Turning my love of writing into a career

cariadwales82

My name is Lara, and I live in Wales. I self-published a fantasy tribology and two poetry books on Amazon, under the name of L.J.Fuller, and you can find me on Facebook at Lara Jane@churchwrite. My Christian faith has been my guide throughout, bringing me love and hope in spite of my disabilities. Occasionally I facilitate poetry workshops on a voluntary basis as I also enjoy collaborating with other people and in general like to socialise.

My writing style varies, but writing has always been a big part of my life ever since childhood; my mother still has the old notebooks and can’t bear to part with them.

The internet has allowed the human race to have access of infinite data at our finger tips. Whether that is our favourite hobbies, searching for jobs, getting the best deals on holidays aboard or keeping up with the news in general. For me as a writer, it has been a great asset, especially with self-publishing as it cuts out the middle man as it were i.e. finding a traditional publisher, which can be a minefield in itself plus allowing you to express your own voice without possible limitations.

My experience of self –publishing has been for the most part enjoyable. At first formatting your word document to kindle format did seem daunting, but Amazon has many resources to help you along the way. I purchased eBooks on this subject, a step by guide, and if like me drawing isn’t your strongest point there are cover art templates to choose from. If you happen to have a friend who’s a graphic designer then I suggest asking for their services as it will look more professional. Marketing can be a tricky; time and money will need to be invested in the project. If like me you are on a very tight budget then try getting other pieces of work published elsewhere to get your name out there too.

Writing this blog did raise a question, are we too independent on the net for creativity? There is a balance that allows us to make full access of the World Wide Web and our own brain, which may I add is a clever machine in itself.

The first thing is to be ‘original’ in your work. There have been reports of people imitating the work of others; the term is re-tweeting or re-blogging which otherwise might be a wasted opportunity. Research will be involved, reading articles and deciphering certain points that haven’t been covered. Perhaps you’re an artist looking for ideas on Pinterest, changing shapes, colours from an existing design for your own creation. Mind-mapping I find is a very useful tool as even before you have switched on a computer you are plucking ideas onto paper, exercising your brain independently.

Don’t be like a sheep and follow the crowd, even if they are adorable like the one below... Rather, stand out from the crowd and be individual. Vannnevar Bush in 1945 wrote a prophetic essay entitled ‘As We May Think’. “The ways in which man produces, stores, consults the record of the race” meaning how technology mimics human logic and memory. YouTube videos have become very popular for streaming information. Going to the library, which for some may be old fashioned is also a good way to seek knowledge, at the same time you may come encounter something you had not expected, which can bring element of surprise and wonder. I took part in a creative writing course once and made a new friend.

We have the power to make this world a better place by using the right words. How do you use your words to make good?

Sam_Alumni

Thank you so much for sharing @cariadwales82 I write a blog and I have found it has helped me deal with a lot of the shocks and surprises I have faced through my impairment and treatment through talking about it. 

debbiedo49

I love writing and I enjoyed your post .

cariadwales82

Sam_Scope said:

Thank you so much for sharing @cariadwales82 I write a blog and I have found it has helped me deal with a lot of the shocks and surprises I have faced through my impairment and treatment through talking about it.

Thank you and glad you feel writing helps you too ?

cariadwales82

Thank you for your comment and I'm glad you have found an outlet in writing too 

cariadwales82

debbiedo49 said:

I love writing and I enjoyed your post .

cariadwales82

Thank you for your comment and glad you enjoyed