Halfway Through the Portfolio Year
Stepping into the Portfolio Year, I was convinced my half-finished literary work was nearing completion. Blindly feeling the quiet pride that most writers carry when they have lived inside a story for years, I thought it needed a few adjustments, maybe one deep edit, but nothing too heavy.
I quickly discovered that my manuscript was merely a starting point; it was a canvas for strokes of deeper insight and meaning. Lighthouse classes have refined the way I see structure, pacing, and emotional truth. The workshops have asked for clarity that was difficult for me to see on my own, and they have taught me that there is much more to creating than just sitting down and writing a book.
Yet the most profound transformation came from the inspiring individuals in my Portfolio Year cohort and from my mentor, William Haywood Henderson. Bill is patient, encouraging, and thorough. He teaches without judgment and sees the potential in my craft long before I do. His guidance has restructured entire chapters in my manuscript, but more than that, it has reshaped the way I listen to my own words. And, he has the rare gift of making one want to rise to meet their own story.
The small cohort of writers I share time with has become a circle of trust. These writers show up with rigor and compassion. Their feedback is honest, thoughtful, and generous, and their pages teach me something every week. As I watch them reach deeper into their stories, I feel myself reliving their process. The group has become mirrors, guides, and companions on a path I previously walked alone.
The larger Lighthouse community is a tapestry of shared wisdom and camaraderie, a reminder that writing thrives as a collective journey rather than a solitary pursuit. On the days when doubt settles in, it is this wider circle that lifts me. Belonging to this community makes the hard work possible by fostering collaboration, support, and most importantly, accountability.
Being a Portfolio Year member is more than just craft classes, workshops, or having your work reviewed by a mentor. It’s about becoming part of a community of writers. I plan to continue to work with my cohort long after the year is over. We review each other’s work and lift each other up with feedback, encouragement, and respectful critiques as we work towards our mutual goal of finishing our manuscripts.
I arrived in the Portfolio Year with a desire to shine, and now I am fueled by a readiness to learn. It is a transformation driven by a community that holds me accountable, broadens my perspective, and pushes me beyond my own limits. Even though the year is halfway done, my manuscript stands on firmer ground, and my writing has a newfound authenticity. It is not a solo climb; it is about shared agency, learning, consistent work, and the courage to be better than when you started.
Larry Smith says a whole life can fit into six words. So, in honor of him, and in honor of the community that has carried me this far, here is my six-word memoir: Community holds me. Craft refines me.
Meet the Author
Deanna Byck, Sc.D., MPH, brings a lifelong passion for storytelling to the Portfolio Year and has over thirty-five years of experience using narrative to create connections and drive change. Recently, she has turned toward narrative non-fiction, exploring trauma and resilience, and she is currently working on One-Eyed Jack, about her son’s illness and her family’s approach to confronting his death and grief, using psychedelic medicine. Deanna’s career spans filmmaking, television, editorial writing, policy communications, entrepreneurship, and narrative development. She served as Chair of the Board and Board Director at One Heart Worldwide, championing maternal and child health, mostly in Nepal, since 2005. She holds a Doctorate in Health Policy and Communications from Harvard University and a Master of Public Health from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). As a Contributing Editor and Writer for C Within Magazine, she explored themes of transformation and was honored as one of their “Women of Distinction.” She also served as Editor-in-Chief of Local Healthcare Today, a journal written by physicians, and as Managing Editor for the Time-Life Medical Series. Deanna was an Executive Producer for Ken Burns’ Defying the Nazis for PBS and has worked on many other documentaries. Her earlier work included health-related storytelling for Good Morning America, PBS’s Frontline, and The Health Quarterly. Before her work in television, she worked on feature films such as Lonesome Dove and Young Guns, among others. Deanna has served on numerous non-profit boards and has dedicated her career to making complex and disparate issues accessible to large audiences, leveraging her multifaceted experience to craft compelling narratives that drive social change across the arts and industries.
Portfolio Year
Portfolio Year features a one-year intensive program aimed at helping writers take their writing to the next level and features one-year cohorts of six writers, coached by a mentor, to help each writer achieve their personal and professional writing goals.
