200 Published Works (If I Can, So Can You)

What's Your Opinion?

So Close, But Yet So Far

I have been trying to complete this, my 200^th, hub for almost a week now. My efforts have been thwarted by first a broken power/charging cable to my laptop, followed by an incredibly slow Internet connection, and then problems with editing the text capsules of my hubs.

It almost seems that the planets are aligned against me writing this article. However, if you are reading this it proves that I eventually succeeded in publishing it. When I first joined Hub Pages, over five years ago, I had no inkling that I would ever have written 200 articles, poem, stories, and essays. I started with one hub that was a collection of a few of my poems, and one on self-sufficiency. In fact I only wrote three hubs in my first two years here.

I know there are many people here who have written more. Bill Holland (billybuc) for instance has written almost 1000 hubs in a little over four years. I can’t even imagine doing that myself. So, for me to be publishing my 200^th piece of writing online is pretty special and quite an achievement. Believe me, If I can do it so can you!

Better Late Than Never

The date at the top of this hub say that it was originally published on 6th May 2015, which was my birthday and the date I wanted to publish it on, however, due to the problems I had been having with my Internet and editing the hub that wasn't the case. At no stage did I hit the publish button but at one stage I logged on to see it showing as published..another glitch in the system obviously. Anway because it was only half finished I immediately unpublished the hub before anyone could read it.

I believe that things happen for a reason and maybe this is one of those instances. My wife and I were invited by our eldest son and his wife to spend two nights at the Novotel Twin Waters resort at Mudjimba on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, to celebrate our collective birthdays. Mine was 6th, son Daniel's 8th, and wife Kathy's 13th May. A relaxing and enjoyable time was had by all, and I actually think I needed the break away from the Internet to refresh my mind. Oh, and the food was fabulous with amazing smorgasbords for both breakfast and dinner each day we were there.

Maybe I was meant to use this short holiday as further content in this hub. Which is exactly what I've decided to do, especially some of the great photos I managed to take. So, it's more than a week since I first wanted to publish this but 'better late than never.' One of the best parts about Hub Pages is that there is no time limit in which your hub needs to be completed. You can save 'unpublished' for as long as you need to work on it.

Ten Tips on How to Write 200 Articles Online

• Start small. Make your goals achievable and tick of every one as a success when you reach it. Make your first goal to write 10 hubs/articles. Once you've done that, aim for 20 and so on.
• Try to write at least one hub per week (that's 52 per year) and count it as a bonus if you can write more.
• Write about subjects that interest you or that you have expertise in. This makes it easier to write and will appeal to readers whose feedback will act as incentive to you.
• Engage with the community. Follow other hubbers whose work appeals to you. You will learn from reading and gain new ideas for future articles/hubs of your own. They will usually follow you in turn and their comments will encourage you to want to write more.
• Check out the FAQ answers and Learning Centre guides here at Hub Pages. These are constantly updated to showcase current best practices for writing successful online content. Also check out the HP blog for recent changes and updates.
• Look for inspiration from the things around you, your everyday life, a song, a book title or photo, a strange occurrence, or news story etc. There is always something new to write about if you just take the time to observe.
• Sort through your old writing and resurrect it as hubs if possible. It may just need a little tweaking to make it relevant and up to date.
• Although 'How-to' and 'Recipe' articles do well in Google searches and on Hub Pages, don't think that is all you can write online. Short fiction and non-fiction stories, essays, poems, book, movie, and game reviews etc will also find an audience.
• Be sure to utilize the "hubtool" editor and the "Need Some Goals?" guide to help you make your hub "evergreen". Try to tick as many boxes as possible eg. word count, photos, videos, maps, polls etc.
• Don't become discouraged if at some stage you lack inspiration or ideas of what to write. Take a short break and let your mind refresh. If you are a true writer your desire to put pen to paper, or finger to keyboard, will soon return stronger than ever.

In 200 AD

Septimius Severus, was appointed Roman Emperor in this year, and was the first emperor to have been African born. Although he was of Phoenician rather than black African descent, he was reported as having dark skin, and never lost his African accent.

The Greek mathematician Diophantus of Alexandria was aso born in the same year. He was a pioneer of algebra, and was the first to formulate the apparently insoluble proposition that became known as Fermat’s Last Theorem, after the French mathematician Pierre de Fermat noticed it in 1637.

Elsewhere in the world:

• Japan invaded Korea, who immediately capitulated in the face of the huge Japanese fleet.
• The “classical” period of Mayan civilisation began in Central America.
• The entire world’s human population is estimated to have been 257 million – less than the current population of the US (over 311 million).

