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This is a blog that I've set up to be associated with the writing that I do in my free time, and under this particular name. Because writing associated with, or linked to/from, this site is free-time writing I do a lot of things that aren't particularly recommended for Internet writers. For example, I couldn't really be bothered trying to think up a creative name for this blog. First, what a lot of people don't understand is that non-fiction writers aren't always very creative. . (By the way, I do write under a pen name, only because I started doing that years ago and breaking away from it has turned out to be a long and complicated process.)
This blog has a "sister site", and that's a writing site that I've set up under the same name under which I've done quite a bit of online writing.

That site is "Lisa H. Warren"

Until recently I've written only under that name, which is a pen-name I came up with when I first began writing on writing sites, and using a "real-sounding" pen-name was recommended.

Since I've recently begun to write under my own name (but since completely separating from the well-established pen-name is going to take some time), I have a site and a blog for each name. I know that nobody will be searching for either of my names, but I haven't created either the sites or the blogs under my name(s) because I think they'll get traffic. I've created each as both a "home-base" type of thing and a way to let any readers (who have found their way to any of my other writing) have some idea about who/what I am as a writer and a person. It's not that I think anyone even cares about who/what I am. It's just that I think that, as a writer, I owe readers some "reading" on the person behind whatever it is they may have read.

I'm not interested in "building a brand" or "online reputation". Maybe I should be, but I'm just not. All I care about is a) writing, b) aiming to offer something credible and/or entertaining, and c) letting readers know where some material comes from.

Nov 19, 2014

My Previous HubPages Profile

Because, with all the changes that have taken place on HubPages over the last few years, I've got my "Lisa HW" account down to fewer than 85 Hubs (and a number of those need updating, fixing, deleting, or "whatever"), what I had on my profile there no longer really works very well.  (Basically, I made a mess of my subdomain on there.)  In any case, I thought I'd post what I had on my profile here because a) it's a lot more succinct than my Google profile is, and b) this blog is under the same pen name as that HubPages account is.)  Basically, the old profile no longer really applied much to the Hubs I have with that account.  Also however (and at least for now), what I have for Hubs with that account really don't even warrant a "serious" profile until I fix up and/or better organize the Hubs I tried to salvage.


  Previous HubPages Profile

I'm a freelance- and contract- writer/researcher, although my HubPages material (at least until now) has always been among my free-time writing done on a more casual basis. 
My work background (at least the part of it that is directly associated with writing) includes newspaper experience, as well as corporate and various other projects on a freelance basis.   Past newspaper experience includes straight news and weekly features. 
I've spent several years studying/researching the subjects of child development, education issues, learning problems, and giftedness in children - all for a long-term project.   Most recently, I've been writing articles and other material on assignment, as well as working on other projects.
 "Lisa H. Warren" is a pen name I've used in my spare-time writing over the years.  "Lisa HW" is, of course, a derivative of it.  My real name can be found by clicking on the Google+ button (and/or any others shown) on this profile.
  "Writing isn't always about just getting the words down, or out, or even read. It is about pulling from the universe just the right number and combination of words and allowing them to join hands to come to life."               
                               - Lisa H. Warren
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The "Incarnations" Of This Blog Just Keep Coming, It Seems

This blog has had so many "incarnations" over the years that, at this point, there's almost no point to it at all. It has always served as a home-base type of thing for writing I've done under the pen-name of "Lisa H. Warren" (needless to say, I guess). With so many changes having taken place in the world of Internet-writing over the years, and with my own changes in approaches; (not to mention the closing of so many online-writing platforms), I've found that HubPages is pretty much the only reasonably current account I have under the pen name that once served my purposes and now doesn't.

Still, with about nine years' (ten, maybe?) of online writing, I figure there is still (at least for another while) some sense in keeping this "home-base type of thing" as long as I do have that HubPages account under this name.

