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The Writer's Mailbag: Installment #333

Perspective

One of my favorite radio programs is “The News Hour” on the BBC. It comes on NPR every day, here in Olympia, at 1:00 p.m. Why one of my favorites? I think it’s fascinating to hear a different perspective on the important events of the day, and I especially love to hear what the rest of the world thinks of American politics. We’ve certainly given them all something to talk about these past few years.

And, starting tomorrow, we will give them all new fodder as the elections unfold. My fervent wish is that the results of tomorrow’s election will be accepted, peacefully, by all. I know there’s no chance of that happening, but it’s nice to wish. LOL About 40% of our voters are going to be mad as hell, no matter who wins.

Let’s find out what the heck is happening in the World of Writing.

The Mail Room!

The Mail Room!

Article Theft

From Bill: “Nice mailbag, Bill. When someone steals an article from HubPages doesn’t that create a duplicate copy that should violate HP policy? But it is left up to us to track down the culprit and get them to remove the article. I gave up years ago trying to do this. It always proved very difficult and didn’t work most of the time. I wonder why HP doesn’t do more to solve this issue?”

Bill, no matter how I answer this question, I’m going to sound a bit cynical.

I’m not sure HP cares enough to fix the problem.

Come to think of it, that sounded very cynical. LOL

Listen, I don’t know anything about programming, or fixing problems like piracy and duplication. I wouldn’t know where to begin with all of that but, like you, it’s a head-scratcher why it can’t be fixed rather quickly. Maybe there is a very valid reason why they can’t fix it, but so far I haven’t heard that reason. And, like you, I’ve given up trying to track down the thieves.

Anthologies and Google Rankings

From Greg: “Your answer to the anthology question now has me curious about some other traffic I've been seeing lately, too, and really things I've been hearing since I started here, now seven months ago: will the links from inside a HubPages article to the desired anthology articles (assuming they are on the niche sites) have some sort of detrimental effect on the niche articles? Or, said differently, will Google or the Maven Mothership now look at the after-the-jump articles differently, treat them differently? I guess I'm asking because I love the anthology idea myself, could see use for it in my future, but I also don't want to publish something that's deleterious to the overall body of work...make sense?”

Holy cow, Greg, how smart do you think I am? Seriously, buddy, you must think I’m Bill Gates or someone else with serious brain power.

I am absolutely stumped by this question. I wouldn’t even know how to find out the answer. I’ve done what you are suggesting many times, but I never took the time to find out if it was affecting my overall body of work. Maybe someone will have an answer in the comments section.

It doesn’t happen often, Greg, but you completely stopped me in my tracks with that one.

Coloring Books

From Heidi: “Follow-up: I tried the Colorscape app to create outlines from photos, like you did for your coloring book. Very cool. I also contacted the app folks about any attributions that might be needed if I use what I create in books. They responded right away and were very friendly. Now I'm thinking how I can use it. Thanks for the suggestion!”

And that is great news, Heidi! Thanks so much for getting back to us and letting us know how it worked for you.

Anyone interested in creating a coloring book? Check it out! It’s easier than you might think.

What the World Needs Now

From Linda: “Does the world need one more nonfiction book on the history of food? I love writing about the story of food, even more than sharing recipes.”

And Linda, I ask you this question: does the world need another novel?

Scroll to Continue

No!

Should you write another book about food? Should I write another novel?

You betcha! Writer’s write! Period! That’s what we do!

Does the world need new books?

Does the world need new books?

Books With HP Articles

From Umesh: “Bill, you mentioned that one can publish ones articles in HP in a book form. Do we have to mention in the preface or introduction in the book that these articles are mine and were published in HP and still stand there or anything of that sort so the readers know about it?”

Umesh, thanks for the question. I have never mentioned HP in the two books I’ve used my HP articles. I don’t suppose there’s anything stopping you from doing that, but it’s all your property so no, you don’t HAVE to mention it.

I do, however, have a copyright page for every book I publish, stating that all work contained within is mine.

