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bbq-hawks-wings · 4 years

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Really long ask - Part 1: Hi, sorry for this long rant, but I just wanted to vent since I saw this latest story posted on AO3 and I am restraining myself on commenting on their story so I'm just letting my anger out here about it and other issues regarding fan-depiction of Hawks. It's vaguely related to your post on how DabiHawks or Dabi+Hawks stories make it all about Dabi and always made Hawks out to be the one who starts the problems in their relationship or is the one trying to get Dabi's

Content warning: passing mention of r*pe in a fanfiction.

LOOOONG post under the cut.

(Cont.)

Dabi's attentions when it's canon that it's the complete opposite. This latest story that came up in my feed was about Hawks "harassing" Dabi (who apparently has a backstory of r*pe) and Twice helps Dabi works out his feelings. Among the hoards of tags condemning Hawks, they decided to use "Hawks is very uncool in this fic heads up" so that's another one to add to my filters. I think I also have to block the "Dabi Needs a Hug" tags too bc he's always woobified like heck.

I really want to read stories where Hawks interacts with Twice since they have a bond/drama with each other, but people have been adding Dabi and either making it seem like Hawks has been gaslighting Dabi in their "relationship" or with Twice. I can acknowledge stories where Hawks feels guilty for what he had to do or Twice being anger/betrayed over Hawks' actions since that is actually what happened; but I will not stand for Dabi claiming Hawks took advantage of Twice or Twice and Dabi having feelings for each other with Hawks in the way bc Dabi is a) the one who let Hawks in b) knew Twice is gullible and c) used Twice as bait. Even in the stories that are cute/causal+funny, Hawks is always the one who gets threatened with fire, harsh insults, or guilted into compliance but the seriousness of the first 2 are always brushed off and the third kinda makes me want it that Hawks doesn't have friends bc most people write him as a bad friend who only cares about his own problems (especially the ones that write Hawks like a celebrity/night club person).

On writing Dabi, his issues always take priority over everything else, his family loves him, and the lov is always chill with him. He's usually written as the fun asshole/caretaker (bc of his big brother status or ablity to cook). Those factors aren't bad by itself, but it's extremely irritating when the writers/artists can give that level of care to Dabi, but just reduce Hawks to a meme who is a workaholic for the government/scared of punishment & not bc he really cares about the people he saves/helps. It's not like I hate the DabiHawks pairing, but the majority of the content (esp the recent ones), are frustrating to read & Hawks' character is usually written in bad out of character extremes. I am really mystified that I'm praying for canon content rather than fanmade most of the time.

Phew! After the back and forth it looks like we got to the end of that! (Or did we?! *Dun dun DUUUUN*) If not, though, feel free to keep the asks rolling. Lol Foxy and I are usually pretty happy to receive as many asks as people want to send even if it takes us a while, individually, to get to it. Now to finally address what you sent.

I find myself in a weird place when it comes to OOC fanfic because on the one hand people can write whatever they want, and I don’t really have a place to criticize them; but also when they blatantly and willingly misinterpret a character so they have grounds to bash on them it also leaves me acutely uncomfortable. I don’t think I’d call it “problematic” as much as a squick? Like, if they’re willing to blow past all the obvious proof to the contrary about their claims of a fictional character just because they hate them, then are they willing to do the same thing to a real person? Usually, those kinds of thoughts are pointlessly extreme, but we know those who unironically and/or unapologeticly call fans of the heroes “bootlickers” so... It’s like, ooc vent fics are also fine; and if you want to rewrite a character to fit the narrative scheme you’ve set up that’s cool as long as its tagged (“ooc [character]” or something) and/or just mention in the a/n that they knowingly and willingly mischaracterized them for the sake of the fic. Just. Don’t. Claim. It’s. Canon.