I add the hear-or-there thing to this blog, depending if it seems to make some sense. Of course - who knows... - maybe I'll think up another "incarnation" for this blog if something comes up that makes doing that make sense.
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Aug 2, 2013

Sometimes It Isn't One's Writing That Needs To Be Sorted And Organized; But Instead, One's Real Aims/Purposes

Ordinarily, I haven't made it a habit (or point) to use this blog the way blogs "are supposed to be used" (even though the Internet is full of "blog-knowledgable" people who say how "blogs can be anything" these days. 

In any case, I haven't used it for much, other to have a "contact point" and to try to explain (I'm someone who has become prone to feeling the need to explain, for a lot of different reasons I won't go into here) what, exactly, my "whole mess of online writing" is and that type of thing.  Originally, it was going to be a "central point" for that online writing (and it pretty much still is), but I haven't added to all that "explaining" (etc.) the kind of regular posts that are generally associated with blogs.  That's because I've done a lot of my free-time writing under a pen name (at the suggestion of some of the first sites on which I began writing); so when something goes on or there's an issue at hand, those are things I address as "me, the person" or "me, the real-name writer".  That doesn't leave much left to be "addressed" or expounded on by a "part of me/my writing" as "the pen name person".  In other words, I only have so much reason for, interest in, or enthusiasm for, writing under a name that isn't my real name.

Since I've only used the pen name on Internet writing sites/platforms, the main issues/concerns associated with that name have always pretty much been Internet-writing related.  I'd thought that posting material related to Internet writing, or even just my own Internet writing, was what I'd be doing with this blog.  (It was, I think, 2007 or so when I started it.)  This thing is, however, that even though I've had my share of success with some Internet writing; there's an Internet-writing culture that essentially has always divided people into categories such as "marketing-minded", "don't care about earning and only want a place to post writing", "writing just for fun", or "writing for business and nothing but business" - that type of thing.  I've never fit into any of those neatly defined categories; and since people in any of those categories are going to notice that I'm not "hook-line-and-sinker" into any of them, 1) I don't have anything much to offer anyone who is looking for information/expertise on any of the clearly separate groups of writers/content-producers, and 2) not to many people would be interested in what I had to say about Internet writing in any of those categories anyway.

Over recent times I've been in the process of "phasing away" from writing under the pen name, but I've got a lot of time and writing invested in work done under that name, so it wouldn't be entirely wise for me to "kill her off" completely online.  I've set up some "name-transition" sites/blogs as a way of making a gradual transition with this stuff that I've done in my spare time (as compared to "real" work, which I've obviously always done under my real name).

In even more recent times, however, it has occurred to me that this might be a good place to post "traditional" blog posts about some of the gripes, concerns, etc. that I've run into as I've done that writing that is, for me, a free-time thing and yet that is far from silliness, "just fun", or a matter of killing time writing rather than, say, watching television.  See, I've always had the thing that I was happy to be able to make good, productive, use of my free time while either gaining some extra income or gaining some enjoyment out of using that time to write online.  Over time, however, I've realized more and more that I've been having more taken out of me as I've lived in this "online-writing world" than I have had my free time enhanced by it.

As I move toward "phasing" farther and farther away from using the pen name, while also aiming to tie up some loose ends and not entirely abandon what wouldn't be practical for me to abandon, I thought this blog might actually serve some purpose for me now; as I - for once and for all - stop trying to write stuff that only sometimes, kind of, occasionally, fits on other people's sites; and instead exercise more of my own (shall we say) freedom of speech - and more importantly, freedom of thought, expression, and whatever other kind of freedom I plan to re-claim in my choice of subjects, style, and standards.

My pen name may only be a meaningless name attached to stuff that is otherwise as real as the real person I am in offline life; but when all is said and done, it is, after all, still a reflection and expression of the real me (not to mention that it's actually established at this point as kind of a "dba" name on some "paperwork", so getting away from it isn't as clean-cut and simple as it might otherwise seem).
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May 18, 2013

Seven Years After Starting This Blog: Finally A Sense Of Structure And Online Direction

When I first began writing online I didn't really expect to do more than write whatever seemed like a good thing to write at the time.  I certainly didn't want to get into writing "Internet articles" because I started writing online in order to get away from writing stuff I didn't particularly enjoy writing.

