How I Got my First Big Byline as an Undergrad
By Grace McCarty
“So, what are you going to do with an English major?” In our department, this question (and the dread surrounding it) has become something of a cliché. Many of us have grown accustomed to puzzled looks when we respond that we don’t want to teach or work for a publishing company. Others of us will begin to respond that we want to write, but trail off as we grasp for specifics that don’t yet exist. We know that we want bylines. We spend every day at Fordham fine tuning our writing to be worthy of them. The missing, and perhaps, most daunting piece of the puzzle is how to secure them.
Three years ago, in an antiquated era before the pandemic, I came to Fordham with “Undecided” decidedly stamped on every piece of paperwork asking for my intended major. English felt like an inevitability, almost a safety net. I had always felt most at home in high school literature classes, and writing had come as a second form of breathing to me my whole life. Still, it worried me that “English” didn’t seem to translate as directly into a career as “Pre-Med” or “Accounting” did.
As I stumbled through my freshman year, waiting for some kind of direct major-to-job pipeline to present itself, I found myself falling more in love with the written word in every class I took. I got my first taste of the editorial process when I joined MODE Magazine, the student-run fashion and lifestyle publication at Rose Hill. After brainstorming story ideas with section editors at our first meeting, I was buzzing with excitement on the walk back to my freshman dorm. Seeing my first article in print made me proud and satisfied in a way that felt different from other accomplishments. I knew that that feeling would never lose its zip.
That year, I remember scribbling down in one of the miscellaneous journals stacked on my desk, “I think I really want to be a writer.” Even though the vagueness of the word scared me, and I had no idea what my translation of a writer’s life might look like, it felt so solid and right. I declared my English major spring of my freshman year, and went on to join the Creative Writing concentration as a junior. As a senior, I’m entering my third semester as Fashion Editor of MODE.
For me, the real-world itch set in about a year ago. I started to think about the future in less abstract terms, and wondered if the skills I was developing would actually serve me well in my professional life. That semester, I enrolled in ENGL 3019, Writing for Publication, at Lincoln Center, taught by Prof. Elizabeth Stone (and to be taught in the spring at Rose Hill by Prof Lenny Casuto).
With my classmates, I learned and drilled the arts of pitching to editors, freelance etiquette, focused peer feedback, and polishing pieces for publication. I expanded into new Fordham editorial communities, and wrote for the Lincoln Center Observer. Through the class, I also made contact with Fordham alum Lexi McMenamin, Teen Vogue’s News and Politics Editor, who became the subject of my first profile. The class introduced us to other alumni whose professional success represented the real-world applications of our studies. The idea that my English degree could send me on countless different professional paths became less daunting, and more thrilling.
Early on in Writing for Publication, I had a revelation: I didn’t have to wait for the next phase of my life to see if anyone would actually publish my writing. I just had to put it out there, and hope that it made its way in front of the right eyes. I just had to try.
I felt uneasy about reaching outside of the Fordham nest for the first time with my writing. When I sent my first pitch to an established publication, one that I had revered for years, I couldn’t shake the feeling that even pitching was presumptuous. Who was I, as a college undergraduate, to even imply that my own writing might be worthy of representing a household name fashion publication? I distinctly remember my heart skipping a beat on the Ram Van when I saw the editor’s name pop into my inbox. She loved my idea, but her director wasn’t looking to take on freelance pieces at the moment. She invited me to keep in touch. It was the most exhilarating rejection of my life.
Over the course of the following semester, I took on an independent study with Prof. Stone that sharpened my pitching skills and kept me focused on my goal of being published. Over the course of several months, I sent dozens of pitches, maintained an ever-growing list of editor contacts, and reached out to many Fordham alums in the industry for advice. I found my brain rewiring itself to turn nearly every observation into a potential story. As I learned how rare it is to hear back from pitch-inundated editors at major publications, I came to appreciate my first rejection (and all those to follow) even more; it made me believe that my writing was at least worthy of consideration, and that sooner or later, one of my ideas would stick. And, after months of plugging away from behind my Fordham email account, one finally did.
A pitch about a new app that my friends and I had been using for a week–one that I debated even writing in the first place– was my first green light. I quite literally jumped for joy in the Botanical Gardens when the deputy editor of Glamour Magazine made me an offer for my article. Seeing my name in print with a publication I’ve stacked beside my bed and seen in glossy magazine aisles my whole life affirmed every choice I’ve made in pursuit of my English and Creative Writing degree.
The Glamour team added the credit: “Grace McCarty is a writer and student based in New York” to the end of my article. This is the proof I wish I had when I first declared my major: it is possible to be both! Freelance writing is an attainable possibility for undergraduates who are willing to self-advocate, accept and learn from rejection, and continuously seek to improve their editorial skills. I’ve had plenty of pitches turned down since my first victory, but I’ve learned to view them as stepping stones to greater potential. I’ve been back in contact with Glamour editors this fall, and I’m thrilled to be joining them on some upcoming editorial projects.
I can’t imagine that I would have pushed myself to freelance outside of a college community without the support I have found in my Fordham English classes. Fordham students, faculty, and the alumni network are overflowing with established and successful writers who are willing to connect with and help us. The new Public & Professional Writing minor holds even more potential to equip Fordham’s newest generation of writers with the skills we need to secure the bylines we dream of. No version of a “must be this tall to ride” sign exists in the editorial world. We don’t need to wait for permission to try. Sometimes, the most daunting step is deceptively simple: type out a pitch, and hit send.
