Some people believe that writing is medicine for healing and reviving all memories. Writing is also a way to speak when the tongue and body cannot say. For Okta or Keiko, writing is her world to whom she can express all and want her words heard.
She started her journey as a writer when she was still in elementary school. She used to participate in writing competitions as a representative of her school, though she never won them. Then, she decided to write a diary because she wasn’t interested in writing on Facebook, and there wasn’t Wattpad yet. Diary has become her beastie ever since.
In 2018, she started being active on Facebook and liked to read poetry. Why poetry? She told me that she had ever had a crush on someone but didn’t know how to express her feeling. So, she did it by writing poems and stories. Having been active on Facebook, she started to write on Wattpad and take part in writing competitions. Writing has made her addicted and given her costly experiences since then.
Two national poetry competitions she has won in 2019. The first was the National Poetry Competition with the theme of ABADI by Mandala Pratama, the publisher. In that competition, she was awarded as the Chosen Poet, and her work was enlisted in the book of “Antologi Puisi 99 Penyair: Abadi“. The second competition was held in the same year when her manuscript was selected among the 173 best in the National Poetry Writing Olympiad with the theme of the Holy Month of Ramadan 1440H by the publisher of Sinar Gamedia. In addition, she has also published her poem in Antologi Puisi Sastra Pinggiran, acollaboration with Banyumas Poets Club.
When I asked what had motivated her to write, her smile cherished her cheeks and convinced me she was sure about what she did. She even asked me if I was a fan of Pramudya Ananta Toer, and I said yes. She then gave me Tour’s words that encouraged her to write. “Jika engkau ingin mengenal dunia, maka membacalah. Jika kamu ingin dikenal dunia, menulislah”. The quote has inspired her to write and reach her dreams. She wants the world to know her and stay alive even though her body is no longer on the earth, her eyes can no longer see, and her ears can no longer hear. She wants to continue to inspire people with her works and wants special people in her life to know that they are forever in her world. Besides, she is also motivated by Fiersa Besari, whose writing is fantastic and inspiring. The way he engages the readers with his language style is fascinating. Every writer has their characteristics, but for her, all of Fiersa’s writings are more suitable for millennials. Indeed, I was amazed by her insight and passion for writing, especially when she mentioned those great names as her motivators. I am sure she can be a great writer in the future.
Since writing is challenging and not easy for dispassionate people, there should be some strategies to maintain that hobby or passion. For Okta, a common challenge comes when she often gets stuck with ideas or writer’s block. At this point, she often feels tired and cannot continue writing. Therefore, she will put all the gadgets away to find fresher air; and I agree with her.
At the end of our talk, she recalled that writing is an art of conveying feelings either in books, blogs or other platforms. She hopes that she can bring all her messages to her readers so that they will experience the emotions of the stories or imaginations she creates. Writing is not about how many readers you have but how much we can evoke readers’ emotions from every story we write. Whether they enjoy it or not depends on the author. Because of her perspective and works, Okta or Keiko is considerably a talented young writer. (Brev)
