C. N. Garraway

The Journey to Self-Publishing

For years, I dreamed of getting my work published. I decided to start with poetry, thinking it would be faster.

I was wrong.

Poetry books take just as much time—if not more. Finding the right poems for a cohesive collection is challenging. I wanted my poetry book to build my readership and eventually publish my other works-in-progress.

But the journey wasn’t easy.

The Struggle to Bring It All Together

I spent three years working on my poetry book. During that time, I pushed back the publication date more times than I can count.

Most of the time, I felt lost.

I struggled to organize my poems into meaningful sections. I would get close, then stall. I went back and forth constantly—rearranging, second-guessing, and even reconsidering how many poems I wanted to include.

At one point, I aimed for over 100 poems. But as I reviewed them, I realized many didn’t fit.

Because I didn’t want a random collection.

I wanted to tell a story.

I wanted my words to connect with readers, especially those who have experienced what I have—so they would know they are not alone.

When I Realized I Needed Help

Eventually, I had to be honest with myself.

I wasn’t making progress.

There was so much about self-publishing that I didn’t anticipate: editing, structuring, formatting—it became overwhelming.

I’d already edited most of my poetry, and my older sister had helped refine some pieces. She has a great eye for catching errors I might miss. I also read articles about editing poetry on my own.

But I still needed another layer of support.

That’s when I decided to try ChatGPT.

Using ChatGPT Without Losing My Voice

After hearing others talk about how ChatGPT helped them with grammar and organization, I decided to give it a try.

I had nothing to lose.

I shared my poetry and asked for feedback focused on:

• Tone
• Consistency
• Grammar

The results surprised me.

The edits were light and respectful of my voice. It mainly suggested small word changes or redundancies. It didn’t rewrite my work or change the emotional depth of my poetry.

And that mattered to me.

Because every poem is my story.

Structuring My Poetry Collection

Once the editing was complete, I asked for help organizing my poems into sections.

I originally had these sections:

• The Beginning
• Crushes, Love, and Loss
• The Journey of Healing
• Women of Resilience

Then something shifted.

Based on my book title, The Evolving Flame, a new structure was suggested:

• The Spark
• The Wildfire
• The Rising Heat
• The Steady Flame

This new structure aligned perfectly with the theme of my book.

It elevated the emotional journey and strengthened the narrative flow.

And for the first time in three years…

Everything started to come together.

Formatting and Design Challenges

After organizing the poems, I moved into formatting.

Initially, I started laying everything out in Word, but it was too time-consuming. Since I planned to format the final book in Adobe InDesign anyway, I skipped that step and worked directly from my individual poem files.

That decision saved me a lot of time.

Still, formatting in InDesign was a challenge. I don’t use it often, and my experience has mostly been limited to creating writing journals—not full poetry books.

The biggest struggle?

The table of contents.

I’m still working through it.

Designing the Cover

While building the book, I also began designing the cover.

I wanted something bold, something that reflected the theme and resonated with readers.

I started with a sketch, then used ChatGPT to help bring the concept to life. After a few iterations, I got close to the vision I had in mind.

From there, I moved into Adobe Illustrator to:

• Choose fonts
• Place the blurb
• Refine the overall design

I created two mockups and shared them with my sister, brother, and nephew before selecting the final design.

Adding Visual Elements

I also decided to include a few drawings in the book.

Not many, but enough to enhance the experience.

Each image is intentional. It’s meant to complement the poem and deepen the emotional impact, not distract from it.

Growth Through the Process

This journey tested me.

I took on multiple roles:

• Writer
• Editor
• Designer
• Marketer

There were moments when I wanted to give up.

But I didn’t.

And when I finally completed the collection, it was emotional. I realized I had accomplished something I had dreamed about for years.

More importantly…

I grew.

And I’m still growing.

Final Thoughts

Self-publishing isn’t easy, but it is possible.

If you’re on this journey, know that setbacks are part of the process. Progress may feel slow, but every step forward matters.

Join the Conversation

Are you on your own self-publishing journey?

I’d love to hear about your experience and challenges.

Leave them in the comments below.

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