Terry Cobb is a former radiology
supervisor who resides with her husband on a farm in north central Missouri
where she writes short stories, devotionals, and novels. Her flash fiction has
been published in The
Binnacle and in anthologies published by The Saturday Writers
and The Columbia Writers Guild. It has won awards from The Pike’s Peak Branch
of American Pen Women, the Green River Writers, Springfield Missouri Writers
Guild, and the Dr. Doris Mueller Prose Contest. Her devotionals have been
printed in The Upper
Room and The
Secret Place. She posts photos of flowers and wildlife on her blog
and writes about the challenges of gardening, at www.whatsinyourgarden.wordpress.com.
WOW: Thank you so
much for chatting with us today! So, I loved your flash fiction story Afternoon Tea with Jacqueline Kennedy.
What inspired this story?
Terry: In their later years, my parents had many health issues
which naturally took a toll on their spirits. Mom used to tell me how she
wished she could run away from all their troubles. The problem was that she
didn’t have any place to run and she only wanted to escape for a little while.
Although this story was written long after my
mother’s death, this is a temporary escape I have created just for her.
WOW: What a touching way to
honor your mom! So, what’s next for you? What are you currently working on?
Terry: I’m primarily working on a novel that I began a few
years ago. I can’t remember if I’m on its tenth or twentieth draft. Since I
believe in the story too much to quit, I’ll keep plugging away on it until I’m
satisfied enough to send it off to an agent. I’m also writing another short
story and a devotional. As you can tell, I’m easily distracted, but that’s
because I find all types of writing fun. When I get an idea, I like to go ahead
and get it on paper.
WOW: I’m exactly the
same way with writing! I tend to bounce around a lot, but I feel like it makes
it more fun that way. That leads me to my next question – what does a typical
day of writing look like for you?
Terry: I’m an early bird. My biological clock wakes me up
between 4:30 and 5 am. With a cup of coffee in hand, I meditate and journal for
a couple of hours. Journaling is where I get my devotional and short story
ideas. I often try to steal more time after lunch to write again for an hour or
so, although I’m not consistently successful.
WOW: As a night owl,
who is not at all an early bird, I’m impressed you wake up so early to write. What
a way to start your day! So, do you have any tips you can share about entering
contests? What works for you best?
Terry: Entering
writing contests have been an excellent way for me to receive feedback on my
writing by either signing up for an additional critique or by seeing if I can
place in the contest itself. Many contests publish the winning stories which is
extremely helpful in seeing what the judges are looking for and how my story
stacks up to them. I also triple check the submission guidelines. I don’t want
my story thrown out before it’s even read just because I didn’t format it
according to the contest guidelines. I always let my work sit for a few days
before submitting. That gives me a chance to read it one more time for
grammatical errors and missed words.
WOW: That is great advice! So, I couldn’t help but notice
in your profile you said you liked to garden. How does your garden inspire your
writing?
Terry: The garden is
my world of miracles. I marvel at how the tiny seeds in my hand produce baskets
of tomatoes and bouquets of flowers. It’s especially terrific for providing
metaphors and story ideas for my devotional writing. Oddly enough, pulling
weeds seems to slow the wheels churning in my brain. A story idea will often
come to me when I’m “in the zone” and not trying so hard to come up with
something.
WOW: I understand that completely! Usually when I’m not
focusing so much on writing is when the best ideas come about.
Thank you so much for chatting with us today Terry and
sharing your beautiful story!
Be sure to find Terry over at her blog www.whatsinyourgarden.wordpress.com
Interview by Nicole Pyles
5 comments:
Nicole--Thanks for doing this interview.
Terry--Congratulations. I had no idea where your story was going. Great ending.
I think it was Pearl Buck who said something like, "I get all my writing ideas while washing the dishes." While we're gardening or sweeping or washing the dishes, our mind is free to do something creative--like solve a writing problem.
Good luck with that manuscript that's in its 10th or 20th revision.
Thank you so much, Sioux.
Great story, Terry, and a beautiful tribute to your mother. Congratulations!
Terry,
It has been 24 hours since I read your beautiful story, and it's still on my mind. I'm helping my mother through the end-stages of her life, and my dad's dementia is worsening.
Connecting to others experiencing similar stories is why we read and write, is it not?
Thank you, thank you!
-Lynn-
Thank you, Renee and Lynn. Your kind comments mean so much to me. Lynn, I wish you much strength as you assist your parents through the later stages of their lives. I hope that later you will look back fondly on their earlier years.
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