Crystal Quast On The 5 Things You Need To Be A Successful Author or Writer

Believe in yourself. I’ve made more than one faith-defying leap in my career, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Some writers and authors have a knack for using language that can really move people. Some writers and authors have been able to influence millions with their words alone. What does it take to become an effective and successful author or writer? In this interview series, called “5 Things You Need To Be A Successful Author or Writer” we are talking to successful authors and writers who can share lessons from their experiences.

As part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing C. A. Quast. Crystal Quast is a communications professional with more than two decades of experience in corporate storytelling. She lives with her husband, two sons and a rabbit. Dinked: Serenity Acres Where Secrets Barely Stay Hidden is her debut novel.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?

I grew up wanting to be a writer but also had a lot of other interests and ambitions. My first real career position was at a brokerage house as a sales assistant, where I wrote stock orders on pink ‘sell’ and blue ‘buy’ tickets. I learned so much about equities and the capital markets and loved the fast pace.

But I still wanted to put my writing skills to the test and when websites began to proliferate I found my niche in financial/business reporting at a popular investing website. Working to daily deadlines kept me on my toes, and soon I was writing several pieces daily.

A downsizing here (the ping-pong table and snacks probably put us over budget) and a shutdown there, and I found myself working in TV. I got a job chase producing — booking guests and writing scripts for on-air interviews — at one of the country’s most-watched business shows. The experience was mind-expanding and at times stressful, but for the most part, I thrived on knowing I was part of a news-machine. Still, after nearly 8 years in journalism, I decided to move on.

My next stop? As many in journalism might joke, it was over to the ‘dark side’ when I joined a large Investor Relations firm as the head of Media Relations. Then, after a decade of servicing clients in sectors like biotech, consumer products, financial services and mining, I decided to strike out on my own and started a corporate communications agency Bullseye Corporate.

I’m so grateful for all the exciting projects I have worked on; it has been a fantastic experience to help companies shape their stores. I have also met an incredible number of inspirational people along the way.

And while I’ve written almost every type of document over the years, I haven’t written creatively since high school. Dinked: Serenity Acres is my debut novel and I couldn’t be more excited to share it with the world!

Can you share the most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your career?

Wow! I’ve worked on so many interesting files it is hard to pinpoint one, but in 2018 I found myself sitting in one of the most historic rooms in the UK!

I started with an international cannabis company to oversee their Media Relations in North America. At the same time, the UK was considering legalizing cannabis and wanted to send dignitaries to study the Canadian system.

While never an event producer, the CEO put his faith in me to organize the five-day tour. We visited dispensaries, a growth operation, an Indigenous community and community services in Canada’s biggest city. The BBC came to film the entire event.

Shortly after, the company was invited back to the UK to attend a hearing in Parliament to reveal the results of the trip. Sitting in the green leather-bound chairs in the House of Commons in London felt like a long way from where I started!

What was the biggest challenge you faced in your journey to becoming a writer? How did you overcome it? Can you share a story about that that other aspiring writers can learn from?

Moving from finance to journalism presented challenges but the biggest was believing in my ability to get things right. Covering business, I was often presented with having to interview CEOs and other captains of industry. Even though I had experience reading equity research reports and had a business background, I struggled with asking the right questions to get the answers I needed for a compelling story.

Working in broadcast helped me overcome this. Creating an overview of a guest or news event and then coming up with questions to help guide the anchor helped bring my knowledge together. It also helped me overcome any hesitation about working with CEOs. While there may not be a secret sauce in being a successful CEO, the ones I have worked with have been insightful, strategic, and driven.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I wrote a couple of incorrect trading tickets (buy instead of sell, sell instead of buy) that resulted in significant financial losses for the broker I worked for. His reaction and ability to regroup in the face of a clerical error with significant consequences taught me an important lesson: recognize your mistakes and take accountability quickly. Sometimes, there is no time to waste. Unfortunately, I had to relearn this lesson recently, but that’s another story!

A different type of mistake taught me to be strategic and stay in the game until the end.

In your opinion, were you a “natural born writer” or did you develop that aptitude later on? Can you explain what you mean?

I do think I’m a bit of a natural-born writer, which stems from my love of reading and words in general. I love all sorts of wordplay and NYT Games is a daily obsession. I look forward to the “Word of the Year” announcement like it is the Superbowl.