And speaking of canon, as much as I’m sure Horikoshi knew Hawks and Dabi were going to end up shipped I think it’s obvious that he never was going to canonically write them ending up together, yet here comes the “canon must validate my headcanon” crowd calling him a bad writer because the author had some bigger narrative goal in mind than having two pretty anime boys kissing.

And the worst part to me is, I feel there’s a distinct slice of the DabiHawks crowd missing out on some of the possibilities of this ship by intentionally mischaracterizing them. Like, the aesthetic equal/opposite draw of the ship is phenomenal as it is and I don’t even ship them, but I can see a wide range of possible fics based solely on the principle that they are canonically incompatible!

At the end of the day, Dabi is a dime-a-dozen edgelord - that pain in the butt OC that so many newbie D&D players make that they think is so deep and dark and mature, but is about as cookie-cutter as they come. It’s not that this kind of character is unsalvageable or a hopeless Gary Stu character, just that they don’t often come across as compelling in and of themselves or that they need more than just selfish hatred to carry them through a series. Two kinds of edgelords that can be done well are the “Out of the Ashes” edgelord and “I’ll Pull You Into Hell With Me” edgelord. The first kind recognizes there’s more to life than their sad backstory and getting even and thus choose to aspire to more noble causes - think Joel from The Last of Us. The second recognizes they’re actively doing wrong and come to embrace it - being more concerned with getting what they want than taking the moral high ground - think Frank Castle, aka the Punisher - and even these darker, “unsaveable” kinds of edgelord antiheroes can have redeeming qualities such as meeting and helping a young hopeful and telling them, “I know I’m on the road to hell, so if you want to save yourself you’d better not follow me.”

Dabi actually has what he needs to become the second type right now (assuming he’s Touya) and could even evolve into the first not unlike Kratos from God of War, but that potential can’t be fully recognized until you admit that he’s fundamentally self-centered and a bad person as-is. He may have the tragic backstory complete with justifiable hate at his genuinely abusive father, but rather than using that as fuel to see that never happen to anyone else like it did him - he just wants to get even. He burns people alive, knowing well he’s participating in the same destruction that his father committed to make him what he is now. He doesn’t recognize any of the merits of hero society and is only concerned with burning it to ash. He could use what happened to his family to incite compassion in his heart and take others under his wing, but instead he uses people as a mean to his own ends. He isn’t even proper grimdark - he’s just your run of the mill egotistical megalomaniac with a punk aesthetic.

And that’s still a good character in the grand scheme of things, maybe just not alone! Moreso, it’s a good villain and EVEN BETTER when you put him next to Hawks who is at his core:

Fundamentally Hopepunk!

Hopepunk is about being good and kind as an act of rebellion against a cruel and unfair world no matter how bleak it gets or how badly you’re beaten down. Despite his own cruel past, Hawks still has a heart to help others for no other reason than to help them, he constantly changes the odds to save as many people as he can when he’d be given a pass for letting the cards fall where they will, and not only is his aim to “help others” but to make sure that there’ll never be need for heroes again. He’s an active rebel against the system fighting with kindness and goodness, fervently looking and listening for the next opportunity to do good.

In agreement with you, Hawks and Twice are interesting to explore because while Twice is an optimist looking to make the world a better place, he’s still a step or two removed from Hawks’ worldview because Twice refuses to let go of the “family” he found for himself while Hawks is willing to sacrifice himself for others. That dynamic is so interesting, and it’s what made them so initially compatible and subsequently heartbreaking in canon.

And it’s such a disappointment to see this unwaveringly earnest character reduced to “shitty fratboy” so often. For a lot of people newer to his character I can understand the confusion, but there really isn’t an excuse if you’ve been reading the series, and the possibilities for fics with this canon personality are just so much more interesting to explore, especially with Dabi as his sort-of opposite.

