Deanne Napurano

Writer

Mastectomy

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I don’t think I’m alone when I say that I went through several phases of emotional response after receiving my diagnosis. Yes, I experienced the expected reflex denial, then the self-blaming, followed by confusion, and then a gnawing sense of impatience to get on with it, but I also went through a time when I felt betrayed by my own body. I felt sure that somehow my body became aligned with the cancer, the enemy. It was during that time and immediately after surgery that this short poem began to take shape. I read this piece at a breast cancer art and poetry event, which, surprisingly, it didn’t seem to fit.

 

Mastectomy

 

The blade, a god

parting a sea of skin,

made a monster of my body.

 

Good and Evil

left their dead

across my chest –

pockets turned out,

boots stolen.

A swollen silence, settled

but disturbed.

The look of fear

in desert faces, pocked,

ossified and stretched

to the horizon, dimming,

as it dips beyond.

 

Deanne Napurano

Unsolicited advice

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A colleague asked me to talk to a friend of a friend who was considering this writing life. We wound up having an email exchange. I unearthed it this morning while clearing out some old files. If you’re thinking about writing for a living and don’t know where to begin, this may help a little:

I am not a job counselor, only a working writer. Take my thoughts for what they’re worth to you.

Are you drawn to commercial or literary writing? Although a part-time poet, I earn a living as a commercial writer, so I cannot really help you if you’re seeking a literary writing career. If you are, I would recommend you begin reading as much as you can of other successful writers. The second piece of advice: buy Writer’s Market (and peruse tools like the Duotrope or Submittable websites) to learn about the outlets in which you’d like to be published, and start submitting your work. (This is just about where I am right now.)

If you’re seeking a commercial writing career, you can choose from many broad areas – journalism, feature writing, advertising, digital content, marketing, technical, scientific… Do you have a sense of what kinds of material you’d like to write?

One way to approach this is to decide who you’d like to help with your writing. Would you like to help technology firms grow their businesses? Would you like to help bird sanctuaries garner more publicity to attract more donors? Or, would you like to help readers understand more about a specific part of the world around them? Your answer will help guide you.

If you’re unsure of a direction, you may want to consider applying for a position as a proofreader or copyeditor at an ad agency, publishing house, news outlet, or large business. That will provide you with the experience of sampling a lot of quality work – from monographs to webpages.

The Internet is rife with terrible writing. Digital outlets (websites, blogs, and publications) clamor for content. They need content to survive, to increase their search rankings. Some publish anything – and pay very little for it. Some are pickier and still don’t pay well. You might consider contributing to HubSpot, The Huffington Post, or other online content generators.

If you want to begin today, start a blog. You’ll need a portfolio at some point, and self-publishing can really flesh out a thin resume – especially if you write well. Write about what you love, and be aware that potential employers (contract or otherwise) will be reading. A successful blog can earn money either through advertisers or with a fundraising link.

I hope these ideas are helpful.

Photo: D Napurano   Horizon close to home

Poetry of breast cancer

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I was privileged to moderate a poetry event focused on voices of those who have felt the impact of breast cancer. There was undeniable power in the room.  Varied and unexpected poets took the stage: surgeons, healthcare providers, survivors, and our families. If you’ve ever doubted that a few words written in free verse or a prose paragraph with a little humor could open us to a world of emotional experience that many of us don’t talk about in our daily lives, this simple exercise would change your mind; in any given moment, we are all broken, grieving, surviving, defiant, rebellious, sentimental, terrified, grateful, invincible, loving, and vulnerable.

Yes, the event fell under the umbrella of breast cancer awareness month, but it’s so much more than pink ribbons. Most of us are already very much aware. Now, we need action, not just rubber bracelets. We can do better. So, get yourself checked out. Call your doctor. Have an exam. And, talk to the women in your life. Are they taking care of themselves? Early detection is everything.

The event received some news coverage.

Keep writing.

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I tried out a quill pen and ink at Washington Crossing Historic Park. When I was young I was fascinated with ink pens, often searching small stationers for just the right blue cartridges. Do you remember? I still write longhand before I commit anything to Microsoft Word. If I write while I’m typing, my internal editor engages too quickly and there’s too much opportunity to quiet what could become an important, albeit awkward, word.