Meet Colin Horst

We were lucky to catch up with Colin Horst recently and have shared our conversation below.

Colin, thanks for taking the time to share your lessons with our community today. So, let’s jump right in – one of the most essential skills for unlocking our potential is self-discipline. Where does your self-discipline come from?

My story of self-discipline isn’t a clear-seas voyage to success. As a young kid moving through middle school and highschool, I claimed a habit of putting things off until the last minute because I had this super ability to perform under pressure that was always vacant amidst abundant time. I would happily put things off until later because “I have plenty of time,” but this air of levity only lasted until the next time crunch set in. Even in theater, I opted for just barely keeping up because some way or another, I always pulled it off in the end.
Fast forward to post-highschool life, I still sometimes struggle with letting the time crunch sneak up on me, but I’ve seen the benefit of blocking my time. From higher-quality results to avoiding the last-minute terror, biding my time has opened a door to greater accomplishments and more daring ambitions. It also ensures I find the time to rest amidst that many projects I take on. I’m the kind of person who doesn’t like to sit still for long. If I have nothing on my plate, I immediately go back for seconds.
Back to the subject, self-discipline is a constant area of growth of me even now as I navigate my third year in The Author Conservatory. I am by no means perfect or always follow my methodology to a T, but I whenever I’m struggle with time management, I always return to structuring my time to find a firm footing again.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’m a life-long homeschooler who still pursues education from home via The Author Conservatory, a college-alternative program tailored to young, aspiring writers and equips them with necessary skills to become an authorpreneur. Near the end of highschool, I discovered a love for writing when I attempted my first full-length novel about dinosaurs and FBI agents. I wrote it by the seat of my pants and completely rewrote the first half, but it sparked my desire for storytelling. So when I heard about The Author Conservatory, I took the plunge and kickstarted my author career.
With writing mentors like Kara Swanson, Katie Phillips, and Lauren Hildebrand, I’ve received invaluable training and learned vital lessons, sometimes the hard way, that will shape the rest of my author career, a career focused on writing stories about steadfast courage in the face of fear. Among the less popular circles in highschool, I struggled from a weaker self-esteem and often doubted my abilities, so when I watched movies or read books with protagonists that could overcome challenges without no doubt in their own strength, I was left discouraged because I wasn’t that fearless. That’s why I write stories like The Hunger Games and How to Train Your Dragon filled with heartwarming characters that aren’t impervious to doubt and fear yet proceed with courage.
Speaking of stories about steadfast courage, my short story, Escaping Limbo, will soon be published in Voices of the Future Vol. 7, Stories of Strength and Sacrifice, an Author Conservatory anthology. It’s a collection of twelve short stories from myself and eleven other students in the Conservatory. We’re currently practicing our marketing skills and cultivating momentum via individual street teams to capture interest and receive pre-orders for the anthology. The proceeds of each copy sold goes directly to the authors to support their careers and send them to writer’s conferences to network in the community.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I’d say the most influential skills in my journey as a young author have been resilience, creativity, and a passion for learning. Resilience is key to becoming a successful author because there’s no guarantee that your next book will be a hit and it will take time to build a platform of loyal readers that anticipate your next release. Additionally, you will not start earning a lot of money right away. One published book does not open the floodgates of income, but as long as you keep marketing it, the income will never stop. It essentially becomes a form of passive income that builds as you release more books and build your fanbase. For anyone desiring to craft stories, especially fictional tales, creativity is an essential attribute. You must possess creative stamina because you will be using it every step of the way. It’s the core attribute all writers of fiction share in common. Right alongside creativity, you must have an unending desire to learn. As a writer, you must be willing to learn and grow your skills in not only prose and structure, but also in trends and market. Each story you write will require you to research real-world information to develop well-grounded storyworlds. I learned many lessons the hard way in the Author Conservatory, but each failure shaped the writer I am today. I always say the fastest way to learn something is to fail at it first.
As for developing these qualities, I recommend making a habit of strengthening each one like a muscle. Make a routine of using them. For resilience, learn something new or choose a current pursuit. Find something that’s not easy for you and practice perseverance when challenges arise. The more you overcome hard things, the easier it will be to press through challenges in the future. For creativity, make a daily habit of writing a new scene, developing a character, or structuring the world for a new story. Even if it’s just for fifteen minutes, flexing your creative muscles every day will train your mind to make connections more efficiently in the future. To develop a love for learning, make it your mission to learn new skills or consume informative literature regularly. Study a new subject that interests you, or tackle a new hobby that requires effort to learn. The more you learn, the quicker the brain will pick up on new information. Become a student of the world and cultivate a hunger for new information.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

Raised in a strong Christian family with a strong work ethic, I have my parents to thank for the quality of my character and personal drive for success and quality in every aspect of my life. I’m constantly seeking to strengthen my faith in God and follow his guidance for my career and pursuits which is only reinforced by the training I’ve received in The Author Conservatory. Each course is taught from a Christian grounding with a focus on blessing others through our relations and stories.
In my Author journey, my most influential mentors have been Kara Swanson, Katie Phillips, and Lauren Hildebrand. I owe everything I know about writing to their expert guidance and teaching. When I was lost and struggling with my first story, Kara Swanson came alongside and helped me reassemble the broken pieces into a structurally sound novel. Katie Phillips provided pivotal insight into each plot point of a story and how character arcs weave into the narrative. Lauren Hildebrand played a star role in the development of my current writing project which will receive a professional manuscript assessment in September.
And of course, I couldn’t conclude my answer to this question without giving thanks to the God who created me and gave me a passion for creativity and a gift for writing. It’s he who is the ultimate creator and gives us the ability to create vivid story worlds for our readers to enjoy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://colinhorst.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colinhorstauthor/