The Night Before Christmas, one of the world’s most popular Santa Claus stories, prominently mentions a mouse in its opening sentence… but leaves it at that. Not satisfied with that ever-so-brief reference, cherylone decided to add some backstory to this holiday classic, and A Christmas Mice Story was born. We hope you enjoy this special…
Read MoreWhy do we give gifts?
Right now, Christmas is all the rage on HubPages.com. Hubbers are sharing entertaining and decorating advice, complaining about rampant consumerism, delving into religious holidays that crop up around the end of the year, and writing lots and lots of gift guides. But why? Why do we give gifts on holidays? For how long have we been exchanging presents,…
Read MoreA Hat Tip to Some Amazing Poets
It has been nearly a week since the HubPatron of the Arts Contest came to a close, and Hubbers are still talking about the amazing Hubs that were published as entries. Of the 1,710 entries submitted, the majority were poems, and alas, only three could be selected as finalists for that category. That said, the…
Read MoreTips on Managing Literary Influences
Are you nervous about letting your favorite authors color your writing? Don’t be! In this Online Writing Insider podcast (Tips on Managing Literary Influences), Pia Chatterjee and I discuss the issues surrounding literary influences- from plagiarism and intimidation and inspiration and progress. You’ll quickly find that there’s nothing to fear! This podcast is inspired by one…
Read MoreThe Boy, the Butterfly, and the Broken Wing
This week’s Fascinating Fiction podcast comes in poem form, but is definitely a short story, and a profound one at that! The Boy, the Butterfly, and the Broken Wing by Mrs. Menagerie is a sweet story inspired by a real life experience she shared with her son. Have a look at the original Hub to read…
Read MoreDating Board Games
Were you a child in the 1960s… or ’90s? Did you play Mystery Date or Electronic Dream Phone? You’re going to like this week’s podcast! Inspired by melbel’s Hub onElectronic Dream Phone – A 90s Board Game for Girls, we’ve devoted this podcast to Dating Board Games. In addition to walking you through each game,…
Read MoreHubPages smart email notifications
Over the past year, engineer Ari Lamstein has worked on developing a more intelligent way to communicate to you via email about new activity on HubPages that might spark your interest. The goal is to let you know about new Hubs, new Questions and Answers, and new Forum threads, that might truly be interesting to…
Read MoreOn Writing Well: Making Verbs Work
Everyone Needs Verbs Have you ever read a sentence without a verb? No, right? It’s impossible! A few phrases and fragments may squeeze by without employing a verb or two, but any sentence worth it’s weight can’t manage without a couple of verbs. Verbs are the building blocks of writing. Without them, no action would…
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