Keduoneinuo Solo, a Budding Writer From Kohima, Nagaland Talks About Her Passion For Writing

“Because I have seen so much regression, there is nothing I want more than progress. And I learnt that progress starts with the self.”

Meet Keduoneinuo, a budding writer and the author of My Dream Girl. She credits her love for writing to reading. She started reading early on and was influenced by the writings of the likes of Mark Twain and Anne Frank. Her book is about transitioning into a powerful and beautiful woman, who she calls her dream girl.

We had a little chat with Keduoneinuo today to see what she had to say on her working style and her latest book “My Dream Girl”.

Keduoneinuo Solo

Hello Keduoneinuo. Please introduce yourself.

My name is Keduoneinuo Solo. I am 26 years old and I am currently pursuing my Master of Education (M.Ed.) at Nagaland University. I grew up in the heart of Kohima Village.

Introduce us to your work. What initially sparked your interest in this field?

I don’t exactly recall the first time I started writing poetry, or when I first started writing at all, but I do have old diaries and journals that I have maintained since I was 12 to 13 years old. What really got me writing was reading! I read a lot of books whilst growing up. I read Johanna Spyri, Mark Twain, Anne Frank, Lewis Carroll, to name a few and other children’s books that my parents bought home. I also had the privilege of getting my hands on Baptist High’s Library when my interest in reading sparked, and they had a decent collection of classics in the form of children books. I started with those easy reads. I like simple language that gets straight to the point.

From ‘My Dream Girl’

My book My Dream Girl is a small collection of very simple poems that tells the story of a young girl transitioning into a woman. The transition happens when she finds her present state of being in a relationship retrogressive. The collection speaks about heartbreak and regret, but more importantly, it talks about self discovery and self love and the notion of God being the ultimate lover is greatly underlined in the collection.

“The title “My Dream Girl” is so because the ultimate message of the whole collection is of becoming your own dream girl, in other words, self love and self acceptance. This is truly a very introspective collection. It’s all about thinking out loud.”

Keduoneinuo signing her book ‘My Dream Girl’

How has your upbringing influenced you? What is your work philosophy?

I grew up in close connection with many teachers and advisers who taught me about life experiences and the importance of your relationship with people, yourself and God. This has seeped into the core of my being. Because I have seen so much retrogression, there is nothing I want more than progress. And I learnt that progress starts with the self. In other words, self awareness. To stand beside yourself and observe your own thought patterns. Meta-cognition. To sort out your triggers and mindset. This is basically my work philosophy.

What do you hope people take away from your writing?

I want people to be entertained from my writing, because it’s still art and a form of muse and entertainment. I would want people to read them and maybe relate with the lines. Be inspired. Honestly, poetry is not my forte I tell myself. I want to write prose. I am currently working on one. I don’t know what it is going to be about yet but there’s gonna be a lot of truth in it, inasmuch it is going to be fiction.