How to Start Writing

Oct 10 2009

Posted by admin as Writing

howtostartwriting Many people want to write, nevertheless they are confused to get started. There are two ways to start writing.
1. Learning theories of writing then practicing
2. Learning the hard way or writing first then theories follow

Which one are comfortable counts on us. However, grounded on the experiences of friends in India whose writings are largely publicized in mass media, the second alternative seems to be better. Rizqon Khamani, Zamhasari Jamil, A. Qisai, Tasar Karimuddin, Beben Mulyadi, Jusman Masga, Irwansyah an so forth learn to write by directly sending their writings, not by learning the theories of writing first.

I by myself think the second alternative is more comfortable. This is because of the fact that my power to discern theories is very limited. I have ever learned theories of writing, the result is just a confusion. Not only that, even in learning English, I also tend to read books, newspapers or magazines. I have ever tried learning English by reading grammar, and this only confuses me.

Is writing difficult?
Is writing difficult? It can be yes or no. Difficult, since we assume it to be difficult. It is easy if we assume it to be fun. Eep Saifullah Fatah, a well-known Indonesian columnist and writer, says that writing can be very easy if we are not too fastened to other people’s rules. It means just write down what you want to write!

Alike to our style of writing diaries, at least, that is our early step of writing, writing in compliance with our own way. After many times we have sent our writings to media, whether or not they are publicized is not important—this the time in which we can take a look at theories of writing to sharpen our writing ability. Thus, writing comes first then reading theories of writing follows as said by Rhoma Irama, Malik Sarumpaet’s favorite singer.

Topics of writing
Topics of writing, as I have ever mentioned in the posting few months ago, can be comments about the social phenomena of today. For example, what is your comment about disasters of earthquake and tsunami in Aceh?. What is your comment about SBY’s government? What is your comment about the world of education in Indonesia? Etc.

Once again, try to write until as many words as 700 and maximally 1000. And after that, send them directly to the intended media. Don’t ever feel self-confident. You and the media editor don’t get acquainted with each other.

Why should be ashamed to send writings? Just send them first, being publicized or nor doesn’t matter. Keep in mind! Being brave to send writings to media are an achievement and getting one reward. That writings are publicized in media means two achievements and two rewards, as said by Rizqon Khamani, a writer and teacher of religious matters in KBRI.

Modesty and competitiveness
What is the relationship between writing and modesty?. Writing can make us modest, not proud.

Since when we write and unpublicized, here we are conscious that there are still many people who are cleverer than we are. This is especially for those that have become lecturers who are in their students’ eyes the greatest, so that this can drive them to overestimate themselves.

Well, writing and sending writings to media forces us to confront with other writers of different worlds and communities who are in fact cleverer and generally younger than we are. Here, we realize that our abilities are still very superficial. We find ourselves to be nothing. It is when we feel that we are nothing that we are beginning to walk into headway.

We will also be accustomed to judge someone from his brain not his age or seniority let alone his occupation. On the other side, getting used to sending writings to media makes us more competitive.

Just for knowledge, for such media as KOMPAS, not less than 70 writings of opinion come in everyday, and only 4 of them come out. Imagine if you belong to the four. That is achievement. And it is from here that we also learn to value someone’s achievement, mental and scientific power.