "Opinions are like a**holes, everyone has one.", though, that isn't to say that they aren't also unique. That came out kind of gross, but, still, the point is valid. All opinion's are different, much like a person's backside.

Everyone's opinion, though not our own, is usually unique in some fashion, as everyone has their own perspective on the world, reality and the like. Often, if relayed properly, that opinion can, at times, sway a person's decision regarding the subject they're researching. Usually a product, but, actually, anything can be discussed in an opinionated manner.

That's where Hubs and their subject matter can come into play.

Review Hubs are a great and easy way to, not only write about something you know, but, can also be a good way to build credibility as a writer/critic. They're also fairly easy to execute, being that everyone usually has something (especially products) to complain about.

Though, that doesn't necessarily mean every review or critique should be negative. A lot can be said from a piece displaying a positive opinion on something, as anyone reading customer reviews on a shopping site can attest to.

So, if, in those dire times of subject matter need, the void of the blank page seems insurmountable, look around you. There are tons of things setting around dying to get a good or bad review. Give it a shot.

Writing isn't hard all that hard really. Sure, the semantics and grammar quirks can nip at you sometimes but, don't let it stress you. It's just a jumble of words describing something and possibly, even telling a tale. Let the words come to you and don't force it.

A bout of writer's block and the intimidation of volume, blank pages and self criticism have taken every writer down, at one time or another. Never fear, as there are an infinite amount of things waiting for a writer's personal spin. Everyone has a different take on the world, let everyone have yours, good or bad. Why not?

If you still feel incapable of kicking out a quality hub in an easy fashion just remember, "Put enough monkeys in a room with a typewriter, give them an infinite amount of time and they'll eventually produce Shakespeare". If a monkey can do it, why not you?

Just start typing and it will be over before you know it.