200 Foreskins

One of the more surprising passages in the Old Testament tells that David bought his wife with a dowry of 200 Philistine foreskins. His prospective father-in-law Saul issued him with the challenge, fully expecting David to be killed by the owners of the said foreskins.

The King James version of the story says: “And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies.”

Although Saul only asked for 100 foreskins, David and his men went out and killed 200 Philistines. He presented their foreskins to the king, who duly gave him his daughter Michal in marriage (1 Samuel 18:26) – though he later divorced the couple and married Michal off to someone else.

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Did you know? Private hospitals make millions of dollars every year selling excised foreskins to bioresearch laboratories and pharmaceutical companies.

• The Neapolitan War was a conflict between the Napoleonic Kingdom of Naples and the Austrian Empire. It started on 15 March 1815 when Joachim Murat declared war on Austria and ended on 20 May 1815 with the signing of the Treaty of Casalanza. The war occurred during the Hundred Days between Napoleon's return from exile and before he left Paris to be decisively defeated at the Battle of Waterloot. The war was triggered by a pro-Napoleon uprising in Naples, and ended after a decisive Austrian victory at the Battle of Tolentino and Ferdinand IV was reinstated as King of Naples and Sicily. However, the intervention by Austria caused resentment in Italy, which further spurred on the drive towards Italian unification. (source: Wikipedia)

200 Years Ago

• Just before sunset on April 5, 1815, a massive explosion shook the volcanic island of Sumbawa in the Indonesian archipelago. Mount Tambora, the highest peak in the region, erupted, spewing lava and sending a plume of ash eighteen miles into the sky. Amazingly, this eruption was to change history.

In 1816 a remarkable thing happened—there was no summer weather in much of the Northern Hemisphere. Please read this extraordinary excerpt from The Year without Summer by William K. Klingaman and Nicholas P. Klingaman which explains why. (source: Scientific American)

But Jodah's Published 200 Hubs

Bears and lions give birth to cubs,

Cavemen swing their wooden clubs,

The early bird may catch the grubs,

But Jodah's published 200 hubs.

Bathing's often done in tubs,

Massuers are expert at rubs,

Surgeons always wear their scrubs,

But Jodah's published 200 hubs.

Buy your tickets, keep the stubs.

Each song recording's full of dubs.

Unfriendly people give the snubs,

But Jodah's published 200 hubs.

© 2015 John Hansen

Comments

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on August 31, 2017:

Thanks Angelo, much appreciated

Angelo from College Park, MD on August 31, 2017:

I like your delivery.

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on April 07, 2017:

I am glad this inspired you Gyanendra. Yes, if I can write 200 articles you certainly ca. Thank you for reading this.

gyanendra mocktan from Kathmandu,Nepal on April 06, 2017:

If you can, I can too. thank you, John Hansen, for your inspiring article.

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on January 02, 2017:

Thanks for taking the time to read this Jo. Yes, I was a slow starter but became addicted to writing because of this site. Early last year I was writing two,or three hubs per week and thought I'd make 300 by the end of the year but real life got in the way. Good luck with your decision to write here again.

Jo Miller from Tennessee on December 31, 2016:

Just found this Hub this morning. Thanks for the inspiration. The most encouraging thing I read here was your admission that you only wrote three hubs in your first two years. I've just recently decided to give HubPages a go again, so I like to read these posts of others' success. I will never be prolific here, but I will see if I can write more consistently and produce more than I've been doing in the past.

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on February 02, 2016:

Thank you Swalia, it's never too late. Hope these tips are helpful.

Shaloo Walia from India on February 02, 2016:

Great tips shared! Belated congratulations!

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on August 11, 2015:

Thank you Babby, o glad you enjoyed reading this, my 200th hub.

Barb Johnson from Alaska's Kenai Peninsula on August 10, 2015:

It was both interesting and fun reading your insightful 200th hub. Great job Jodah!

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on August 02, 2015:

What a wonderful surprise to get home and find that I have a new follower and this delightful comment on my hub. Thank you for reading my work Jelly Baby. Welcome to Hub Pages. I just read your first hub and it is excellent. Good to know you and I look forward to reading more from you too.

Jelly Baby from United Kingdom on August 01, 2015:

Good Morning John, (it's 5am here right now!)

Let me start by congratulating you for writing 200 articles. That is one major achievement and I'm very impressed with your work. I have spent the last hour or so reading your wonderful poems and stories. I have only just joined Hubpages today so I hope someday I'll be celebrating writing 200 articles too. Thank you for inspiring me to look forward and not dread to write! Have a wonderful Sunday and I'll finish off reading your work when I wake up! Good job. Congratulations.

