“If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.” Martin Luther.
Where did I learn to write first? I do not remember exactly, can not answer that question correctly. So now am I a writer? Apart from all the definitions of the author you are thinking, I am someone who is very fond of this one activity.
I still remember when the third grade of elementary school, I was immersed in the pleasure of reading activity. My father has a variety of book and magazine genres. I can still remember how his style holds, reads, and meets a book. Very impressive. Sixth grade elementary school, I tried to write a fiction using my parents' old typewriter. I took it to my room and with my other cousins, we started writing.
I still remember what story I wrote. I think I quite loved my writing at the time. A fictional story entitled “Bagaimana, sih, Cara Belajar Dengan Benar?” ("How to Learn Well?"). The story about a child who his mother asked him to study at home well, but he was confused about how to learn well, how to learn what his mother meant. Whenever he is told to study, he will pick up his books and stationery, try to open a book and browse through the contents. Picked up a pen and did not know what to write and finally he drew it.
The story above is pure fiction. I'm not yet 11 years old, there was no writing teacher, only general teacher. I like to read Bobo magazines and I've read similar genres of writing above, I do not know if that's what's called fiction. My mom and dad are not too academically oriented, so in real life, I'm rarely asked to study at home. My mom and dad did not have any special time to get us to take books and pens and ask to repeat the lessons at school.
After one of those fiction writings, I still like to make a writing that manages to emerge from my imagination. Some are visual and encourage me to start drawing. So I started to draw line by line to make a drawing. It was the fifth grade of elementary school, I made a comic titled The Little Cindy. The story inspired by my favorite reading of the Japanese comic Candy-candy. My friend Khairunnisa often gave me ideas for pictures and stories. As a form of my gratitude and appreciation for the idea, I made it in the picture book the name of both of us. My other classmates are readers who await the publication of our work together. Exactly waiting for when I finish the comic The Little Cindy. The comic is finished and the success got many fans. I went on to create a comic called Twin. The story of a pair of twin girls who like one the same boy, but they both keep each other's twin feelings. LOL, a sixth grader who already knows what it is falling in love. Precisely just found out. I no longer remember the fate of the Twin Comic. I started experimenting with other comics that this time was inspired by the Sailor Moon cartoon I was watching.
That's the series of fiction I tried to pour in the form of comics and short stories. When the first grade of high school, I and my friends come up with the idea of a school bulletin that we call Al-Qalam. I contributed to a short story entitled “Surat untuk Fai” ("Letter to Fai"). Talking about a girl who has already begun to understand about social relations in Islam, she receives a letter from her cousin outside town, her friends say it is a love letter, but it is not. Fai or Fairuz, the name of the female character in the fictional story is never dating.
The accumulation of all the stories or opinion I read, then the movies I watched, including watching the people around me, often made my head full and a monologue. I do not think I'm a quiet person either, but it's not easy to get close and being talk active, maybe from there the impulse to write.
Still in third grade of elementary school too, I bought a blue diary with a cute bear drawing that looked out of the window. The book is outrageous and contains a colorful sheet of paper in it. My visual memory can still remember the shape of the book in detail. It was my first diary. It named Theodora. I wrote daily activity and experience there. My habit of writing diary continues until junior high school, I still remember the name of the diary in accordance with the image in the diary. Yuyu Hakusho, lately I just found out it was a Japanese cartoon movie that somehow told me about what. There's one more diary I call Midori. When I was in college I had diary called Rorick.
Rorick is just a notebook with a regular boardbook cover. I no longer like the books that are colorful. With Rorick, I do not often interact, I rarely write diaries. Occasionally when there is something I can not tell my friends, siblings, and other brothers. For some reason, how could I be introvert like that, huh? I think now. Despite like to watch and observe, I also like to talk and open enough.
I still have Rorick to this day. I think I still keep it in my mailbox and my college dictates. Oh yeah, I also have a lot of letters I still keep, especially letters for my husband. In the past, we did not interact much. So much I wanted to tell him, I also liked to tell the trivial things I had and the odd opinions that had crossed my mind. I want him to understand me outside and inside. We certainly can not often walk together, do not live in a place that is close and easy to reach. But how to transfer my later visions in building a family, building a household, and I want him to recognize my thoughts. What's in my head. Become the habit of writing diary move to write letter. The letter I wrote was unique and rare. People will usually write the longest five-page letter, put in the envelope and sent to the destination address.