If anyone were to go looking through a lot of the stuff I've posted on this blog over the years, he'd see that so much of my focus (at least regarding this blog) has been on trying to organize a mix of online writing. I won't write yet another post-ful of stewing over that, other than to say that when it has come to some of my writing it's often been very much a case of "write now, figure out direction later". Sometimes we start out knowing our aim and direction. Other times, however, time or life or efforts can have a way of pulling us toward one direction or another; and that's when we have a better picture of where we're headed or at least want to go. Or to put it another way, sometimes we have a big pile of stuff that can't be categorized very well unless/until we build up enough stuff to make categorizing make more sense. Over recent months I've decided to do online writing under my real name. That means having two different names to worry about as "authors". This is why I've set up a writing site for each name, and a blog to accompany each. My thinking is that between the two names, one of those four sites is going to be right if there's ever a time I want to spew whatever thoughts come to my mind without regard to whether anyone reads what I've written.  


OTHER SITES

 I've also set up several sites that are "themed" and not particularly associated with either of my author's names. These sites aren't entirely "embryonic", but they're still new and in very early stages. I have no doubt that I'll do some trimming out, re-thinking, etc. as I continue to add material to those sites; but each has a clear aim, and that aim will become clearer as I continue to add the material I've been saving up to add to each site. Although it may not be very obvious right now, those sites are the ones that will satisfy my own urge to create something worthwhile online. My aim for each site is to build it into a solid resource with a mix of types of material and (hopefully) at least a little something for most people seeking resources of one type of another. As I've considered what kind of material to post on the "series of sites" I considered not including my own writing at all and instead making each site nothing but "heavy-duty" resources. I decided, however, to include my own writing because not everyone has interest in reading "heavy-duty" resources, and the writing that presents my own research, experience, and/or understanding of a subject does not conflict with those "heavy-duty" resources. So for now, the sites have a pretty odd combination of material on them and kind of look like a case of, "What the heck is this?". I'm obviously yet to tie it all together, but one can't tie together very well what hasn't even been loaded onto a site. (That yet again goes back to that thing I mentioned about how difficult categorizing can be when there's not really enough stuff to categorize.)


BLOGS

With a number of "theme" blogs that are all essentially under-developed and neglected (mainly because of time factors), I'll no doubt do some consolidating and trimming out; but with each subject being meaningful to me, what my aim is for those that survive will be to allow them to exist on their own without a lot of drawing attention to them by me. With limited time to spend on any of these endeavors, I have to pretty much accept that some things will remain neglected until I have one of those times when I suddenly decide to focus on one of the neglected blogs and kind of get it in better shape. The blogs are very much a case of "They are what they are."
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Apr 26, 2013

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Not long ago I was reading advice about naming blogs. The individual, who clearly knows what he's doing when it comes to blogs, mentioned that people shouldn't give their blogs an "ego title" (which includes the person's name, rather than a less personal, more-to-point-about-the-theme, title). Of course, this advice was directed at anyone who hopes to earn money with his blog.

I cringed a little, though, because some of my blogs have "ego" titles. The thing is, though, it was not my ego at the root of my choice for some of the "Lisa" blogs I have.

When I started putting together blogs as way of finding a home for a lot of the writing I'd already done (with the plans of further developing them later), I wasn't particularly thinking of earning money from them. I was thinking of finding some way to organize my writing in what I hoped was an attractive "environment" that gave me the freedom to later add whatever I wanted to add.

Names like, "No Senior Coffee" and "Storm Clouds and Wind Chimes" just kind of came naturally. Then, though, I had some writing that only loosely fit into "categories", and I realized I had to come up with some cohesive name for each of those "categories". I was thinking almost in terms of names for file folders when I created the names, although, because blogs have a public nature, I thought I'd try to add something "catchy" to titles that were essentially "file folder titles".