Repeating Oneself

From Monica: “I’ve written several novellas, and with each one I’ve noticed a tendency I have to use the same words too often. Like I’ll use the word ‘beautiful’ a couple times in the same chapter. Do you have any suggestions on how to break that habit?”

Monica, in a word, NO!

Seriously, you are already doing what you need to do. You are editing with a trained eye, and you are spotting the repetitions. That’s a good thing. The fact that you are catching it yourself is fantastic. Just be aware of it during edits, correct it, and move on. I catch myself doing it in every single chapter of a novel I write. There are certain words which show up more than others in our writing. That’s just natural for any writer. The key is to know that and correct as you go.

The Creatives

From Nancy: “Do you think writers see the world differently than non-writers? Is that the reason they are creative while others do not?”

Yes, Nancy, yes I do, but not only writers, but artists and songwriters and sculptors and photographers – the grouping of humanity I like to call The Creatives. Our brains are just wired differently. Where one person sees a blue sky, a Creative sees a poem or a short story. I write while I’m out walking the dog. I can’t shut it off. My brain is capturing images and transforming those images into passages for my next book. My wife will see me staring off into space and ask me what I’m thinking about. The answer is almost always “a chapter in the book I’m writing.”

I was talking to a friend the other day who saw a cloud formation and ran home to write a poem about it. I have an artist friend, who lives across the street, who paints her dreams. They are branded on her memory, and she can pick up a brush and capture them in detail.

It’s just the way we are wired, and I think it’s very cool.

I hope you had a great Halloween! Now let's move on with November.

I hope you had a great Halloween! Now let's move on with November.

Let There Be Peace

Seriously, folks, let’s hope people can accept the outcome of the election tomorrow, and move forward for the “common good.” I’m not sure what it’s going to take to lessen the ugliness I see on social media. I’m not sure how we all became so divided, but it needs to stop if we are ever going to fulfil the vision of the men who created this nation.

In the words of Bill Mertz, champion marble-player in our neighborhood back in the 60’s, “there are winners and there are losers, so suck it up and live with it!” We survived four years with Trump, and we’ll survive the next four years, and the next, no matter who’s steering the Good Ship U.S.A.

Have a great week, my friends, and thank you!

2020 William D. Holland (aka billybuc)

“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”

Comments

John Hansen from Australia (Gondwana Land) on November 05, 2020:

No problem, Bill.

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 05, 2020:

Thanks for your help, John! I'm sure everyone appreciates it.

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 05, 2020:

I think a change is coming, Rajan, and that makes me happy for our country.

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 05, 2020:

Best of luck, Rodric! The Google situation changes quite often, and it's difficult to tell what to do sometimes. I'm afraid most of us are in the dark most of the time.

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 05, 2020:

You are very welcome, Linda! Thanks for taking the time to visit and comment.

John Hansen from Australia (Gondwana Land) on November 05, 2020:

You are welcome, Rodric. Yes, as with my anthologies ‘Poems From the Porch’..they are all on HubPages because they don’t accept a series on the niche sites either. I hope that changes for the new ‘discover.hubpages’ that is being introduced. Supposedly everything that gets what they consider enough traffic will be listed there.

It is ok to link to other articles on niche sites, or between articles still on HubPages.

Rajan Singh Jolly from From Mumbai, presently in Jalandhar, INDIA. on November 04, 2020:

Very different questions this time but very interesting. Everyone is eagerly awaiting the election results. Have a great day!

Rodric Anthony Johnson from Surprise, Arizona on November 04, 2020:

John, I did not know why Hubpages was so hated by the niches. Knowing that makes me want to not list any hubs not already on a niche site. Thanks for that info. I would like to think it flattering that the editors would edit out the links rather than move my article back to Hubpages. At least some of my articles have proven green enough and interesting enough to still be niched. I suppose I will go into the next phase of writing looking for high ranked links to put in my articles. Once they become niched, I can then use them in my links where appropriate. To make an anthological work means that there would need to be two works of an anthology: niched articles and Hubpages articles--if I understand correctly.

Linda Crampton from British Columbia, Canada on November 04, 2020:

I found Heidi's follow-up comment about the app especially interesting. Thanks for sharing the information, Bill.