For DabiHawks to work well, you have to recognize that something has to give in either of them. Some of the juiciest, most angsty content is when you have two characters grow close together over commonalities only to be reminded that despite everything else they share, that One Thing will always keep them from truly being able to see eye-to-eye. Either Dabi has to grow past his hatred and relearn compassion and empathy, or Hawks has to lose grip of that hopeful vision he has and fall into despair. Both options are good to explore, but both require the acknowledgement that Dabi’s view of the world is fundamentally bleak and selfish, especially compared to Hawks’. For a supposed revolutionary out to change the world for the better whose a diamond in the rough with a heart of gold, that’s not exactly on-brand; and at the end of the day the issue is that some are unwilling to admit that what they wanted Dabi to be is likely not going to happen and they love that fake version Dabi more than they love what Hawks actually stands for which is why Hawks always gets the shaft in the end.

I still personally hold a bit of a grudge against the DaiHawks ship as a whole purely because, as you said, Dabi always seems to take priority over Hawks instead of letting the two build a dynamic together. Hawks is always the one who has to give, and the torture porn some have made him go through to “make the ship work” is downright disturbing to me. Even at its height DabiHawks content completely flooded the Hawks character tags on Tumblr with some of the same problems that have persisted to this day such as emphasizing their aesthetic as opposed to their dynamic and rampant mischaracterization.

Anyway, that’s my long-winded response. What do you think, @autumn-foxfire?

#long post anon #autumn-foxfire #let's talk hawks

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patricksilvrrozartistry · 7 years

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Current Music Obsessions: June 1 - 15, 2017

This whole month is gonna be a bit of a doozy for these posts. I’m purging through my watch later playlist again, so there’s quite a few entries. Let’s start with the many honorable mentions.

Ravenscry - Overload Elyose - plus qu'humain feat Florent Jannier (Arkan) Divitius - Sky Endless Main - Age of Darkness Amesoeurs - Amesoeurs Dopamine - II Mouth of the Architect - Lullabye Evig Natt - A Final Lament Blind Saviour - Reign of the Robot Clans The Longing - 40 Days Flora Cash - Nothing Lasts Forever (And It's Fine) DragonForce - The Game feat. Matt Heafy (Trivium) Tesseract - Retrospect Clouds - How Can I be There OverAlive - Lucid Reverie Draconian - The Death of Hours Chronicode - Break Out Of Devilment - Father Dali Ten - Paragon Band-Maid - Daydreaming Despite Exile - Absent Foundation Moonlight Asylum - Can't Save You Anymore Mastercastle - Drink of Me Midnight - After Death Scarlet Haven - Titan, I Am Psyborg Corp. - World Genocide Blast Port Noir - Tide Across the Divide - Worthless Lamb - Wise Enough

Now for the many actual obsessions.

1) The Anix - Again

This is the second song I've heard from them and I am really enjoying their sound. It's so lovely and so great to chill to. I love the strings in this track too. They add an extra dimension to the song's sound that really takes it to another level even though it's only something so simple. I am definitely gonna give their new album a listen.

2) Kimberly Freeman - Rust

I'm already quite familiar with Kimberly's band One-eyed Doll, so when I saw that she released a track using her actual name, I was quite intrigued. It's so very different from One-eyed Doll. The only resemblance is her voice. It's so doomy and atmospheric and so beautiful. If you've ever wondered if Kimberly could do something gorgeous, this is the song.

3) Cellar Darling - Black Moon

This song is so good! I am so hyped for the new album, you have no idea. I've always been a big fan of Anna and her voice and hurdy gurdy, and to be able to have a full album featuring her voice singing the way she does with Cellar Darling is so amazing. The unique, soft vocal lines in the chorus and bridge are so pretty, and same goes for the hurdy gurdy solo. Can't wait to hear their debut album.

4) Bonnie Tyler - Holding Out for a Hero

A friend on Facebook shared this song and I got obsessed immediately. I feel beyond late to the party for just then hearing the original version of this iconic song. Bonnie's voice is just so epic and the song itself is epic. I low key wish a symphonic metal band would do a cover of this and make it over-dramatic. I would love that.

