I’ve always been a creative and ambitious person. When I was in middle school, I was part of a group of girls writing all different kinds of stories that we took very seriously. We brainstormed, we wrote, we edited, we wrote … you get the deal.
It’s the same model I use only 10 years later as a 21-year-old poet with two published books.
Now’s the part where you get skeptical — and that’s OK! How could a 21-year-old publish two books? Surely that’s not enough time to know what you’re doing. And you would be right! I don’t always know what I’m doing. But, what I sometimes lack in world experience, I make up for in creativity and ambition.
Since I started high school, I have been submitting to poetry contests from local to global organizations. I attended the Kenyon Young Writers Workshop, which was a very big deal in my house, and I honed my craft. I ran my school’s literary magazine and encouraged my classmates to do the same.
When I started college, I knew I wanted to do more. During freshman year, I told my whole floor at a dorm meeting before winter break that I wasn’t coming back to school until I published a book. No big deal, right?
While I was mostly joking, I was putting an intention into the world. Looking back, that moment truly kickstarted everything. Having people to hold me accountable made it feel bigger than myself.
From there, I went on break and started researching. I stumbled across Book Leaf Publishing, which, after a 21-day writing challenge, would publish a chapbook for me. It was the first step I needed. I wrote a poem everyday for 21 days and then published my first book, writing over the word limit.
Since then, my writing practice has gotten more refined. I now have a second book published with Parisian Phoenix Publishing, Mortals, Myths, and Maybes, and a third, The Depths, which was released in June. But, let’s not forget, I am also a college student. And not just a college student — I am double majoring in English and Film & Media Studies with a minor in Documentary Storymaking and hold three executive positions for campus clubs that facilitate community through art.
I’ve found my passion and I’ve poured everything into it. The question I always get asked is, how do I manage it all? The short answer is that it changes. The long answer is more complicated.
I’m a junior in college now and here is how I manage it today:
Lots of lists. The first step is getting a clear idea about what it is that you want. Make an outline for the book, make a bucket list and set the intention of publishing, write down goals for the book, etc.
After you’ve done that, set dates. I’ve known what day I was going to announce my new book cover about 3 months out. If you know things are going to get crazy in life later, you have to use the free time you have to pre-plan those tasks. So set dates, make templates. Do as much as you can now to make it easier for yourself later.
Take breaks. If you don’t step away from the notebook/computer and just experience life you won’t have anything to write about. So go outside. Make a notes app full of lines you think of while you’re away to type up later if you really need to.
Set aside time. For me, two hours a day for three days is what works. One day dedicated to writing/editing, outreach and content creation, respectively. Otherwise, you either let it completely consume your life or you never get around to it. If you create this time just for your craft, it makes you feel more in control of the rest. At least it does for me.
Lastly, find time for the art that inspires you. I watch a new movie every Wednesday, read a chapter of a book before bed and read new poetry on Sundays. This might be the most important thing I do, because it reminds me of why I’m doing this in the first place. Because I love stories. Now, I’m not able to stick to this schedule all the time. Things shift and life gets in the way. But knowing that I have this to fall back on is incredibly helpful for me.
Everyone’s process is going to be different and it should! But the biggest thing to remember is that all of this stuff — the classes, the drama, the life … that is the most important thing for your writing. Being a writer is not just a side thing. It is who you are — so own it. You don’t need to be attached to some big fancy publishing house to do what you love and be proud of it. The sooner you embrace the absolute bravery it takes to write something and decide you are going to get it published, the better. And maybe you want the big fancy publishing house, that’s fine too! But we are all working hard for what we love.
This is my own path, there are many. But the common denominator I’ve seen from all these writers’ stories is confidence in what you do and deserve. So go for it. No one else is going to do it for you.
McKenna Graf is a poet and filmmaker from New Jersey. She is earning her bachelor’s degree in English and film & media studies from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. Stubbornly ambitious, she has published three poetry books through Parisian Phoenix Publishing. Never far from her friends, family, or computer, she hopes that her words find a home with you, whatever that looks like. Find her on social media, @mckennagrafwrites, and check out her website, www.mckennagraf.com.