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 04, 2020:

Great help here, John! Thanks for coming back to shed light on the matter.

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 04, 2020:

Keep praying, Mary! We are close to turning this around, but we need all the prayers we can get.

John Hansen from Australia (Gondwana Land) on November 03, 2020:

For Rodric, if you have any articles on the niche sites they don’t want any links back to articles on HubPages. So if you have links to any other articles still there they will be deleted or your article moved back to HubPages if you want to keep the links.

The whole idea of the nice sites was to distance articles from HubPages because Google holds the site in low regard, so they don’t want any links to it in any way. That’s why even clicking on the author’s name won’t take you back to their HubPages profile.

Mary Norton from Ontario, Canada on November 03, 2020:

We are closely watching your election and hope that it will sort itself peacefully. We'll have some sense of this tonight, or more likely, tomorrow. Our prayers.

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 03, 2020:

Thank you Devika! Strange times for all of us, but I have faith we will return to calmer times soon.

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 03, 2020:

No kidding, Flourish! Heidi knows her stuff for sure. That's why I hang out with her. LOL

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 03, 2020:

Rodric, maybe someone will see your question and be able to answer it. I'll include it in next week's Mailbag, so stay tuned.

Have a good one, my friend.

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 03, 2020:

MizB, you're breaking my heart with your weather woes. LOL The rain continues through the rest of the week, here, and then cold weather next week and a chance of snow. We have to pay our dues so we will enjoy summer much more. :) Have a good one, friend!

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 03, 2020:

Thank you Heidi! If you don't mind, I'm going to copy part of your answer in next week's Mailbag. I am sure many will find it informative and helpful.

Peace indeed! Let's hope we all experience it after today. We need to find a way to come together and solve our collective problems.

Have a great one, my friend!

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 03, 2020:

Thank you Dora! I plan on turning the television on at four this afternoon and being glued to it all evening. Let's hope sanity returns.

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 03, 2020:

Good morning Ann!

I can always count on your for an interesting question. I'll tackle that one on Monday if you don't mind.

Unrest - I think COVID certainly has not helped the situation. I think, too, that there are many Americans who are just barely scraping by to make a living, and many who are not even doing that well, and that leads to fear and anger and a rather large, unhappy populace here in the U.S.

It's a powder key here waiting to explode. I sure hope I'm wrong.

Have a fabulous week, Ann, and cross your fingers for the U.S. today.

bill

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 03, 2020:

Bill, we can only hope for a peaceful outcome of this election. I highly doubt it will happen, but we can always hope. :)

Have a great week!

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 03, 2020:

Thank you Linda! Yes, make a book of your writings. It may not sell, but it will be a source of pride for you, and you deserve it.

Blessings to you and yours, my friend.

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 03, 2020:

I like your attitude regarding piracy of articles, Alyssa. I know many who wouldn't agree with me, but I have too much to do to worry about tracking down stolen copies of my work. My God, I probably have fifty, if not more, stolen. I just don't have the time or energy to worry about it.

Happy Election Day, my friend.

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 03, 2020:

Pamela, truthfully, HP and their scoring system has never made sense to me. Back to when I started, I would watch those numbers closely, and I could never figure out what affected them. I still can't. Good thing I just write because I love to write.

Be well, my friend.

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 03, 2020:

Thank you Brenda! I think it would be boring if everyone looked at the world the way I do. It would also be frightening. LOL

I really do think Creatives see things differently. I know several people who are amazed by what I do, and have no idea how I do it. That makes me feel good about my writing.

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 03, 2020:

Thank you Kalpana! We are a global society, for sure, so what happens here directly affects the rest of the world. I hope it all works out well for all of us.

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 03, 2020:

Meg, it's a good thing to hope for. I have my doubts, but we will survive no matter what happens. Thank you!

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 03, 2020:

Liz, I had to laugh at your statement; yes, the election is a distraction from COVID. :) My goodness, that says quite a lot, doesn't it? What a strange year 2020 has been. Let's hope 2021 bring us all better news.s

Stay healthy, my friend, and thank you!