5) Tiamat - Carry Your Cross and I'll Carry Mine

I discovered this song on Pandora one day and decided to look it up at a later date, and when I did, I kept listening to it. It's such a simple song, but the execution of it and the blend of the two singers' voices is what makes it and it's absolutely gorgeous. A great gothic metal track.

6) Nemesea - Dance in the Fire

This is Nemesea's first single featuring their new front woman, Sanna Mieloo. Bruh. This song is so good! I was very worried about the new singer not being able to compare to Manda, which she doesn't, but she's still an amazing fit for the band and will more than likely be able to give Manda's songs great justice. Well, I don't know about the stuff from their debut album, Mana, but I don't think they've performed any songs from that album in years, so everything should be good. ANYWAYS, definitely give this track a listen.

7) Scenario II - Awake

This song is so good. I just wish the choir bits were turned up a bit higher. Other than that, this track is epic. Of the few tracks I've heard from them, I feel that this track really shows this band's potential and versatility. I was especially thrown off when their female singer unleashed them screams in the bridge leading up to the song's exit.

8) Lighthouse in Darkness - Oceanbliss

I discovered this band while searching on the metal archives to see if Helen Vogt had been featured on anything or was in any new projects since the split of the epic gothic metal band Flowing Tears. When I read their description, the fact they describe their sound as melancholic, cinematic trip-hop, I was immediately intrigued. I then found this track and fell in love. This song is fucking gorgeous. It's so nice to hear Helen's voice, ESPECIALLY her singing as low as she is on this track. I can't wait to hear more from this band, because I'm already hooked!

9) The Great Discord - The Red Rabbit

Guys. This song is so good! I've been so hyped for the new album, and this song is further fueling the hype. It's so interesting, weird and catchy. I'm constantly finding myself singing "hop, hop, hop into the rabbit hole" randomly throughout the day. Also the video is insane and the imagery is slightly creepy, yet so creative and out of the box.

10) Heretoir - The White

I discovered this band through a friend when wanting to find blackgaze bands to listen to. This song is more post metal, but I still absolutely love it. The aggression and beauty of this track are both intense and it's so great to just chill out to.

11) Weeping Silence - Ivy Thorns Upon the Barrow

I decided to listen to this track because I couldn't remember it. So glad I checked it out again. It's so lovely and epic. I love beautiful gothic doom metal tracks like this. And their current front woman has such a strong and beautiful voice.

12) Symphonian - Path of a Soul

I randomly discovered this gothic doom metal band one day while listening to either Weeping Silence or Draconian. So glad I decided to give this song a listen. It's so gorgeous and wonderful. The violins are to die for. Definitely am gonna check out more from these guys.

13) Amederia - Who We Are

This is a gothic doom metal band that I need to hurry up and listen to entirely already. I have loved every track I've heard from them, and this song is no exception. It's so beautiful, haunting and melancholy. The slowness of this song, like the others that I've heard from them, capture so much raw emotion that it can be overwhelming. So good.

14) Lethian Dreams - White Gold

This is an ambient doom metal band that I discovered last year, but haven't gotten around to listening to much of their work yet. This track is so lovely and pretty. Perfect song to chill to. It reminds me a bit of Trees of Eternity, just not as aggressive (which Trees of Eternity aren't even that aggressive).

15) Omnimar - Reason

I discovered this band a few months back and decided to check out another song by them and this is what I decided to listen to. This is such a great EBM/synth pop track. It's so pretty and pleasant. I really want to listen to their new album they've released this year, as well as other bands similar to them.

16) Vuur - Days Go By-London

Bruh. I was excited when Vuur was first announced, and after hearing this track, I can't wait to hear more! It's such a great and aggressive prog track. I must admit, the thing I looked most forward to with this project was that Anneke Van Giersbergen and Marcela Bovio were going to be singing together, so needless to say I was bummed that Marcela left the project. But no matter, I'm still gonna keep up with and jam out to this band.

