Young writer Nia spins a fine romance for our times<\/p>\n
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
\"When you're 18 years old, no matter how mature you are, you
\nstill know nothing about life,\" was singer Anggun's reflection
\nabout marrying her first husband at that tender age and their
\nsubsequent divorce.<\/p>\n
Living proof of that statement is writer Rachmania \"Nia\"
\nArunita, 18, who knows little beyond her private domain of school
\nand home, with overprotective parents who keep tabs on her
\ncomings and goings.<\/p>\n
\"My daily activity is going to school and going back home. I'm
\nrarely allowed to hang out with my friends, let alone going out
\nof town with them,\" she said as we sat in the living room of her
\nfamily's home in an upmarket housing complex in South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Writers write best about the things they know, and Eiffel...
\nI'm in Love is a modern Cinderella tale about a perfect girl
\nbeing matched with a perfect boy, overcoming their initial
\nlove\/hate relationship.<\/p>\n
It goes back and forth between a metropolitan elite high
\nschool and also France, the place where Nia spent several years
\nof her childhood as her naval doctor father took his doctorate.<\/p>\n
The book has so far sold 3,000 copies since it was launched
\nlast month, more than respectable in the local market, and now is
\nin its fourth print.<\/p>\n
The story is light and harmless, no great shakes in that
\ndepartment, yet the plot flows smoothly. Teenager will relate to
\nits slang and youth, although Nia said many adults bought the
\nnovel as well.<\/p>\n
It also must be acknowledged that Nia completed the book when
\nshe was just 15.<\/p>\n
Back in the 1980s and early 1990s, talented teenage writers
\nwere nothing unusual, with standouts like Hilman Hariwijaya with
\nhis famed serial Lupus, Arini Suryokusumo, Gola Gong, Katyusha
\nand several others.<\/p>\n
Nowadays, teen writing prodigies are a rarity, which makes Nia
\nsomething of a cause celebre.<\/p>\n
She credited her education in France, where she was drilled to
\nwrite, starting with children's tales and short stories, with
\ninfluencing her writing.<\/p>\n
\"And then when I was in the first grade of senior high school,
\nI wrote several pages of a story and asked my friends to read it.
\nTurned out they liked it very much and always asked for the
\ncontinuation. I finally finished it, and the draft went around,
\neven to another school,\" said Nia, in her first year at the
\nUniversity of Indonesia's diploma course on French literature.<\/p>\n
The sale of 200 photocopied versions of the novel led Nia's
\nfather to finance a professional printing.<\/p>\n
\"I put it in two Gramedia bookstores near here, and it sold
\nlike hot cakes. They asked for more books to be sold in all
\nGramedia stores but I didn't have time to arrange it because I
\nhave to go to school,\" Nia said.<\/p>\n
A film company requested permission to adapt the story and
\nasked Nia to write the script. The film, starring teen model
\nSammy, is due for release on Nov. 21.<\/p>\n
Aside from the fact that the main character has overprotective
\nparents and one of the settings is in her onetime residence of
\nFrance, Nia said the rest of the book was pure fiction.<\/p>\n
\"Noo, I've never dated up to now. I've yet to find out what
\nfirst love is like,\" she groaned.<\/p>\n
Of course, the latter has something to do with parental
\ndisapproval, which Nia has no intention of rebelling against.<\/p>\n
\"I think there is some truth in it. My parents always put
\neducation above everything. I think if we're well-educated,
\npeople won't underestimate us,\" Nia said.<\/p>\n
Besides, she added, she is not missing out on much.<\/p>\n
\"I didn't enjoy my high school years, I was a misfit. I didn't
\nlike to hang around my girlfriends too much because all they
\ntalked about was gossip, fashion and stuff. And they like to talk
\nbehind our backs. So, my friends are mostly boys because they're
\nmore straightforward and unpretentious,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Nia said she ws often left aghast by her peers who were
\n\"consumptive and fashion victims.\"<\/p>\n
It's a statement that comes across as a tad judgmental,
\nespecially when she herself admits to disliking reading.<\/p>\n
\"But I do like to collect books! I love to go to bookstores
\nand buy the books. I don't know when I read them cause it takes
\nme months to read. I prefer light and fun books, something that I
\nwant my books to be.\"<\/p>\n
She does read magazines like Cosmogirl, Seventeen and
\nKosmopolitan, the latter providing pointers for her next, more
\n\"grown-up\" work.<\/p>\n
Isn't the magazine little more than a glossy sex guide?<\/p>\n
\"Well, yeah, but I want to aim my next novel at an older
\naudience. But it won't be about sex, don't worry,\" she giggled.<\/p>\n
Nia admitted she barely reads newspapers (\"the fonts are so
\nsmall\") and does not like to watch the news, admitting to being
\nin the dark about current events.<\/p>\n
\"I didn't know there was an Iraq war until several days later.
\nWell, I hate politics. And the more I think about all the
\nproblems and conflicts, I get more headaches. What can I do
\nanyway? There's still the president (to do the job).\"<\/p>\n
Perhaps it's a sign of the times, but Nia does not believe
\nprospective writers should read to improve their craft. For her,
\nit's all about going out and meeting people.<\/p>\n
We will see about that. Hopefully, she will manage to fulfill
\nher potential and not end up writing cheesy soap operas like so
\nmany onetime teen writers.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/young-writer-nia-spins-a-fine-romance-for-our-times-1447893297",
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