My letters are not spreadsheets, not put in such pink envelopes. My letter is the pile of notebooks I gave him when we met at several events. He often felt uncomfortable not having time to reply one by one. Of course! Who can reply to a letter as thick as a novel whenever it comes. Just reading it is great enough, right?
We often move separately and in unreachable areas to meet face to face. Also rarely calling each other to give news, just silence with each other but I have a lot of news in the piles of papers. I think I enjoy writing moments with paper and pens. So among the most appropriate quotes I wrote was as described above by Elizabeth Reyes:
"I write because I must. It's not a choice or a pastime, it's an unyielding calling and my passion."
Actually I did not realize it was passion and the inevitable call of nature. Because I did not end up thoroughly. Evidently when I majored in college I did not choose who was in assembly with the writing world and did not aspire to become a professional writer.
Precisely in 2009 or 2010, I found a preoccupation in a social media platform that is currently prestige is being falldown. Yes, I found it nice to write on Facebook notes and many people I do not know personally can read my work. An editor or professional writer found me, exactly I followed the writing contest she held, themed about the mother.
I loved the way my mother showed her exemplary and philanthropic attitude. Then with great pleasure, I started writing about my mother. The title of the writing can still be remembered, namely “Hati Emas yang Bersepuh Emas”('Golden Gold Gilded Heart'). Telling my inspirational mother, her kindness and sincerity who are always preoccupied with others and her philanthropic spirit. She cares for dozens of children even it was not at the same time. I live with other agendas family happily.
My writing was selected in the competition and published by a major publisher imprint. I was lucky at the time. Teh Triani Retno as the author and editor of the book praised my writing. "Here, ya, I like the first time reading it." She said it in a comment on the post treadh. I'm so excited.
Picture: I won a writing contest
I thought, maybe it would be good for me to hone my writing skills. I also tried to apply to a writing community in Indonesia who has a representative in Aceh. Its name is Forum Lingkar Pena. There I met a lot of great writers. I just know that in my writings there are still many things I have to fix.
At that time I was guided by a national children's book author named Beby Haryanti Dewi. She is a disciplined individual in writing. My writing was revised many times with scathing and hot comments. One month is trained on writing techniques and used to grammar. Diction and sentences effective, when the passion of writing so high and I became really productive at that time.
Kak Beby is not only the type of discipline and tenacious in writing, she is also productive at that time did not hesitate to appreciate our works. One time when the first task I gave her, Kak Beby provide feedback through comments on Facebook notes, but at the end she said "Go ahead, Ain. I think you're talented!" My heart flew high.
The news of the bookshelf to be published comes, as well as the honor of writing. My writing was bought off and the royalties earned were donated to free the land of Rumah Dunia in Banten which was conceived by Mas Gola Gong and Mbak Tias Tatanka. I'm really happy. Moreover, my mother and father, writing only a few sheets of it may be useful. The next book project for charity came again. I do not want to miss taking part. My writing was bought off and royalties to be donated.
picture: Me and My books
I made a blog and wrote there. I still enjoy writing as I want without any deadline demands. At that time I could not choose to be a professional writer, I thought there was something about the rights of others that I had to do first instead of choosing the focus of writing. Writing is my passion but being professional is still far from suitable.
I write on the sidelines of the remaining time. Sometimes I'm looking for what kind of contest I can follow I'm motivated to be more productive. There is also an invitation to make a book together from my community friends and I follow it. In 2013 I published anthology book comedy genre. While the offer of writing a children's book I could not finish. I tell you, I think writing the kid's book is quite difficult. Do not think because you want to learn to write then you would think getting started with writing children's books is easy. No. Writing children's books is a tough challenge.
Other years I was no longer as productive as I used to be, but when I heard the news about Steemit and all the excellence in it, I was excited about improving my writing skills. Contests are also much more interesting. I've heard about Sndbox Summer Camp, eager to join and get involved in interesting projects there, but themes are sometimes was not suitable for me. Until somebody gives me a link about this theme of Writing Quest. I'm so excited and hoping to join the contest and become part of Sndbox Summer Camp.
Actually, I’m not brave enough to say I’m a writer now. I’m not as level as JK. Rowling, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Stephen King, Ernest Hamingway, Leo Tolstoy, or other great author, but I ever heard that “professional writer is an amateur who didn’t give up”, said Richard Barch. Since I have been joining on Steemit I’m trying to improve my writing skill. Thank you a lot for the @Sndbox, I made this writing special for this quest as the rules from 