17) Eivør - Surrender

If you want a haunting ambient/experimental track to chill to, look no further. This track is absolutely gorgeous. The exit is everything. Those notes that she lets out are just so beautiful and haunting. So lovely.

18) Trisha Paytas - Silence

I wasn't expecting much when I decided to listen to this track. Trisha is a good singer, but I thought I would become obsessed with a song of hers like I did with this track. It's so gorgeous. This is the prettiest that I've ever heard her sing and I love it.

19) October Ends - Faith in Me

I discovered this band a while back through Instagram after the lead singer either followed me or liked one of my posts. They're a metalcore band that's rather impressive to me. There's something about them that stands out compared to a lot of metalcore bands, but I can't quite place what it is. Either way, this track is epic.

20) Sirenia - Darkling

I decided to listen to Perils of the Deep Blue after so many years and I immediately got obsessed with this song. It just exudes the vibe that Norwegian gothic/gothic doom metal bands had back in the 90's and early 2000's and the vibe the band had back in those days. Dark and slightly doomy. So good.

21) Lisa Gerrard - Sanvean (live)

I was listening to a song Lisa was featured on by Havasi one day and came across this song and immediately fell in love. Lisa has one of those voices that is completely original and can never be replicated by anyone. She's such a huge vocal inspiration of mine, and this song is just one of the many examples why that is. It shows so much of her range and is so gorgeous. Oh, how I'd love to see and hear her live one day.

That’s it for the fist half of this month. The next half is probably going to be as long or possibly longer than this half. Sorry, not sorry. Hope you guys enjoy these amazing songs!

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char27martin · 6 years

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6 Lessons Learned from a Year of 101 Rejections

By Natalie D-Napoleon

Earlier this year I came across an article by Kim Liao in which she explained “Why You Should Aim For 100 Rejections A Year.” As soon as I finished reading the piece I went to the folder in my email marked “Writing Submissions 2017” and for the first time in my life, I began to count my rejections rather than counting my acceptances. I had effortlessly amassed 53 rejections. I punched my fist in the air and whooped out loud. It was June and I was already halfway to 100 rejections for the year.

Writer’s Market 2018: The Most Trusted Guide to Getting Published

I am the sensitive type (of course, I’m a writer): I weep openly when listening to sad love songs or during Claire and Jamie’s various reunifications on Outlander, and I have cried in the past on my friend’s and husband’s shoulder when my writing has been rejected. However, before Kim Liao’s article, another woman had sent me on the journey of beginning to accept that rejection was less about failure and more about getting closer to your goals. In 2015, I attended the first BinderCon conference in L.A. BinderCon began as a “secret” Facebook group of women writers sharing contacts and information and grew into a movement and conference which supports women and gender variant writers.

At BinderCon 2015, Katie Orenstein, founder of The OpEd Project, spoke about the lack of representation of women in the media and the reasons why. As a former journalist and foreign correspondent, she had a perspective on being rejected that I could not fathom at the time. Orenstein opened my eyes to one impressive fact—that women submit their work less than men. She had the statistics to prove it and the acceptances and consequent higher representation of men in the media. In one generalized conclusion: When women and people of color get rejected, we take it personally. When white men’s work is rejected, they don’t take it as a measure of the worth of their work—they decide it simply needs to find the right home elsewhere.

Orenstein says that the dearth of women’s voices in the media, “has affected the quality of our nation’s conversation, the way research is conducted, how stories are reported, and how history plays out—and indeed, what we think history is. As it turns out, the most crucial factor in determining history is more often not the distinction between what is fact and what is fiction, but who tells the story.”

Orenstein’s talk put a fire in my belly. I had an aim now that was both personal and political, to start by not taking writing rejections personally, and to submit more often because that’s what had worked, most likely for centuries of successful male writers. I didn’t aim for 100 rejections in that year; however, I had begun a master’s degree in writing, and the idea was placed in my back pocket for when I had produced the work that needed to be put out into the world. The formula seemed so simple: Submit, submit, submit, submit, and don’t take rejection personally.

