How I Become A Writer

HOW I BECOME A WRITER

I am a writer. That’s who I am. Although I am just an ordinary writer, still I am a writer. I have published three books and many articles. My first book is an English book for Indonesian job seeker. It is a guide book on how to find a job. My second book is also a how to book. It is a guide book for Indonesian readers on how to become a good tourist guide. My third book is also an English book. It is a guide book for Indonesian people who want to conduct negotiation with foreign business people, especially in the handicraft and tourism business. Besides books I write articles on politics and Indonesian culture for Hubpages, Triond, Qassia, and Associated Content. I also write blogs. I have two blogs in English language about Indonesian politics and Indonesian literature respectively. I don’t mean to boast because that’s not an impressive achievement but I just want to share my experience on how I do that while I never intended to become a writer when I was kid.

It all started ten years ago in 1998 when my handicraft business went bankrupt. Since 1993 I had a handicraft business. I produced many kinds of handicraft made from wood, rattan and leather. I had many products like picture frame, mirror frame, drawers, tissue boxes, and many other interior decorator. It was just a small business but I exported all my products to Unites States. Each month I shipped my merchandise to New York. Untill one day in early 1998 monetary crisis struck Indonesia. Consequently all prices of raw materials rose significantly. Meanwhile my buyer from United States pushed me to reduce prices substantially on the ground that the US dollar increased significantly to Indonesian Rupiah. It was impossible for me to meet their demand since prices of raw materials rose high. So our negotiation got stuck and they decided not to buy from me anymore. It was the end of my business. After that I tried to find other buyer but all my efforts were in vain.

By the end of 1998 I had no job. My big house in central Java, Indonesia which used to be my workshop suddenly became very quiet. My monthly income suddenly came to an end. I tried to find a job as a tourist guide but it was not easy since tourism business was also struck by the crisis. Then one day I went to a bookstore in Yogyakarta, a neighboring city. There I bought a book about family finance. I intended to learn something about the subject and then I decided to translate it into Indonesian language and sent it to publisher. I have been translating book on politics since 1989 so it is not a new job for me. The next year I got order from a publisher to translate a book.

I learned a lot from translation work and then it gave an idea to write. I wanted to write my own thought. So I began writing articles on politics and a book. The book is a how to book. It is a guide book on how to achieve success. It is only about eighty pages. In short the content is about strong points of anybody and how to sharpen them. But as I reread my book I decided not to send it to publisher. I think that I am not an authoritative author on the subject. How can I write about success while my business went bankrupt ? However, it is very useful for me because it helped me improve my fluency in writing. The benefit of the book for me is that it developed my ability to express my ideas in written form. I believe that the book has no value for others but it is very valuable for me to generate my creativity.

Since then on I read a lot of books and articles on writing. The internet is an infinite sources for inspiration and guidance. Write about the familiar. Write what you know. Those are the principles I read many times. So I try to figure out. What do I know ? It is just a simple question but it is not easy to answer. I need long and deep thinking. I write anything that I comes to my mind. After long process of thinking finally I realize that I know something about tourism. Once I worked as a tourist guide in Yogyakarta. So I tried to write a book about guiding. Finally I can write a book about how to become a good tourist guide in Indonesia. Today I write another book on tourism.

But the process of publishing is another story. When I submitted my book to a publisher they did not give me response. After one year wthout any decision then I submitted my book to another publisher. This time their reaction is quick. One month later they sent me a letter rejecting my book with nice words. Then I submitted my book to a third publisher and one month later they sent me a good news. They will publish my book. Meanwhile I write my second book and it is published by the first publisher that I contacted. Then my third book is published by the third publisher.

When I browse the internet I found websites where I can submit my articles. So I submitted my articles to Triond, Qassia, Hubpages, Associated Content and now Bukisa. I write articles on politics, especially Indonesian politics, and also Indonesian culture and places of interest.

Being a writer is not easy. I have to pass a long and winding road. Writing is just the first step. Marketing our product is another difficult process. Putting our name in the writing industry is also a hard work to do. I have spent a lot of time, energy and a little money for the internet and I received a small amount of money from Adsense, Amazone, commission Junction and Kontera. But besides money I also enjoy mental, psychological benefit. It is the process of writing that I enjoy most. So if you want to write, just write anything. Maybe the first effort has no value for others. But it is very important to generate creativity. It is just a stepping stone. Maybe your next articles or books will be different from your first one. So start writing!