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on July 16, 2015:

Thanks for reading this Kurt. If I can inspire even one other writer I have succeeded and am happy.

Kurt James from Loveland Colorado on July 16, 2015:

Great hub and some expert advice...you do inspire me..

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on June 30, 2015:

Thanks for taking the time to read this and comment Elsie. I feel for you as an ex-Squid and trying to get your hubs featured. I just noticed about 10 of mine have been up featured suddenly due to engagement. This happens from now and then if they aren't being viewed a lot. I combined a few of my shorter hubs at one stage and got rid of most advertising (Amazon and eBay).. that seemed to work. Good luck on getting more featured.

Elsie Hagley from New Zealand on June 30, 2015:

Congrats for your 200 hub.

When I arrived here from Squidoo I had 240 lens.

Have been working on improving my articles and now only have just over 100, it's going to take me some time before I get to 200 hubs.

Enjoy your work you are a good writer, see you have 207 since you wrote this, wish I could get started writing, spend too much time trying to get my hubs featured.

Have a nice day.

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on June 29, 2015:

Thanks peachpurple. It doesn't seem long ago I had only written my 100th hub, so time can go quickly. I am sure you will reach 200 in the not too distant future.

peachy from Home Sweet Home on June 29, 2015:

congrats on your 200th hub, I am on my 120th hubs

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on June 24, 2015:

Thank you for your kind and encouraging comment Sunil. Good luck in reaching 200 yourself, I am sure you will do it within two years. Thanks for the vote up and share. Bless you also.

Sunil Kumar Kunnoth from Calicut (Kozhikode, South India) on June 24, 2015:

Congrats! It is a great job and you have done it well. It is a time for celebration as well. Your tips are great and I love to follow. I too have set a similar goal of 200 hubs and stand now at 126. Hope I can reach it within 2 years. I don't wish to write more than 40 or 50 hubs a year. Hence this time gap. Keep on writing such inspirational hub. Voted up and shared. God bless you.

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on June 19, 2015:

Thanks for your congratulations Sunshine. Glad you enjoyed the facts. I can' imagine how long it will take me to write the next 200, but I'm working on it...have completed six more since this one.

Linda Bilyeu from Orlando, FL on June 19, 2015:

Yay! Congrats to you on a job well done! I enjoyed all the 200 facts, very nice addition to your celebration hub. Wishing you 200+ more hubs! :)

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on June 19, 2015:

Thank you for reading this Harish and for your warm wishes. Your comments are never boring like just "good hub" and are always encouraging. I am glad that you find quality and creativity in what I write and that you found this hub interesting. Much appreciated, all the best to you.

Harish Mamgain from New Delhi , India on June 19, 2015:

John, congrats on reaching this remarkable milestone, 200 is really an admirable number. I have read so many your hubs, and I know that all these hubs are excellent, interesting and fascinating to read and get delighted.

This hub, too, is a very informative and useful. I loved the personal touch you gave it, like celebration of birthdays. Happy birthdays and my good wishes !

Incidents out of history are very interesting. The Mount Tambora oozing ash up to the height of 18 miles in the sky is an spectacular and fear-triggering incident.

The tips of writing are bonus. The tiny poem is awesome. I loved the repetition ' But Jodah's published 200 hubs'. I love your writing, whatever you write , there is great creativity in that. Wish you all happiness and success in all your endeavors ! :-)

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on June 19, 2015:

Thank you Dave. I didn't expect to ever reach this number when I started at Hub Pages. Anything's possible.

David Edward Lynch from Port Elizabeth, South Africa on June 19, 2015:

Congratulations on publishing so many hubs!

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on June 19, 2015:

Thanks for reading Mel. Glad you enjoyed my approach and the poem. I never tried out Bubblews, but I can't imagine how long it will take me to get to 400. Some who have been here a shorter time then me have passed 1000. That is beyond my comprehension.

Mel Carriere from Snowbound and down in Northern Colorado on June 18, 2015:

I really loved your approach here. Coincidentally enough, when I was on Bubblews I would write a milestone "bubble" every 100 articles about some significant historical or cultural event associated with the number. I forgot what I did for 200, however. I wrote 400 posts exactly on that site, but it will be a decade before I match this on Hub Pages. They require quality here, and I don't really have the time to dedicate to that particular proposition. I admire your accomplishment, my friend, and salute you for your milestone. I also got a good chuckle out of your poem, which I really needed.