Checking that “Writing Submissions 2017” folder again as I neared the end of December 2017, I counted 100 rejections—and one written rejection in a pile of papers on my desk from The Sun—took me to 101! While walking the path that Kim Liao and Katie Orenstein put me on, I have learnt a few lessons:

1. Have a body of work to submit.

In the past when I had submitted work. I didn’t have a body of work behind me to make submitting worth my while—just a handful of poems, a new short story every year. From 2014 to 2016 I completed my degree online. With a four-year-old and a part-time job as a writing tutor, I didn’t have much time to do anything other than produce creative writing. I was ferocious and voracious; I wrote and wrote and re-wrote and didn’t stop to think for a moment about what I would do with the work. I simply enjoyed the process of creating after taking a break for several years to be a mom and pursue the life of a singer-songwriter. What this time gave me was a significant body of work to begin dipping in to in order to begin submitting when the time was right. By the time I completed my degree, I had a complete poetry collection and several creative nonfiction essays ready to submit.

Online Course: Fearless Writing with Bill Kenower

2. Pitch your submissions like a freelance journalist pitches stories.

My husband is a freelance journalist, so when I began submitting and expressing my frustration when I was rejected, his first question to me was Why don’t you try submitting like journalists do? “Research the publication, the editors, the judges, and pitch the work you think will resonate specifically with that publication or judge,” he advised.

I had read the worn “read our publication before you submit,” but I figured that advice was for everyone else, not me. Despite my reservations, I started to heed his and journal editors’ advice, I began to read publications and pitch my work accordingly. This meant researching editors, then finding examples of their work online and reading them. I can say that a good portion of my acceptances—and positive rejections—were the result of taking the time to research and read before I submitted work. The added bonus: I discovered new writers, poetry and creative nonfiction writing that I both enjoyed and could learn from in order to improve my own work.

As a part of this process, I subscribed to each journal’s mailing list. I now regularly go to my email inbox and read these mailings, which often leads to submitting work when themes are called for, or reminds me of reading periods and submission deadlines.

3. Rewrite to meet the word count, and learn to edit your work.

Continuing to think like a freelancer, when I found competitions I wanted to enter, I rewrote work to meet the word count or cut stanzas out of poems to meet the line count. Through this process I became a better editor of my own work. I removed a whole stanza from one poem that placed me second in a competition, and I now prefer the edited version.

I came to discover what author Katherine Paterson says: “I love revisions. … We can’t go back and revise our lives, but being allowed to go back and revise what we have written comes closest.”

Part of this process also meant finding good, trustworthy readers of my work who would give me feedback on what was working and what was not in my writing. In the past I took little time to reflect on my own work, or to find readers. Often, knowing that I had a reader about to peruse my work with a critical eye made me edit more ruthlessly before forwarding my work to them. I learned to ask my readers for specific feedback—e.g., “What do you think of the dialogue on page two of the story?” This helped me identify the weak areas in my own work, especially when readers confirmed my own judgement.

The rejection process also allows you to get to know your stronger and weaker work through the self-reflective process of editing, getting reader feedback, and occasional editorial feedback. As Paul Martin writes in Writer’s Little Instruction Book – Getting Published, “Every rejection … adds to your knowledge about the right market for your work.”

4. IRL connections matter.

No art is created in a vacuum, and no art exists without community. Often writers find community online; however, very few of my online connections have been made without some seven-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon real life connection. When I began my master’s degree I joined two different local in-person writing groups, began attending local poetry readings and book launches, and through this process I met local writers and publishers.

