CloudExplorer Interviews TToombs08
A long-time Hubber reveals her background and inspiring good deeds on HubPages
Terrye Toombs, I love reading your Hubs and think they’re super funny. My very first question to you is: What is it that you find on HubPages to be the most enjoyable for you (whether it be participating in Forums, Q&A, Hub writing, fan following, networking outside of HubPages, or what have you)? Why do you feel this way?
Thank you. You are too sweet! And, thank you so much for that very kind compliment. That kind of feedback really validates all that I attempt to accomplish and encourages me to give each Hub my everything so that I don’t let readers down. After all, they sacrifice precious time to come to my Hub and I don’t want it to be a waste.
The most enjoyable part of being a participant in HubPages is getting to know some outstanding writers. I learn from every writer I encounter as they all have a different style and view, no matter what the topic or subject is. If you gave three writers the topic “potato,” all three of them would view it and write about it differently. That helps me to see something from more than my point of view. And it challenges me to push myself to be a better writer so that I can connect with the reader and they can relate to me or what I’m trying to express.
Terrye if you had the chance to become a superstar comedian that could be showcased on television would you take the job?
I’m afraid I would have to pass on the chance to become a superstar comedian or even a mediocre comedian. The first reason being that I’m a high functioning introvert; I just would not be capable of performing in front of an audience.
The second reason would be; I have a horrible memory and I’d probably forget everything by the time I walked out onto the stage. And lastly, I couldn’t leave my husband and son alone long enough without one or both of them getting into some sort of trouble.
I read your profile that you’re from the wonderful state of Arkansas in the U.S. and currently live in the Badlands of North Dakota. What kind of fun moments, entertainment, activities etc. do you choose to enjoy in your home state of residence?
That’s actually a very hard question to answer. I don’t really have a state of residence. I still have my Alaska driver’s license (what I consider my home state where I grew up) because we haven’t stayed in one spot long enough to warrant getting a local license. In the past year, we’ve bounced back and forth between North Dakota and Montana because of my husband’s work.
As for fun and entertainment, we enjoy exploring the beautiful badlands that Theodore Roosevelt once called home. We also enjoy making a monthly trip into Billings, Montana to get out “big city” fix. We’ve visited friends in Wyoming, enjoyed Yellowstone National Park, Pompey’s Pillar National Monument, Fort Peck Dam, and a bunch of places where either Lewis & Clarke or Custer’s Army visited on their historic travels. My husband and I both have a love of travel and are always questing to get to the top of the next hill to see what’s on the other side.
For the average Hubber, writing online articles can be tough; do you have any words of advice for newbies and those looking to improve on their overall voice and Hub-writing techniques?
In my advanced English and journalism classes, the professors always advised us to find a “writing buddy” to exchange papers with. It helped immensely having that instant feedback to know if we were on the right track or had areas where we needed to focus on and fix.
I would give the same advice to new Hubbers; find another writer that has a passion for writing and help each other become better writers by giving good advice; you will both learn from it and grow as an author. Above all else, if you have a real love of writing, don’t give up and don’t get discouraged. It takes time, patience, commitment and determination. You *will* get there.
As a three year plus HubPages veteran, it must be tough to maintain such a high level of Hubtivity, and you seem to do it so well. With your ultra-funny attitude and gift for being so supportive of your fellow Hubbers, what is it that drives you to continue onwards Hubbing with such intensity?
I wish I could do more. I don’t really feel like I’ve been as active as I’d like to be. But, that little thing called “life” tends to get in the way.
For what drives me, I would have to say; I know what it’s like to spend hours writing something, publish it and then it sits there and no one reads it. It’s so hard to stay motivated if you never get that “wow, I can understand and relate to that” reaction from a reader over something that you’ve written.
It doesn’t happen as often as I’d like, but if I see a writer that has been on HubPages for a while and has very few views, I’ll carefully go through one of their Hubs, looking for common and easily fixable errors. Then I’ll email the author and ask them if they mind a little helpful criticism. If they are open to it, I’ll send them my recommendations and answer any questions they have. After they feel confident, I’ll share their work with other Hubbers (the “Share with Followers”) and across several social media outlets. Then I’ll show them how to do it for themselves.
I was lucky enough to have a number of other Hubbers (billybuc, Miss Olive, Sunshine625, etc) throw me some helpful hints that have really helped me to improve in a number of different ways. I’m just trying to pay it forward.
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