HubPages Question: How Do You Do It, Billybuc?

I don’t know how many times I have been asked that question, but I know at least once a week it pops up in the comment section of one of my articles. My friend Louisa (Louisa Rogers on HubPages) was the latest to ask it, and she was being quite serious; so much so that she suggested I write an article answering the question, in hopes that it helps others on HubPages.

So, Louisa, this one is for you, and others like you, who seem to think I have some secret that explains my output on this site.

The first thing you need to understand is that this is a job for me; it is a job fueled by a passion for writing, but it is treated like a job. I write for a living, and that means I get up at the same time each morning and go off to work in my writing studio. I am at the computer ten hours per day. I start at seven and stop at five. I do this five days a week. On weekends, I write from 7:30 until 10:30. Yes, I sleep in a half hour on Saturdays and Sundays. They are, after all, days of rest! J

I believe writers need to treat their craft like a job. I have read all the “how to” articles about being a writer, and for the most part I paid little attention to them, but one thing that stuck with me was the fact that in order to improve as a writer, one needs to write.

I committed to this venture two years ago, and for me commitment is a sworn oath.

In addition, I committed to HubPages almost a year ago. I dragged my feet about joining a writing community, but once I made up my mind to do it, I jumped in with both feet.

So I have this commitment thing going on, and that means fulfilling my commitment each and every day.

Now, I understand that not everyone is in my position. I am not a stay-at-home mother who has chores to do and has to take care of her children. I have no other commitments other than writing, so that alone sets me apart from a great many members of HubPages, and at least in part explains how I am able to do those things that I do that seem to amaze others.

When trying to juggle several different items, I think organization is crucial. What am I juggling? First, I have customers who I write for. I do SEO Articles each day to help pay the bills around here. I also have three blogs that I maintain, and then I have my articles for HubPages and when time allows I work on several book projects. In order to do all those things I devised a writing schedule that I follow religiously.

It looks something like this:

· 7:00-11:00 Write for customers

· 11:00-12:00 Write blogs

· 12:00-12:30 Lunch

· 12:30-4:00 Write for HubPages

· 4:00-5:00 Work on other projects

I do this daily. I do not allow distractions to change my schedule unless they are emergencies.

Sprinkled in throughout the day are comments that I respond to on my HP articles, and reading articles written by other writers. I will talk more about this in a little while.

The point being that I consider this a job; one I love, but still a job, and as such I approach it as a job, with a strict work schedule that I adhere to.

I am constantly challenging myself. It is just the way that I am. When I joined Hubpages on January 6, 2012 I decided to give it my best shot. I read the instructions, and read comments and hubs from veteran Hubbers, and I realized that I needed to establish a foundation of works that would eventually show me residual income. Thus began my 365/365 challenge. I decided that I was going to write 365 Hubs in my first year. More importantly to me, I decided that I was going to write 365 quality Hubs in the first year.

I am on pace to do that, and by January 6^th, 2013, good Lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise, I will have achieved that goal. Then I plan on re-evaluating my goals and I will decide how I want to approach HubPages for the New Year. I have other writing interests that have not received my full attention this year, so I suspect I will back off a bit from HP and concentrate more on some books I want to write.

The other aspect of HubPages, and one I think a lot of newcomers don’t realize, is that this is a writing community. It is a community of supportive people. We get feedback from other writers, and we find much-needed encouragement from them, and in turn we give feedback and encouragement.

I had committed to being a supportive member of HubPages, and I think I have done that. I try to read as many Hubs as possible, and I also try to comment on as many as possible. Why? Simply because if I receive comments from other writers then the least I can do is comment on their writing. I also try to help newcomers when I can; there were a few Hubbers who took me under their wing very early on, and without them I would have quit after a month. I feel it’s important to reach out to the new Hubber.

However, as my following grew, it became obvious that I could not possibly comment on every Hub written. I am now approaching 1200 followers, and that number is unmanageable with regards to following each Hub and commenting on it. So, I have had to limit myself by a time schedule AND I have also limited myself to those Hubbers who are supportive of me. I would venture to guess there are at least 500 of my followers who I never hear from; not one word in almost a year. That makes my selection process pretty easy. J

Well, that is to be determined after the first of the New Year. HubPages takes a great amount of time, and the monetary return is not worth it to me. However, there are returns that can never be measured in dollars. I have made great friends on HubPages, people who are not just virtual friends but honest to God friends for life. I love supporting them, and I gain strength from their support.

Also, the opportunity to send my writings out to the internet world, and to make a tangible difference in the world, makes HubPages invaluable to me. I have received heartwarming comments about Hubs I have written concerning social issues; I have affected lives in a positive manner through my writing. There is no way to put a value on that.

So I will need to give this matter some thought once January gets here. I suspect I will continue to write for HP, but just not in the volume that I committed to the first year. I need to concentrate on other avenues of my writing career. I have things I still want to accomplish and I am not getting any younger. There are books still to be written, and social battles that need to be fought, and I don’t seem to be happy unless I am knocking over some windmills and challenging the establishment.

See, there was no big secret to what I do. I simply committed to writing like the job that it is, and I have met that commitment. Please note that I am not making judgment about anyone else. I am in a unique position where I have uninterrupted time that I can devote to my passion. Few writers on HP have the freedom that I have, so what I do may not be realistic for others.

I will say this, though, and then I will say goodbye for this article. If you are serious about HubPages, then you will get back from it what you put into it. If you think others will support you even though you do not support them, I believe you are in for a rude awakening.

Also, if you are serious about writing then the same is true: you will get out of writing what you put into it. Writing takes time. Writing takes effort. Writing takes passion and writing takes commitment. Anything less than that and writing becomes a hobby!

Writing is not a hobby for me. Writing is what I do. I am a writer and my name is Bill Holland!

2012 William D. Holland (aka billybuc)