Okay, I have taken the first step in my writing journey. I’ve come out of the closet, so to speak. I have proclaimed myself as a writer for all the world to see. Now what?

Good question. I was reading about the steps needed to create a wonderful … not good or nice, but wonderful brand. Which Forbes states as being an important step in being a writer, well they didn’t specifically say writers.

Writer’s have brands? Apparently, we do.

Anyways, I read this great article by Forbes titled The First Step To Building Your Personal Brand. Now when you first read the introduction, you worry it cannot be applied to writing.

Wrong. It can. How? Simple. Let’s take a look at the four simple steps it refers too, and we will use yours truly as the example. I figure, if I can do this so can everyone else.

So … the first step is Who Am I? What I want to be known for.

This is a great question. What do I want to be known for?

After sifting through different thoughts and ideas, I realize I want to be known for telling stories, just like the old bards of Ireland. There was one in particular, who was the greatest of them all and that was Taliesin.

Growing up, he was my idol. He was the chief bard to the royalty and lived sometime between 534 and 599 A.D. He regaled towns and villages with the oral history of the ancient Celts in songs and stories. He held everyone in thrall with his vivid storytelling.

That’s what I want to do. I want to be a storyteller but I want to mix my stories with spooky myths and legends along with the origin history of the myths and legends. I want to be the modern Taliesin.

I know … I know … lofty aspirations. But hey … if I’m going to dream … I might as well dream big right?

The second step is Determine My Description. Come up with a descriptive modifier that brings clarity to the emotional modifier.

What does that mean in English?  Emotionally, I want to be a modern Taliesin. So, I need a descriptive modifier that explains that.

Hmmmm … I want to tell stories that combine myth and legends in with the history of how the myth or legend was born.

Sounds pretty nifty, doesn’t it? Now I just have to leave it alone and don’t mess with it.

Step three is What Do I do that makes me stand out from everyone else?

My love for ancient history and the paranormal. I think combining my two loves in fiction stories would work. I have a weird mind as my family tells me, so might as well make it work for me when writing my stories.

I also have a personal relationship with the paranormal, and a strong knowledge of ancient myths and legends.

Combine those elements and I could definitely create some pretty good stories.

Step Four: Put It All Together: My brand mantra should communicate clearly who I am, but stay simple and memorable.

Simply put, I am a Bard. I tell stories about myths and legends by weaving paranormal elements inside them. I then apply those stories to modern settings.

What does all this creating a brand mean?

Writing a novel is extremely important. It has been said that publishing a novel is more important than having a brand.

Personally, I think coming up with a writer’s brand is just as important because it helps the writer sit down and think about what they want to write about. It isn’t just about the genre they want to write about, but establishing the voice of the writer, and the niche they plan to fill with their writing.

When a reader hears the name Stephen King, they think suspense, thriller, and know that the story is going be one hell of a roller coaster ride of a story.

So, when a reader hears your name, what do you want them to think?

That’s your brand.