So, along with the titles mentioned above, and along with "Dabblings in Verse", I have a whole lot of "Lisa" titles - "Lisa's Collection", "Lisa Light", "Lisa's Christmas Card", and on and on and on. I knew when I created the titles they wouldn't particularly be searched for by the public. My aim, though, wasn't really to have people search for them (in view of the fact that I wasn't try to make money with them). The plan was to direct readers to the blogs from other writing sites where my name is associated with my writing. In other words, all I wanted to do was categorize and make available my writing. I wasn't looking to become a famous Internet "presence" with it.

When I saw someone refer to personal-name titles as "ego titles" I did cringe because it occurred to me that anyone who sees some of my blogs may assume it was ego at the root of some of the titles. It wasn't, and I don't want anyone thinking it was. The "Lisa line" of titles is only a matter of "file-folder" thinking, as well as my disregard for whether or not anyone finds the sites without being directed to them by me.

I know that addressing this can come across as "defensive" of me, and that nobody really cares how or why I came up with any particular title. It isn't intended to. It's just that I'm "so-at-the- opposite-end-of-egotistical" it does kind of bother me to think that anyone - even a stranger - would believe it was ego at the root of some of the titles.

There's More to Organizing Than Just Organizing

When I first started writing on "what-you-want-to-write" sites it was a matter of "anything goes" as far as most writing sites were concerned. At the time, I hadn't been able to find full-time work because of the economy, where I live (which is "The Sticks"), family responsibilities, and my not having had a full-time job for quite awhile. I had no choice but take whatever projects anyone (who knew someone who knew someone else) would give me. I wasn't just working hard, but working hard to find yet more work. I was sick-to-death of writing stuff about things in which I had zero interest (and pretending to be interested). (Shh. Don't tell any of those people for whom I've done work that I really haven't had genuine interest in the stuff I've written for them.)

Don't get me wrong. I enjoy writing, and I even enjoy writing for other people. It's just that, as most writers will tell you, after awhile it isn't enough. So, it was a few years ago now that I began writing on writing sites. I enjoy writing on a few sites, and what I post on any of them depends on the kind of site it is.

The trouble is (without going into any specific details), ever since I've been enjoying writing online in my spare time (and picking up a fairly decent extra income at the same time), I've always kind of felt a little "off key" because, as much as I enjoy writing on writing sites; I haven't been writing the kind of material that's really what I want to write. People who spend much time on writing sites usually know that there's often debate (arguments) between those who write for money and those who write for love, or for art. My feeling off key has nothing to do with that particular (and ever famous) debate, because in a lot of ways I fit in with both sides of that particular writing coin. It more has to do with my own setting limitations on the kind of material I'll write on any site.

For example, I won't post anything I really care about on the Internet because I know too well how often some kinds of articles are stolen. I'm used to it. I do what I can about it. Still, I'm not about to post some pieces of writing in what amounts to an "up-for-grabs" venue. Then, too, there are things I'm just not going to write about. For the most part, I don't want write about objects. My wish to keep some personal business private means I'm not going to put on the Internet some things that I'd really like to write. The list of what I don't want to write goes on and on. So does the list of what I won't put on the Internet. As a result, I've found some kind of safe, middle-ground, of writing; and then I've adjusted whatever falls under the category to be as close to acceptable as it has to be on any given writing site. That's fine. I enjoy writing online, and I'll probably continue to use online writing as one of my spare-time endeavors. Still, the fact is, for several years now I've been trying to figure out what it is that has made me always feel kind of off-key when it comes to a lot of my online writing.

So often, when people are talking about how writers want readers for their work. I've always wondered if there's something wrong with me, because I plain, old, don't care if my work is ever read. Oddly, however, when I write I do write with the reader in mind; and all through the writing process, I'm imagining how a reader may react to the words I so carefully try to make click into place.