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on June 15, 2015:

Thanks for reading and your kind comment appreviewdaily. Glad thi hub helps you.

appreviewdaily on June 15, 2015:

Thank you for this great article, it helped me make better hubs and happy late birthday :D

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on June 14, 2015:

It's always a pleasant bonus to receive a comment from you ps. Thanks so much for your praise :) I do try my best to diversify and make my hubs interesting. I am happy I succeeded with this one. Thanks for the angels. Blessings to you as well.

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on June 14, 2015:

Hello Audrey, thank you for your lovely comment. I openly admit that my writing did seem to blossom overnight. I went for a number of years where I wrote practically nothing, but once I found the Hub Page community and started receiving encouragement and kind advice it spurred me on and gave me the desire I had been lacking. Blessings back to you.

Patricia Scott from North Central Florida on June 14, 2015:

What an interesting twist you put on this...but I must admit I am not surprised because none of your hubs are at all ordinary. A cut above would be a good way to describe your writing Jodah. Something of interest always awaits me here.

Angels are on the way to you ps

Audrey Selig from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on June 14, 2015:

Hi John - I cannot believe how many hubs you have written. All of a sudden, you just blossomed and wrote, kept improving and came up with all sorts of new ideas. It shows how passion can build up inside a person and never stop. This hub, filled with tips, pics, and knowledge is a tribute to your success. Sharinig Blessings, Audrey

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on June 08, 2015:

Hi Dana, thank you or the kind comment. Glad you enjoyed this hub and hope the tips prove helpful. I sometimes think I spend time writing that should be devoted to 'everyday life". It takes some effort to balance the two fairly.

Dana Tate from LOS ANGELES on June 08, 2015:

First I would like to commend you on writing your 200th hub. This hub was an enjoyable read. I really enjoyed the tips you gave on how to be inspired by the things around us. I get so caught up in "everyday life" I find it hard to relax and look at things from an artistic eye.

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on June 07, 2015:

Thanks for such kind words word55. I often miss others hubs when they are first published too but better late than never and it is always good to get another comment when the initial ones have died off. Glad you enjoyed this hub.

Al Wordlaw from Chicago on June 07, 2015:

Hey Jodah, Congrats man! How did I miss this when it hit? Anyway, your 200th was a beautiful hub. The pics were lovely, the story was amazing and the poem was very clever. What a way to celebrate birthdays, talk about various subjects and really shine through this hub. Voted up Sir!

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on June 07, 2015:

I am sorry that this Ma was such a sad time for you when my family were celebrating. Thank you for your congratulations on my 200 hubs though, and it is interesting that my wife shares your mom's birthday. Take care.

ocfireflies from North Carolina on June 07, 2015:

John,

As you know I can relate to the need to take a break from time to time.

Also, I think it is beautiful to hear of Happy May celebrations when mine was filled with sorrow. Your wife share's my mom's birthday. Finally, congratulations my dear one for 200 hubs is an amazing accomplishment.

As always voted up and shared.

Blessings,

Kim

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on May 28, 2015:

Hello Emese, glad you got a smile out of this hub and thanks for the congratulations. You are right, we all have to start somewhere. It took me two years to write my first 20 hubs but I think I've made up for that since :) I look forward to reading your 20th hub. Have a great break away over the next few weeks.

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on May 28, 2015:

Thanks for reading and your kind comment Deb, glad I could present some interesting facts in this hub.

Emese Fromm from The Desert on May 28, 2015:

What a great hub! It made me smile :) Congrats in publishing 200 hubs!!! My current goal is 20 - I know, you need to start somewhere though. I'm so close to it, yet so far; I won't be around for a few weeks, so even though I have started it, it will sit unpublished for a while. Seriously, I really enjoyed this! The way you pulled some facts of history together and finished it with the poem, just wonderful! Thank you for a great read :)

Deb Hirt from Stillwater, OK on May 27, 2015:

Excellent work, and I found the assortment of information within this piece most interesting.

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on May 26, 2015:

Thank you very much for that Mel. I am two into my next 200.. :) I appreciate your kind words. Have a great day.

Melody Lassalle from California on May 26, 2015:

Congratulations on 200 Hubs, Jodah! Well done on this accomplishment and for writing such interesting articles. I look forward to the next 200!

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on May 26, 2015:

Thank you Kamalesh.

Kamalesh Chakraverty from Sahaganj, Dist. Hooghly, West Bengal, India on May 26, 2015:

Congratulations! Wish you all the very Best. Take care .

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on May 20, 2015:

Thank you lolly..you just need to be patient and write whenever you can. I have seen others with over 1000 hubs, don't know how they do it.

