This week’s Online Writing Insider is inspired by Anish Patel, who sent in the following question:
What does HubPages think about fictional Hubs or other creative Hubs? (spoofs, funny hubs, short stories, poetry, comic strips etc.) Is it a good idea?
Of course publishing creative writing and art on HubPages is a great idea! We hosted the HubPatron of the Arts Contest last November just to highlight these types of Hubs, and we absolutely love the fiction, photos, art, and poetry people regularly share in our community.
That said, publishing creative content on HubPages is a very different experience from publishing informative Hubs. We cover these differences in this week’s podcast (The Gist of Creative Writing Online), though the gist is this:
- HubPages is a great place to develop your skills and get feedback on your work
- HubPages is a wonderful place to showcase your work and host an online portfolio
- HubPages is a splendid place to build a following
BUT…
- Creative Hubs don’t typically earn significant ad revenue
- Creative Hubs won’t be found on their own- you have to share them and promote them if you want them to be read
With reasonable expectations, we think any creative type could have a blast on HubPages- plus make a bunch of meaningful connections! Thanks for the great question, Anish. 😀
HubPages Blog 
I do find the input on HP helpful for my favorite type of writing. Yes, it is very seldom I make money on my creative attempts, but sometimes I am surprised.
Perhaps a Flash Fiction contest with either small prizes, or even just a CW accolade, would be enjoyed by many here who love the art of spinning a good tale. Having sold a few fictional stories in my short time as a writer, I can say it is quite satisfying compared to making money on informational articles.
Randy SSSSS
After a few months of earning pennies on HubPages, I figured out that the reader wanted magazine-type articles. This was already suggested when I first started HubPages, but I wanted to try my hand at creative writing and book reviews. It didn’t work. If you really want to know, most online readers are looking for facts. They want to add to their research. And they want it now. Usually, they aren’t going care about your personal or creative side. So I switched my way of writing and concentrated on removing the “I” and concentrating on the “you.” What did I have to lose? When I go through the feed, I usually bypass the creative writing and poetry. I want articles that will show me how to make my life a little better and a lot easier. It could be anything from recipes (nutrition) to writing to putting my household in some kind of order. I enjoy well-written articles that show me how to make things. I consider myself a highly creative individual, but I save the fiction for my novel and any creative writing that I do outside of HubPages. If you want to make money using HubPages, focus on your readers and think about what they would want to read. What would be helpful to them? It’s not that I’m discouraging creative writing on this site. But if you want to experiment with your writing and see what kind of comments that it draws, that’s okay, too. I found that it was helpful to test the waters on HubPages, but I also know what works and what doesn’t when you’re looking to attract those online pennies on a regular basis. Once you get in the groove, those pennies do add up.
Writing fiction hubs can be very helpful if you are a writer, and especially if you are publishing a novel. Aya Katz has written several hubs that are previews of her novels.
I think sometimes people limit creative writing to specific types of writing rather than consider that creative people simply think and communicate in a more creative manner. Creative writers can write engaging informative articles. I know for myself, writing a strictly informative article is rather tedious. I can do it and have informative articles published here, but they are the articles that require more time.
As far as being search friendly, I have found one of my poems to rank well with specific keywords because of the name of the artist that inspired the poem. It was a hub I wrote more to explain how the creative process worked for me with this particular poem. A college student recently found it and asked permission to use it for a video project. She uploaded the finished project to YouTube. One of the greatest aspects of creative writing on HubPages is the possibility for wider exposure. There is some very good creative writing here. I wish I had more time to read it!
I would NOT publish samples of my novel online. You’re simply asking for it to be stolen. I’ve written short stories and published them here, but they are merely tests of what I slant my writing to. I don’t care for poetry, so I don’t even bother. HubPages is constantly changing its format, and as a writer, I’m not putting all my eggs into the creative writing basket. At this point, I wouldn’t want to. My background is in journalism and creative writing. I write what I want to write, and I don’t care how long it takes me to write an article. If someone approached me to use my work, they can fork over the cash for the privilege. I don’t do anything for free.
Yes, expectation is always something looking forward for good. From here defiantly we got something good.