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 03, 2020:

Thank you Manatita. I have said often, if we could survive Nixon we can survive this current situation, even if it continues for four more years. This country is strong regardless of who is running it. I have faith in human beings and always will have.

Blessings always

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 03, 2020:

Sha, thanks for always being here. I wish I was more positive in my outlook regarding HP and Maven. They are businesses, and first and foremost they are interested in what benefits them. That's just the real of it, so let's hope their approach helps the writers who feed their site with quality material day in and day out.

Happy Election Day, my friend. Let's hope tomorrow is a brand new day for our country.

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 03, 2020:

Thank you Chitrangada Sharan! I find it interesting how many people, in foreign nations, are watching our elections with great interest. Let's hope the results help many more people than they harm.

Have a fantastic and bountiful week!

Devika Primić from Dubrovnik, Croatia on November 03, 2020:

Bill much going on right now that everything sounds hectic,messed up and who knows what will be for the elections? Hope you have who you wished for. A well written hub filled with knowledge and always of value.

FlourishAnyway from USA on November 02, 2020:

Those thefts are distressing and DMCAs are slow and of only occasional value. Heidi should get five stars for that most excellent comment.

Rodric Anthony Johnson from Surprise, Arizona on November 02, 2020:

Good information as usual. I wonder about those links to other pages. Usually, when I get niched by HP all links to non-niched works on HP get edited out. I wonder if that has happened to anyone else. I get a notice that in order to keep my article in the niche sites I must removed the link or it is removed for me.

Doris James MizBejabbers from Beautiful South on November 02, 2020:

Pretty good mailbag this week, Bill. I gotta admit that when I read Greg's question my only answer was "HUH?". Gosh, what minutia. I don't think my mind goes there. LOL

Because I've never had any results, I don't worry about filing DMCAs anymore, and after reading Heidi's comment, I certainly won't now.

I know that writers (and other creatives) see the world differently from other people because my husband is an engineer. I'm from Venus and he's from Mars, you know. But even the technical types have a certain degree of creativity. They have to in order to be able to create technical "miracles".

Gosh, it's cold and my thin Southern blood doesn't like it. It's getting warmer, in the 60s this week, but it won't last. Almost time to turn on the heat in this underground house. Stay warm and have a good rest of the week, my friend.

Heidi Thorne from Chicago Area on November 02, 2020:

Well, it's still Monday. With the time change, it seems like it's midnight, though it's early evening. But I made it for this pre-election Mailbag.

Re: HP Article Theft. I've had a number of my articles swiped. I usually do the DMCA complaint route with Google. Sometimes these dup articles disappear, other times they just won't appear in search.

I don't think writers understand what happens during a DMCA complaint. You're asking Google not to include these stolen or copied articles in search results so that your genuine original article appears first or higher in results. That is all. Google isn't the law of the internet and they can't punish content thieves, except not to give them any play in search.

I have tried to reach out to some of these dopey, thieving sites. Some have been courteous and take down the stolen article (sometimes a user on their site posts it without their knowledge). Others are just scam/spam sites. So I don't waste too much time doing that.

After I lodge a DMCA complaint, I let Google do what Google does. It can take many months or longer for them to remove these offending duplicates from search. Since that's out of my control, I don't worry about it.

Wanna get medieval on these article thieves? Well, I guess you could sue. But do you really want to go through that expense and effort? A wise attorney once told me to evaluate the damage that's been done when making a decision like this. Sure, it's demoralizing to have been wronged in this way. But what will it cost you to be right?

Okay, I know that was a total rant. Sorry.

Re: Coloring Book Adventures. Hey, thanks for sharing my comments! I'm really toying with how I can use it. Again, appreciate the suggestion.

Re: HP Articles to Books. I've never mentioned that some of my book material was posted on HP or my own blog. It's content and that can be used anywhere in any way I choose because I own it. It wouldn't apply to any content you create for hire for clients. And make sure that if you publish articles outside of HP, that the site allows you to maintain ownership.

