Suara Merdeka (27/06/07): Many people neglects the importance of reading and writing because they think that those skills do not play a strategic role in education quality improvement. On the contrary, loving reading and writing is very valuable for their future.
Triyanto Triwikromo said, while speaking at the “'Workshop on Writing and Reading Novels and Scripts,” held at the Senior High School SMA 3, on Tuesday (26/6).

Speaking in front of 103 participants comprising of senior high school students from across Semarang as well as under-graduate students from Semarang State University (Unnes), Triyanto invited them to start writing with the most simple things such as daily activities, anything around us or amusing things such as film script or novel. This could be a good start. “Love writing make people use to express their ideas and to analyze.”

“So, how to be a good writer?” Asked one of the participants in the event run by the Sampoerna Foundation (SF) through the Sampoerna Foundation Scholars Club (SFSC). Triyanto who is also editor of Suara Merdeka’s Sunday edition explained, there are seven principles of good writing, namely it contains facts, conflicts, its characters have personalities, emotion, feature, access to question and actualization.

“Fact is God in journalism. Anything can be a fact as long as it does not violate journalism code of ethics,” he explained.

He added that we might have to change our point of view in writing. Do not always stick to the same point of view all the time. Hence, a fact could be seen from many different angles.

“Even though it is written from many different view points, a fact will not lose its meaning. A truth is never singular. Because the trust can been seen from many different angles,” he said.

5 Big Cities

Aside in Semarang, the workshop themed “Creating Future Writers (CFW)” itu, is also held in five other big cities, namely in Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, and Banda Aceh. According to Citra Indah Lestari, SF media relations, CFW is aimed at supporting the love reading and writing movement

“We are working together with the Ubud Writers community, and involve 600 senior high school students. These workshops involve noted Indonesian writers such as Agung Sentausa (director of the film Garasi), AS Laksana, Budi Darma, Azhari, Reza Idria, Gunawan Maryanto, Anton Kurnia, as well as other writers.”

Aside of training on writing, narration, fiction, film script and to watching film fragments, during the two-day workshop, participants are also asked to doe some field practice. After the training, they are expected to be able to translate their ideas in writing. Therefore, the creativity of Indonesia’s young generation across the country will develop. (J8-56)