Everyone has a hobby they get lost in doing.
Whether it’s being a movie fanatic or baking desserts during free time, we all have that one specialty that keeps us ticking. For sophomore Tyler Barrus that specialty is creating art, not with paintbrushes or fabric, but with adjectives, periods, and figurative language.
Being a self-published writer at 15 is no easy feat.
For Barrus, it all started in seventh grade in Christina Freund’s honors English class. Her kindness and compassion influenced Barrus to take the leap into creative writing. He finished his first short story at the end of his seventh grade year, which later blossomed into the trilogy titled “Stopping the Planes.”
“I love flying, and I think it’s what I was born to do,” Barrus said. “Historical tragedies in aviation were always interesting to me, so the idea for [‘Stopping the Planes’] came from a 14-year-old going back in time to stop aviation accidents from happening.”
As Barrus continues to write, his favorite genres include historical and realistic fiction. He has branched out from strictly aviation stories, however, and even pulled some creativity from HHS itself.
“Last year, I was the football manager for the freshman team,” Barrus said. “I wrote a short story called ‘The Underdog’s Playbook’ about my experience with that, which was a step outside of my comfort zone.”
Barrus flourishes both in writing personally and academically. In his English Ⅲ Honors class, teacher Mason Sargent has noticed Barrus’ command over words and quickly supported his goals as a self-published writer during class time.
“The feedback that I give when it comes to writing is very different for everyone,” Sargent said. “This isn’t just for an excellent writer like Tyler, but it’s all about seeing where the kid is and pushing them forward.”
Sargent is also the teacher sponsor for the Creative Writing Club and is encouraging Barrus to join. This opportunity would provide him a place to get more feedback and experience, as well as allow Sargent to read Barrus’ pieces. However, getting hands on Barrus’ writing is easy, all thanks to today’s technology.
“It was after I finished the first short story that I thought to myself, ‘It’d be really funny if I published this,’ so then I Googled how to publish a book online,” Barrus said.
Now, a quick search for “Tyler Barrus” on Amazon takes you straight to a page full of his books, all readily available to be purchased as paperbacks.
Barrus has many around him who support his ambitions and dreams, one of which is junior Kaelyn Keegan.
“I mostly give Tyler support and little clarifying tips when needed,” Keegan said. “I think it’s really cool that Tyler has such an interesting hobby and I think it’s really inspiring that he has an outlet for him to put his creativity to use in a way that also provides an income.”
Although Barrus doesn’t believe his hobby will turn into a profession, he still takes pride in this creative outlet.
“It’s an indescribable experience,” Barrus said. “I love this passion and am always thankful for the support I receive and the people who encourage me to go out and write.”