Laurel Johnson from Washington KS on May 20, 2015:

I admire your determination. No way on earth could I ever create 200 hubs!! Enjoyed this hub and the photos. Well done!!

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on May 19, 2015:

Thanks Sanjay, I hope the tips are helpful.

Sanjay Sharma from Mandi (HP) India on May 19, 2015:

Congrats, good luck and thanks for the great tips.

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on May 16, 2015:

Thank you for your generous comment Genna. I don't always succeed in writing one hub each week, but if I miss one I try to catch up by writing two the next...depending on what life throws at me of course. It can be difficult if you are working full time. Hopefully 201 is not far away.

Genna Eastman from Massachusetts, USA on May 16, 2015:

200 hubs! Congratulations, John. (And I am in awe of Bill Holland’s 1,000.) Happy belated birthday to you, Kathy and Daniel. I only wish I could write/publish one hub each week, but with the increasing demands of work, etc., that is a little hard for me. I loved your bullet points -- well thought out and presented – and the references to 200 – very clever. And the poem is so cute. I’m glad you’re here, and are now working on that 201st hub. Kudos! :-)

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on May 16, 2015:

Hmm Cam, I find conspiracy theories good to use as blame at times but in this case I think the main protagonist was my unbelievably slow Internet connection and how it effected things. Thanks for the kind words and recently you seem to be churning out more hubs than me so I can see 200 happening for you quite soon too. Great to know you as well.

Chris Mills from Traverse City, MI on May 16, 2015:

John, at the opening of this hub, I was suspecting some kind of conspiracy. There are a few hubbers who are experts on conspiracies, so you might check them out. You did have quite a battle to get this one up. Congratulations. This is truly a special day. If I quit taking 3 month breaks to "write a novel" I'd probably be close to this goal too. I appreciate having gotten to know you through these many articles, poems and stories. Here's to 200 more.

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on May 16, 2015:

Thanks for coming back again Faith. You are helping to build up the number of comments on my hub :) 106 is very good for someone who is working full time, I look forward to reading your 200th hub. I would have a few more but I combined some short poetry hubs into collections. Hope you are having a relaxing weekend.

Faith Reaper from southern USA on May 16, 2015:

Happy Saturday, John. I am up to 106 hubs now but really published about 10/15 more, but wound up unpublishing or deleting because I really wasn't happy with them myself. I don't know why but I do remember thinking ...how in the world have I written 38 hubs LOL Looking forward to reading your next couple hubred hubs. Peace and blessings

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on May 14, 2015:

Thank you for your support and friendship Faith. I really appreciate you reading and sharing this hub again. I know what you mean (your 38th hub must have been special to you). I remember writing my hundredth not that long ago and never imagined I would reach 200 so soon. Blessings.

Faith Reaper from southern USA on May 14, 2015:

Hi John,

I came back to share again for another round being HP doesn't send out a new notification when the hub is published again.

I meant to add that for some reason I remember when I wrote my 38th hub LOL ... yes, I said 38th hub and thinking, wow, I can't believe I wrote that many : )

Blessings

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on May 14, 2015:

Frida, thank you for the birthday wishes and congratulations on reaching 200 hubs. Glad the tips were helpful to you also.

Frida Rose from Maryland on May 14, 2015:

Congratulations on your 200th hub and happy belated birthday! Like all of your others, I enjoyed reading this and sharing your experiences. Also, those tips were great.

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on May 13, 2015:

Phyllis, apology accepted though not really necessary. I hadn't even realised that you didn't read the hub before your previous comment. I do appreciate your returning to read it and let me know. Glad you enjoyed the poem too and thanks for the vote up and share.

Phyllis Doyle Burns from High desert of Nevada. on May 13, 2015:

Jodah dear - my apologies for not reading this hub earlier when I commented. I was half asleep and thought you had just used the comment to announce your 200th. I did not realize it was a hub. Very well done and I love your very creative poem.

Voted up and shared.

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on May 13, 2015:

Thank you Mary. If I can reach 200 so can you I'm sure. Glad you liked the photos, and I appreciate the vote up too.

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on May 13, 2015:

Thnks for reading Neil.

John Hansen (author) from Australia (Gondwana Land) on May 13, 2015:

Hi Faith (Theresa), I was hoping that you would enjoy this hub when you finally got a chance to read it. I had to smile when you said you got home to find your Internet down (though believe me I know it's not funny). Glad you liked the photos, trivia and my poem as well. Thanks for the vote up, tweet, share and pin too. Blessings back.

Mary Hyatt from Florida on May 13, 2015:

Congrats, my friend! I don't know if I'll make it till the 200th. I am still a long ways away from that goal.