Re: Repeat, repeat, repeat. I once reviewed a manuscript that used "however" to begin every paragraph in a chapter. Thank goodness we have MS Word where you can do a Find for oft repeated words.

Re: The Creatives. We are all creative in some sense. I think it's how we use our creativity that separates people's gifts. I think that scientists and engineers are some of the most creative people alive. The arts are just a different form of creativity.

Re: Peace. Now I've got the song, "Let There Be Peace on Earth," running through my brain. Hope it runs through more brains tomorrow.

Peace out.

Dora Weithers from The Caribbean on November 02, 2020:

The question and the answer about the Creatives are my favorite in this mailbag, but all good! Now to wait for election results!

Ann Carr from SW England on November 02, 2020:

I whole-heartedly agree with you regarding the 'creatives'. I write things in my head whilst I'm walking, or I catch a phrase from someone, or on tv, which starts me off. Sometimes I have to write the exact words down as the sequence is so important. Being 'in the moment' is vital. So a question arises: Do you have to be in the mood to notice or receive such vibes or is it the outside influence that automatically moves you?

I believe that much of the unrest you mention is greatly influenced by Covid - the uncertainty of our present lives and the feeling, and fear, of not being able to control the outcome. It all seems to unsettle many of us, almost mutating our personalities if we allow it. Just a thought...

Great questions this week, bill. I trust that you're keeping it all together and that you have a wonderful week.

We're back into lockdown on Thursday. Ah well, at least it gives me more writing time and I can be cocooned in my little world!

Ann

Bill De Giulio from Massachusetts on November 02, 2020:

Thank you for answering my question, Bill, about stolen content. It would seem that many of us here on HP’s have given up trying to deal with this.

I am very anxious to get this election over with so we can hopefully move forward in a unified and positive manner. We can only hope. Have a great week.

Linda Rogers from Minnesota on November 02, 2020:

Hi Bill, I love these great questions and your answers; even when the answer is you have no idea. LOL

I had no idea you could take your hubs and make them into a book. It's something I've wanted to do with all my articles. Our stories are a labor of love & I would like to have them in a book.

I too will pray that the post election has minimal shenanigans. I can't wait for it to be over. I do pray for a new beginning with Biden so we can get some decency back. Hope you and Bev are well. Stay Safe my friend.

Alyssa from Ohio on November 02, 2020:

Hahahaha! I love your ending! I have a tendency to say something similar -- Suck it up and deal with it. We can hope for a peaceful outcome, but considering the past few years, I highly doubt it.

I also have given up on worrying about copyright. I've had several articles stolen, one with personal pictures which sent me into a rage, but all my attempts to get Google to take the stolen copies down fell on deaf ears. The process isn't simple or easy. There doesn't seem to be a penalty to me, so I've learned to just let it go. What more can I do? No sense in being upset. It's the internet after all and there will always be people who want to take shortcuts. Whatever.

Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful week! :)

Pamela Oglesby from Sunny Florida on November 02, 2020:

This was a long mailbag article today with a weath of good information. I, like you, hope there is acceptance and peace after tomorrow's election results. We are all Americans, and we need to accept that people can have different views, which doesn't make them bad. We should accept and get along.

I have also noticed I repeat some words too often. I wonder if that repetition has anything to do with the way Hubpages rates an article. I was looking at a couple of my articles yesterday, one with a score of 90 and another with a score of 72. They both had 3 pictures and 2 videos, plus they were about the same length with references. It makes no sense to me.

There were interesting questions today with your excellent answers, so I enjoyed reading and learning. Have a great week, Bill.

BRENDA ARLEDGE from Washington Court House on November 02, 2020:

So much wonderful information in today's write.

I am a bit surprised you were stumped...guess I kinda thought you knew the answers.

Glad to see you are truly human like the rest of us.

The coloring book is a good idea.

I thought whenever one publishes a book there is always a part that states this is your own work. Great to know we don't have to list HP if we don't wish too.

Creatives...I suppose that's what we all are indeed. It amazes me when someone says they wouldnt have a clue how to begin writing a poem, story, song or whatever...cause it's just something that comes natural.

