Our VP, Emily Carter, has some fun below with a Hermit Crab Essay on branding. The Hermit Crab Essay takes on the form of another type of writing, in this case a product label.

BeYouNique

Branding Screen – Exposure Enhancement Elixir

*Hypoallergenic *Gluten Free *Phosphate Free
*Moisturizing *Paraben Free *RDA Self Promotion

Active Ingredients:

Intention, genuine engagement, clear voice, audience awareness, willingness to work.

Uses:

Helps promote writer, writing, and reading.

Warnings:

Constant changing climate requires agility and open attitude.
YOU are your brand.
Consider who you are, what you do, and what you want when you build your platform.
Keep out of reach of internet trolls. If this occurs, seek professional help immediately.

Directions:

Build a writer brand that is consistent to your voice as a writer and your overarching goal with your work. Ask yourself, “Where is my audience?” Go there. Interface with your readers where they live in the world and online. Move about in a way that represents who you want to be and matches what you write. People trust human congruence.

Other Information:

Writers write. Talking about writing might make you a fan, a hell of a reader and appreciator of good work, but to be a writer, one must exercise the craft.

Other Ingredients:

Build a community of like-minded people for support and accountability. Show up first to give, then to get. If all you do is demand from others, what you reapeth will be indicative of what you soweth.

Possible Dangerous Side Effects:

Drowsiness after late night writing.
Distracted moments with non-writer friends and family as you develop plots and characters in your mind.
Littering of words, ideas, and notes on grocery receipts and texts to self.
High risk of exposure to a community of people that encourage you to knit stories.
Tapping of emotions and unspoken truths while harvesting personal material for your writing.

Need Help? Carteretwriters.org (local writer hotline) has the answers, if not, one of our fiction writers will make something up.