Neena Elizabeth Pottoore
2023 Right to Write Award Recipient
Mid-Year Update from Neena
As I focus on what’s possible in my writing life, I'm drawn to Virginia Woolf's insights into writing: "Writing is like sex. First you do it for love, then you do it for your friends, and then you do it for money." This reminds me of the evolving motivations behind writing, from passion and personal fulfillment to professional considerations.
Moreover, I cling to Toni Morrison's wisdom as a guiding principle: "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."
This quote serves as a constant reminder of my purpose—to bring forth stories that resonate with my heart and fill the voids I wish to see in literature.
Halfway into my second year of Monthly Mentorship, I now have a portfolio of revised drafts and first drafts using various techniques that Katey has been introducing to us. These past two months I have been working on adding Magical Realism to an essay about my breast cancer. Katey is also challenging me to self-edit by asking myself questions about what I am writing, paragraph by paragraph.
Concrete tasks of achievement for me in the coming months will involve completing the compilation of short stories I've meticulously crafted, proceeding to edit and refine each narrative, preparing them meticulously for the professional editing phase, and ultimately aiming for publication.