I think everyone looks at the world the way I do...but I guess not.

Thanks for the read. It's been fun.

Kalpana Iyer from India on November 02, 2020:

I am eagerly awaiting the election results too. Regarding copied content, I am wondering if Google doesn't penalize articles that have been copied?

RoadMonkey on November 02, 2020:

I hope your election passes off peacefully both before, during and afterwards.

Liz Westwood from UK on November 02, 2020:

I was interested to read that you listen to the BBC. I am guessing that it's the world service. I think that one way of looking at duplicates, annoying as they are, is as a compliment. Somebody must really appreciate your work to want to copy it.

I am very wary of putting links in to my articles, even though some go well together as a series. The dire warnings on Hub Pages put me off.

The colouring book idea sounds great. Not sure how I missed it first time round. I agree about the number of books and perspectives. You can never have too many books in my opinion, with the proviso that they are all of good quality.

It hadn't occurred to me before about using your own HP articles in books, but it does make good sense. There are several writers on here whose work would go well in anthologies.

I often alter repetitive words in my work, but I am sure that a few still creep through. Editing is key.

I am of the opinion that all brains are wired differently. I for one struggle with a scientific approach.

Hope all goes well tomorrow. At least the election is a distraction from COVID.

I hope that you are keeping well.

manatita44 from london on November 02, 2020:

Yes, Bro.

We will survive. Nothing is new, really. We are dealing with human consciousness and as you would know, ideologies and philosophies are more diverse than the rainbow. We are evolving, albeit slowly, but the universal forces don't take rest. So Love is in order. Haha.

Keep writing bro. A flower garden has so many flowers!! Something for everyone, I say.

Monica's problem we all have. I tend to change the repeat, if I can get a word which is similar or with the same meaning. Usually the case. Yet again, effect and 'feel' or flow, have their place like Frost's 'and miles to go before I sleep ... and miles to go before I sleep.'

I wish you guys God's peace for a beautiful and peaceful week. Pax Vorbiscum!

Shauna L Bowling from Central Florida on November 02, 2020:

Excellent mailbag this week, Bill!

With regard to Bill's question about leaving the filing of DMCAs up to the writers, I have this to say: First off, it's wonderful that the HP staff trolls the Internet for duplicate copy on our behalf. Chances are we'd be unaware otherwise. Secondly, they give us a template to use in order to file. Thirdly, and most importantly, the copyrights belong to us. HP is merely the library in which many pieces of intellectual property are stored. It is the copyrights holder's responsibility to file the DMCA and take the thieves down. Not HP's and not anyone else's. Besides, in the DMCA, the copyright holder has to certify that they are the original owner of the material. No one and no entity has the legal right to do so on the writers' behalf.

I wonder what will happen to that benefit once all of HP, with the exception of low performers, are moved over to Maven? As of this coming Wednesday, HP articles that are not already on niches sites will be moved to discover.hubpages.com, which will be on the Maven platform. Anything left on the original (this) HP site will no longer be monetized, which means no pennies for any articles left behind.

Will the Maven sites look out for us enough to troll the 'net for violations of our individual copyrights? Something tells me the answer is no.

Chitrangada Sharan from New Delhi, India on November 02, 2020:

Hello Bill!

Great mailbag with helpful question-answer session. There is always some takeaways from here, and thanks for that.

Looking forward to the election results of the US elections. Whoever wins should work for the welfare of the people.

Thank you and have a great week.

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 02, 2020:

Thank you James! I didn't know about Copyscape, so that's helpful.

Take care, my friend!

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 02, 2020:

Mr. Happy, I sure as hell hope your prediction of Trump and less than 40% comes true. The recent polls seem to agree with you, but then we have that damned electoral college to contend with, so quite a few of us are quite nervous.

Hang on tight and get ready for a rocky 24 hours, my friend.

Blessings always

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 02, 2020:

Thank you Denise. I was not always known for my diplomacy, but my blood doesn't run quite so hot these days. Our country will get through this; I'm confident of that.