Also, there have been times when writing discussions have been about how writers want to keep getting feedback on their work, often in order to continue to edit and improve it. My thing has always been that I see each piece of writing almost as a kind of child of mine: I do my best to get it to maturity; and I send it out into the world, where it will inevitably sink or swim. Thinking of this brings to my mind the last scene in the animated version of E.B. White's Charlotte's Web, in which all Charlotte's spider eggs have turned into baby spiders that scurry away from the web she wove. (I know that making reference to "sink or swim" and spider eggs is mixing metaphors. Sorry. Sometimes I break some rules.)

In any case, over several years I've sent a very large number of "spider babies" out into the world; but as the real-life mother of grown sons and a daughter, I've learned that we remain parents no matter how old our babies are, whether or not they remain in the nest, or how far they roam from it. I don't know... As I've been trying to figure out what it is, exactly, that has been making me feel quite so off-key, it has occurred to me that no matter who, or what, we see as our "children", no mother just tosses them out into the world when they still need her and says, "Sink or swim, babies!" So why is it I've been so cavalier about tossing my own creations out into the Internet world and pretty much not been interested in ever seeing them again? I guess it's because, while they're mine, a whole lot of them are certainly not "Me" (at least not in terms of "Me, as a professional writer").

On the one hand, my spare-time "creations" are, most definitely, very much "Me, the person". The trouble is that "Me, the writer" judges my own (often more casual) writing through the eyes of someone who tends to think that only the most "professionally written" pieces of writing have a right to exist. The trouble is also, however, that "Me, the person" has a lot of things to say (for one reason or another. Not only that, but "Me, the person" just plain enjoys writing what "she" feels like writing. Sometimes the old "being of two minds" is easier than other times. Well, maybe it isn't so much "being of two minds" that's a challenge. Maybe the problem is more related to having one activity (writing) in which both of those minds are involved.

Sometimes, when I meet one of my better pieces of writing "on the street" I think, "Hey. This isn't so bad. Maybe I should like it more than I do." Sometimes, too, when I go out looking for any pieces of writing that I've never really liked, I'll realize that it never stood a chance because I didn't give it the time or chance that I gave some of its siblings. And so, I suppose, one reason I've for so long felt off-key is that I know I've sent so many of my creations out into the world without caring what happened to them. Oh, I have my writing and my projects that I very much care about. It's just that the stuff I put online is not that. The funny thing is, though, that we can think we don't care about our creations much until one day, we look out into "the streets" and realize that we are looking at something that is far more a part of us than we'd realized. I suppose, too, one problem has been that while I'll never really feel very much a part of the Internet "streets", I've been aiming to make my creations street-savvy because I've known I have no intention of becoming a part of their world.

I have my plans for how I'll approach any spare-time writing I do from here on out. In the meantime, though, I've decided to build a home for all my wayward creations, call them home, and do for them what I should have done in the first place.

Those of us who have been on writing sites recently know that these days duplicate content is being frowned on more and more. By setting up a home for my wayward creations I'll be turning them into duplicate content (if they haven't already been). I can't worry about who, out there in "Internet-Land" likes it, though; because my creations have, for too long, been fending for themselves. They need to come home now. They need me to start caring about them.

For now, their home will be on the blog, "Life On Key". I'm going to move them later.

When you start posting animated cats on the blog that's supposed to be for organizing your spare-time writing, it's kind of obvious you've been putting in a little too much work into what was supposed to be a spare-time thing.


Note: Hmm. I don't know what happened to the animated, white, cat that I had on here. I'll look into it some time, I suppose - but not right now..... For now I'll just tell you: It was a white, pretty, cartoon-cat with a snooty voice and a mildly sarcastic remark. Oh well.... Sorry it isn't there. I'm sure this whole incident has absolutely ruined your day.. In any case, I have no idea who that woman with two-toned, blue, hair is. She's clearly a lot less cute, funny or generally witty than the cat.