Christian Marie Herron, Strategic Storyteller + Brand Strategist

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ChristianMarieHerron

Earlier this week, I shared my recent experience of working with a writing coach. And I’ve found it so beneficial, I wanted to share the love by introducing you, dear readers, to a broad spectrum of coaches with a broad range of expertise. For today’s guest, please offer a warm welcome to Christian Marie Herron, a coach who focuses on the business and branding side of being a writer and business person.

Christian Marie Herron is a Strategic Storyteller + Brand Strategist.  She is the founder and owner of Herron Media, a boutique, bespoke storytelling and branding company serving entrepreneurs and small businesses in a variety of industries.  Her joy is helping business owners weave together the symphony of their personal experiences, talents, and desires into a powerful Brand Story that helps them attract more clients and make more money.  She’s a New England native but currently lives in Florida with her husband and three children.

You can find her at www.christianmarieherron.com, as well as on social media:

Twitter  facebook linkedin

 

How can a writer decide if working with a coach would benefit them?

The majority of my clients are great writers already but need help weaving together all of their experience and talent in a clear, compelling way.  I think it’s tough to tell your story when you are in it so it’s really helpful to work with a storyteller who can help you pull out threads of your story that will really resonate with your audience. So if a writer is feeling overwhelmed with how to arrange their life experience and talent in a way that feels good and natural, then they may want to consider working with coach or storyteller.

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On Working With a Writing Coach

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Have you ever felt stuck in your writing career?

Like you’re doing the right things and still getting nowhere? Writing, blogging, going to conferences, submitting manuscripts, building an online platform…After a while, it’s easy to start feeling like a dog chasing its own tail! You spin round and round…


Taro the Shiba Inu1
…getting absolutely nowhere.

Looking Back

Kendra_headshot2013That’s where I was about two and a half years ago, when I started working with writing coach Kendra Levin.

Recently, I…graduated? Or whatever it’s called when your coach/mentor becomes a friend/fellow creative traveler. And since I began my coaching season by blogging about the experience, sharing some of my insights along the way, and interviewing writing/life coaches, it seems fitting to share the wrap-up as well.

The Beginning

I started working with Kendra because I was having a tough time finding balance between the demands of my personal life and my passion to create. I was having trouble holding onto creativity in the face of the unavoidable rejections writers face.

I was trying very, very hard to do things RIGHT (whatever that means) that I had no idea what I actually needed or wanted.
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Time-Savers for Writers: Ways to Automate and Delegate

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For two weeks this summer, I got to set aside other writing projects to focus on transmedia storytelling. (I know, I know…you never would have guessed!) In case you’re curious, here’s a screenshot of what I’ve been working on (and will *hopefully* unveil before the year’s end–fingers crossed!!):

MTAX_Home

It was pretty darned exciting: my brother-in-law flew into town to help with website and database coding and my husband/co-conspirator and story inventor took time off work to help with writing, story structure, and all the little details involved in telling a story through multiple media channels. We started each day early with an update on where we all were and worked pretty much nonstop, bouncing ideas off each other, brainstorming, troubleshooting, critiquing…

Sounds like fun, right? It was! It was also a ton of work. And a ton of time. We only had two weeks together, and needed to make the most of it.

Can you say BUSY? Yes, that would describe us!

The truth is, though, we writers are often usually busy. Even if life and work obligations don’t fill up your to-do list, don’t you find yourself cramming in as much as possible, because there are so many cool ideas to explore, so many projects you want to work on? Or maybe you’re simply busy because it’s November now, and with or without NaNoWriMo to fill your spare time, this time of year can easily get out of hand.

Whatever the cause of your busy-ness, I thought you might appreciate some of the time-savers that help me stay afloat when my schedule gets crazier than usual :).
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Off Balance – My Year’s Most Inspiring Read

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The Year’s Most Inspiring Read

Off_Balance I’m listening to the audiobook version of Matthew Kelly’s Off Balance: Getting Beyond the Work-Life Balance Myth to Personal and Professional Satisfaction, and it’s probably the most inspiring title I’ve read (or listened to) so far this year.

Why? Because the author doesn’t just talk about how you can change your life, pursue your dreams, blah, blah, blah. He actually did it…and he changed his life in a way that makes sense to me. He talks about changing his whole life, taking into account both the personal and professional, which he says are integrally intertwined.

I like the idea of running away to a Caribbean island as much as the next gal, but the truth is that I’m probably not ever going to decide the benefits of island living outweigh the costs. In fact, I don’t even think changing addresses is worth the cost, at least not for the next few years–even though I’m a country girl at heart and have never felt quite settled in our suburban environment.

But, like Kelly, I’ve identified my priorities, and family is one of the top items on the list. So as long as it’s best for my family to stay where we are, here we’ll stay.

I’ve also identified creative writing as a top priority…and that one is easier to let slide. Kelly’s book gave me “mental ammunition” in my daily battle to prioritize my writing time.

The Balance Myth

Having examined the issue extensively, I have come to the conclusion that people don’t really need or want balance. As an idea, balance sounds desirable, but…if you delve a little further and get people talking about what that balance looks like, you will discover that what they want has very little to do with balance. – Matthew Kelly, Off Balance

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