Never Say Impossible Radio Interviews author Barbara Ehrentreu

A great fiction author

Are you an author or do you just wish you could become one? I had an interesting conversation with a fiction author this week by the name of Barbara Ehrentreu.

A young Adult book

Our conversation brought me back to my first journalistic endeavor and attempt to be an author. It’s been said that everyone has at least one book buried deep within their mind.  I think that is true.  However, I think most people have a reason why they never get around to write any kind of book.  If I tell the truth, for years I was one of those people.  I would read other people’s work and become intimidated thinking I would never be able to be a serious author.  Fear of failure would show up and stop me in my tracks.  I managed to become distracted or way too busy to devote the time and effort to completing the book.  Honestly, when I finally decided to write seriously, it took a total of five years for me to focus and write and complete my first book.

I was shocked to find that it was actually fun at times.  I would be a liar if I did not say that it was a real challenge as well.  When all is said and done, any creative work builds self-esteem, and writing can really help you understand your mission in life.  I do not think there is a person in the world that does not enjoy a good movie. However, all movies are drafted from books or screenplays.  So in actuality, the text came first.  Everyone has a story, and everyone has an imagination.  As a self-help author, I marvel at fiction writers.  They paint pictures with their words and use their imagination to take us away from reality and into the world of their characters within the pages of the book.  It is an amazing talent and craft. So if you are hiding the offer within yourself, take the plunge and make that story within you become a real-life adventure.

Do you have the writer’s block? Here are a few tips that just might help.

• Start a journal and write in it every day. Keep a notebook with you at all times.
• Write down every idea that pops into your head.
• Read or listen to as many books as possible. Write a blog once a week.
• Start your book with an outline and a table of content.
• Take writing classes
• Join a writers group and learn to share critiques. It works to help you know if your writing can be easily understood because if your peers don’t get what you were trying to say, no one else will.
• Remember that a rewrite is commonplace. Don’t expect to nail it with your very first draft.
• Try joining a co-authored book to get you started.

Listen to Barbara share her story of success: Click here:Non-Flash MP3 Direct Link

About Barbara:

Barbara, a retired teacher with a Masters degree in Reading and Writing K-12 and seventeen years of teaching experience lives with her family in Stamford, Connecticut. When she received her Masters degree she began writing seriously. “If I Could Be Like Jennifer Taylor,” Barbara’s first YA novel, was inspired by Paula Danziger. She has poetry in two anthologies: Prompted: An International Collection of Poetry and Beyond the Dark Room. Her blog, Barbara’s Meanderings, http://barbaraehrentreu.blogspot.com/, is networked on both Facebook and Blog Catalog. She hosts Red River Radio Tales from the Pages on Blog Talk Radio every 4th Thursday. In addition, her children’s story, “The Trouble with Follow the Leader”and an adult story, “Out on a Ledge” are published online. She is a member of SCBWI. She is currently working on her third novel, the sequel to If I Could Be Like Jennifer Taylor.

Contact information: