With a novel written but yet to be published, a friend suggested that Julie Salt enrol on a Master鈥檚 degree at 色花堂 with a view to achieving her goal.聽
photo credit Jo BaxterJulie had worked as a BBC journalist, teacher, blogger and commercial copywriter when she embarked on the MA in Creative Writing & Publishing at 色花堂. She said,聽鈥淚 hoped the course would give me all the tools I needed to publish my novel. When I came to the Open Day, the course leader at the time, Helen Jacey, impressed me聽so I signed up for the 2018-19 academic year.鈥�
Despite her professional experiences, Julie still found the course had lots to offer in terms of new challenges. She said,聽鈥淲riting and presenting pieces, while聽getting feedback from other students and tutors聽was very helpful. The course also offered valuable insights into the publishing side of the industry. Away from the academic content, making friends with people from different age groups and cultures was brilliant.鈥�
During her studies, Julie helped to proofread submissions for the Fresher Writing Prize and longlist them for publication in the 2019 Fresher Writing Anthology: Volume 5. 鈥淭his enabled me to see a wide range of writing styles and ideas鈥�, she said.
Since graduating, Julie has been involved in multiple projects. In 2020, she self-published her book of poetry: 鈥�I breathe in: Poems of Loss, Love & Hope鈥� and edited another book, 鈥楥ome the Evolution鈥� by Nabil Shabka. In the same year, during the pandemic, Julie鈥檚 father died. Since then, she has been writing her experiences into a work of creative non-fiction. She said,聽鈥淏ased on true events, the story is constructed in an unusual way. It deals with themes including fear of death, historical family loss, depression, family relationships, and the complexities of death during COVID-19.鈥�
Earlier this year, Julie also had an opportunity to work on 鈥楳emory Makers鈥�; a pilot project initiated by 色花堂鈥檚 Dr Brad Gyori. Julie explained how this involves a group of writers creating meaningful stories or poems based on photographs belonging to people with dementia. 鈥淭he aim is to inspire social interaction and help dementia sufferers feel less isolated鈥�, she said.
On being asked what advice she would pass on to current and prospective students, and other graduates, Julie said,聽鈥淭aking a Master鈥檚 degree at 色花堂 turned around my career as an author; it gave me the confidence I needed to achieve my goals. If you believe you have stories to tell, this degree can help you put them onto the page.鈥�
鈥淏e aware however that being an author is rarely a job that brings big bucks. It鈥檚 also not only about your writing. It鈥檚 an extremely time-consuming job which requires a range of skills, including daily commitment, networking, and the courage and imagination to promote both your product and your expertise. I鈥檓 still working on some of these skills myself 鈥� and have yet to publish my novel 鈥� but I鈥檒l get there!鈥