Simply A Storyteller

Since signing up on Twitter I have found myself availed of more information than I ever imagined possible. More and more I discover how much there is to learn about the business of writing and publishing. I realize also how quickly it changes with the times and, though I will never learn it all, I will continue acquiring as much knowledge as I possibly can, wherever I can.

One of the issues that continually crops up is the importance of creating a brand and I understand the necessity of making oneself visible and recognizable. However, as someone who has just recently been able to utter the words “Yes, I am a writer”, I find myself slightly intimidated by the task of creating a tagline to define my identity. Who am I, and how would I like to be perceived?

Firstly, I am a wife and mother. I have spent most of my adult life working as, what in my day was known as, a secretary, making a few side trips as a bank teller, fire department dispatcher, landscaper and bookkeeper. Through the years, I have often seen resumes embellished to the point where I am sure the applicants own mother would be unable to recognize them. We are all quite capable of doing the same thing and is that not, in part, what branding is all about? Stretching a canvas on which an appealing and enticing picture can be painted.

What I know is, I like who I am, and those whom are most important in my life seem to like who I am as well. No matter what success or recognition I am able to achieve that will not change. So really the question I need to ask myself is, “As a writer, who am I and how would I like to be perceived?”

That answer for me is a simple one. I am a storyteller. It is what I have enjoyed doing since I was a child. Sometimes with a story, other times a poem. Through all the good, bad, and ugly writing my intentions have varied. Often the end result was for the entertainment of others, but mostly it has been a means of expressing, or venting my emotions. Years of pages tucked away in a drawer for my eyes only. Unfinished pieces, scattered thoughts, and occasionally a piece presented as a gift to others. Then through a strange and unexpected circumstance the Stibil Forest blossomed to life and the need to be noticed has grown.

I have no idea where this path will lead, but I intend to enjoy the walk, scaling each hill I encounter. I will therefore attempt to create and rework my brand as necessary, hopefully introducing myself to each new situation with openness and honesty.

“Hello, my name is Cheryl Schenk and I am, quite simply, a storyteller.”

Cheryl is the author of Little Synni’s Moonlight Mischief, the first book in The Stibil Forest Adventures, illustrations by Chris Jammer. The Stibil Forest