A teacher in junior high school once told me she thought I would make a great writer and that was something that always really stuck.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

My specialty is working with publicly traded companies; they require a level of disclosure that private companies don’t and are often focused on generating media coverage around corporate milestones. Often what I am working on is top secret! At least until it has been disclosed to the markets.

One company I work with is one of the largest gold mining companies in Brazil. The company has a unique culture of safety and transparency that makes working with it highly rewarding. Another is a greenfield solar development company with a phenomenal track record of growth.

Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your experience, what are the “5 Things You Need To Be A Successful Author or Writer”? Please share a story or example for each.

1 . Believe in yourself. I’ve made more than one faith-defying leap in my career, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. My move from finance to journalism included a hefty pay cut and for years I wondered if I had made the right decision. That first position as a sales associate no longer exists in the same capacity and hasn’t for many years now, but my ability to earn a living writing is timeless.

2 . Hone your craft. Writing is a craft like any other and the more you practice, the better you will be. I have experienced a learning curve with each new type of document I have learned to master and each has its tricks. For example, writing a press release is very different from writing a script. Each has its unique characteristics that take patience and practice to write well.

3 . Don’t Get Too Attached. Your first draft isn’t final, no matter how great. Writing is a process and input from an objective party can elevate your final product. Be open to edits and even learn to enjoy them mercilessly!

There were times when I felt like I had the perfect take on a situation, but a second set of eyes always improved the outcome. Now when I write something, I often view my body of work as a patient, ready to be surgically improved with cutting edits.

4 . Show up for yourself creatively and physically. Even though most of my writing has been for corporations I have always found creative joy in bringing their intricacies to life. Business is anything but boring and is full of stories of innovation and entrepreneurship. I also have enjoyed other creative pursuits like watercolor and acrylic painting and am always open to trying a new craft.

I am also a firm believer in the power of daily exercise and love spending time outside doing physical activities with my family and friends to recharge. In the winter, I’m on a rink skating, or hiking and In the summer, I spend much time playing pickleball and tennis. My kids love both too, and Sunday afternoons are often spent on the courts. Debates with my husband about the merits of each sport sparked the idea for Dinked: Serenity Acres Where Secrets Barely Stay Hidden.

5 . Consume what you enjoy. It is easy to write well when you know what you enjoy. Read the writers you like voraciously and re-read them too. A second reading of my favorite books has revealed nuances missed in the first go.

Read writers you don’t enjoy as well. No spoilers, but one popular book I particularly disliked and thought was poorly written was a driving force behind my decision to … believe in myself (see point 1) to have the confidence in myself to move from corporate to fiction writing!

What is the one habit you believe contributed the most to you becoming a great writer? (i.e. perseverance, discipline, play, craft study). Can you share a story or example?

Two elements that have contributed to my becoming a better writer are simply time and practice. Having worked with 100+ public companies over 20+ years, I’m certain that the most recent press release I wrote was significantly better than the first.

Which literature do you draw inspiration from? Why?

My tastes in literature vary widely. John Irving’s earlier works are amongst my favorites. I love how he weaves seemingly irrelevant details into long story arcs and provides epilogous insights into all of the characters. He never leaves you hanging! One of his books even inspired a favorite recurring family road trip to Quebec by the Sea.

I also love the strong voice of Miriam Toews who is so adept at tackling tough topics that weave in wry humor. Fight Night is a recent read I couldn’t put down.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Lift people up! Success isn’t a zero-sum game and there is plenty to go around. This can particularly be true when it comes to giving credit where due and also helping people make their next move.

Your colleague did a great job on a project you hoped to work on but were bypassed for? Celebrate it and see what you can learn from it. Maybe there will be an opportunity to collaborate in the future.

Also, be empathetic and generous when it comes to helping people find their next opportunities; be the person who is willing to forward that resume or provide a reference, not the one who leaves someone on ‘read.’

How can our readers further follow your work online?

You can check out my Author’s website www.SerenityAcresSecrets.com and Serenity Acres on Facebook here and also Instagram.

I’m also on LinkedIn here and this is my Corporate Communications agency www.BullseyeCorporate.com.

Thank you so much for this. This was very inspiring!