Blessings always

bill

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 02, 2020:

Eric, I'm a philosopher at heart. Too bad that doesn't pay well, or I could totally retire and just write my philosopher from my 100-acre ranch. lol Have a great week!

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 02, 2020:

I like that, Mary! I've never used a grammar checker, but I love that yours tells you that. Very cool!

Thank you! I hope election day is peaceful indeed, but I have my doubts. Tempers are running hot in this country.

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 02, 2020:

Thank you Linda! I can't imagine writing without a Roget's nearby, but the fact that Monica is aware of duplicity is a good sign.

Let's hope tomorrow is a good election day, despite the promised rain.

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 02, 2020:

Thank you John! I heard on the news that your country is doing quite well of late with COVID...great news. I wish my countrymen would take it a bit more seriously. As for the election, it was the norm to know the results the same night, but since 2000, we have had some elections which seem to drag on for days. I hope this one is swift.

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 02, 2020:

Thank you Rosina! You are appreciated. Have a fantastic week ahead.

James C Moore from Joliet, IL on November 02, 2020:

Copyscape, a plagiarism checking web site immediately came to mind when I read Bill's question. But its more of a preventative measure to see who may be copying your work. I dont know that it will help in this instance.

Mr. Happy from Toronto, Canada on November 02, 2020:

"About 40% of our voters are going to be mad as hell, no matter who wins." - Trump is not gonna get 40% of the popular vote.

"I confess in the late 90's I actually worked for pirates -- oh the shame" - Look at the admissions that come out in the comments section of your articles. Haha!! It's like You're a psychotherapist lol jk

"Anyone interested in creating a coloring book?" - No thank You. Coloring books don;t have words generally, right? So a book without words is like ... not a book for me I guess. It's something else. Haha!!

Regarding "The Creatives", I think we all create things so, we are all creators. I just wish people were conscious of all the things they create all day long, each and every day. We're always creating, even when we sleep.

Alright, I'm gonna go and stick my head in the sand for the next 24 hours. It's gonna be a wild ride lol

Best of luck to me! Not to You guys because to some of You guys down there, best of luck may mean another 4 years of Trump so: best of luck to me!!! lol

Cheers!

Denise McGill from Fresno CA on November 02, 2020:

I have to agree. I would like us to get past the hate and mudslinging, the bating, and the petty name-calling. It is time to just vote and get on with life. We will survive. I think you are very diplomatic for not mentioning sides here because there is way too much of that already. Another good mailbag in the can.

Blessings,

Denise

Eric Dierker from Spring Valley, CA. U.S.A. on November 02, 2020:

Sorry, I will have to come back. All I can say is "WOW!" This one actually ventured into my area. You spoke philisophically and I just love your philosophy.

(I confess in the late 90's I actually worked for pirates -- oh the shame)

Mary Wickison from USA on November 02, 2020:

I like the marble player's advice. Let's deal with whatever outcome happens and fix things at a community level first.

I love your example of the way a creative views the world.

I use a grammar checker, and it alerts me if I am repeating a word too often throughout the text. I get a message up saying, "use a synonym".

Have a peaceful week.

Linda Lum from Washington State, USA on November 02, 2020:

Please let Monica know (perhaps she's reading now) that her BFF should be a Roget's. I keep one on my desk, right next to the On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee and my NIV Bible.

Thanks for including my question. Other than the routine 2-mile jaunt around the house I'll be up to my ears in research today for that book.

Have a good week my friend. Stay warm and love those puppies.

John Hansen from Australia (Gondwana Land) on November 02, 2020:

I too hope the election result (whatever way it goes is accepted by the majority) and life goes on more peacefully then before. We had our State election on the weekend and the result was known that same night. Let me just say the result proved all the polls wrong, and it appears the handling of Covid-19 was the major determining factor.

From what I have experienced HubPages doesn’t really care if articles that are published here first are copied or republished somewhere else, they just don’t like it the other way around. They are quick to hit you with a duplication if you do.

Good questions and answers as always, Bill.

Rosina S Khan on November 02, 2020:

Great mailbag, Bill. I found some information that really helped regarding the art of writing. Thanks for the share. Have a great Monday.

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