Eventually these relationships—and I’d like to think the quality of my work—led to getting a poem published in an ekphrastic poetry collection by a local publisher. A friend suggested I submit a memoir piece to a local reading series, and although I had a cold and hacking cough at the time, I thought about my 100 rejections, soldiered on and made a recording. I was accepted to the series, got to read to a full room of attentive listeners, and was coached by a drama teacher on how to read my work aloud—another valuable lesson—all the while connecting with a local writing community I could lean on in the process.

5. Celebrate encouraging feedback.

As an editor told Liao in (according to her article), “The thrill of an acceptance eventually wears off, but the quiet solidarity of an encouraging rejection lasts forever.” The few personal notes I received in 2017 added fuel to the fire, which kept me submitting. When a prominent journal in Australia rejected two poems they wrote, “We enjoyed the intense, vertiginous imagery in these poems,” and then urged me to submit more work in the future. Encouraging rejections let you know your writing is on track (and apparently gives some people vertigo), and that someone out there is carefully considering and paying attention to your work.

The added bonus is that once you know the editors like your work, if you continue to submit to that journal they should: a) remember your name, and b) eventually accept a piece. Getting to know the body of work of an emerging writer is what often gives editors an “in” to understanding your unique point of view. After I had a poem accepted for publication in Australian Poetry Journal, I realized I recognized the editor’s name, and when I reviewed my submissions I found out that I’d sent samples of my work to other journals she edited. Maybe she recognized my name, or maybe once she read the work one more time it “clicked.”

6. Set aside regular time to submit, review and rewrite your work.

Because I was inspired by Liao’s article to continue submitting, I began to set aside time each week to submit. However, this didn’t mean I began submitting blindly. I would carefully study the newsletters of journals, do Google searches, read the Submittable weekly mailer and search the site, the Poets and Writers newsletter, and save competitions that arose on Facebook. Then I would take the time to read the journal I wanted to submit to and decide if my work was appropriate or needed to be rewritten, or if I needed to review my own body of work to find something that may fit a theme call-out. By doing this for an hour or two, two or three days a week, I built up to 101 rejections.

I also learnt during the process that I had underestimated some of my own work. My experimental erasure poetry was being published extensively, and I found that what Orenstein had suggested was true: more rejection builds resilience and an ability to brush it off. Most of all, I realized the truth of what Zora Sanders, the former editor of Australian journal Meanjin Quarterly, said: For women to bring our work to the attention of editors we need “to take more risks.”

This led me to the greatest lesson of all: How to use rejection to review my work and improve my writing.

And the result of my year of 101 rejections? I won second place for my poem “First Blood” and had another poem commended in a poetry competition judged by the international editor of the Kenyon Review; I made two competition shortlists with a creative nonfiction memoir piece, “Crossing,” and then the same story was accepted by a major Australia literary journal for publication; I had four erasure poems published online and another accepted in Australian Poetry Journal; I read a memoir piece at a local reading series to a sold-out room, and finally, an ekphrastic poem was published in a collection by Gunpowder Press. That’s 11 acceptances for 101 rejections, if anyone is counting.

This year, I’m prepared to aim for 102 rejections with glee, while I quietly place a few more cracks in the literary glass ceiling.

Natalie D-Napoleon is a writer, singer-songwriter and educator from Fremantle, Australia who now lives in California. She has an MA in Writing from Swinburne University and currently works as a Coordinator at a Writing Center in a California city college. Her work has appeared in Entropy, The Found Poetry Review, LA Yoga Magazine and the Santa Barbara News-Press. Recently, her story “Crossing” made the finalists’ list for the Penelope Niven Prize in Creative Nonfiction, and her poem “First Blood” placed second in the 2017 KSP Poetry Awards judged by John Kinsella.

Twitter and Instagram: @nataliednapo Blog: http://nataliednapoleonwordplay.blogspot.com/

The post 6 Lessons Learned from a Year of 101 Rejections appeared first on WritersDigest.com.

from Writing Editor Blogs – WritersDigest.com http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/questions-and-quandaries/publishing/6-lessons-learned-year-101-rejections

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