this notebook is my bitch

by Ika Natassa

Introducing This Notebook Is My Bitch.

I’m a big fan of Moleskine notebooks, since I basically scribble my book draft before typing them on my computer, and I take notes of practically everything that crosses my mind. So I thought, wouldn’t it be great if there’s a notebook which is equipped with pages and pages of practical tips on how to write fiction? So one weekend, I designed this. I took some of my presentation material whenever I teach creative writing, then I designed and packaged the whole thing into a 150 pages notebook, hardcover, in black. In it, there’ll be around 30 pages of writing tips (with colorful illustrations) + 150 empty pages for you to take notes or write whatever you like.

Anyway, This Notebook Is My Bitch is now available for sale by order only, just email your name + address + phone number + how many copies to order.tnimb@gmail.com, the price is IDR 65.000 per copy.

And I’ll be signing the first 500 copies of TNIMB :)

Cheers,

Ika Natassa

153 pages, Hardcover

First published April 16, 2012

About the author

IKA NATASSA is an Indonesian author who is also a banker at the largest bank in Indonesia and the founder of LitBox, the first literary startup of its kind in the country, which combines the concept of mystery box and onine promotions for writers.

She loves writing since since was a little kid and finished writing her first novel in English at the age of 19. She is best known for writing a series of popular novels focusing on the lives of young bankers in Indonesia. Her debut novel A Very Yuppy Wedding is published in 2007, and she has released six books since: Divortiare (2008), Underground (2010), Antologi Rasa (2011), Twivortiare (2012), dan Twivortiare 2 (2014), and Critical Eleven (2015). A Very Yuppy Wedding is the Editor's Choice of Cosmopolitan Indonesia magazine in 2008, and she was also nominated in the Talented Young Writer category in the prestigious Khatulistiwa Literary Award in the same year. She loves to experiment with writing methods, Twivortiare and Twivortiare 2 are the two novels she wrote entirely on Twitter. Antologi Rasa and Twivortiare are currently being adapted into feature films by two of the most prominent production houses in Indonesia.

Natassa is also one of the finalists of Fun Fearless Female of Cosmopolitan Indonesia magazine. In 2008, she was awarded with The Best Change Agent at her company for her active role in corporate culture implementation in the bank, and in 2010 she was awarded for 2010 Best Employee Award. Her success in maintaining a career at the bank whilst pursuing writing as her other passion led to her being awarded awarded as the Women Icon by The Marketeers in 2010.

Out of the love of books, in 2013 she founded LitBox, a brand new concept she's in introducing to readers in Indonesia. It's the first literary startup company of its kind, aiming to provide readers with recommended books, to help writers get their writings read by people, and to help publishers introduce new talents to the market. On July 2014, she commenced a social movement campaign to promote the joy of reading called Reading is Sexy, so far supported by Indonesian and regional public figures such as Acha Septriasa, Jason Godfrey, Hamish Daud Wyllie, Karina Salim, Ernest Prakasa, Mouly Surya, and many more.

Twitter and Instagram: @ikanatassa
LinkedIn: Ika Natassa
Personal website: www.ikanatassa.com

Reviews

[Halida Hanun · Rating 4 out of 5]

karena udah punya gambaran mau nulis apa, tapi masih bingung mengeksekusinya, jadilah buku ini disentuh juga.

tips menulis yang singkat, padat, dan jelas. berguna bangetlah pokoknya.

tapi kok rasanya mau coret-coret tentang ide di buku tersebut agak sayang ya. jadilah, nulis idenya di buku lain. terlalu nggak tega mengotori buku itu. hehe

[Anggi Hafiz Al Hakam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saya mendapatkan buku ini usai menamatkan pembacaan "Antologi Rasa" medio 2012, kurang lebih 10 tahun yang lalu. Ika Natassa agaknya sengaja menerbitkan buku ini untuk menjawab pertanyaan-pertanyaan tentang bagaimana menulis sebuah kisah, lebih jauh sebuah buku.

Bentuk buku ini juga tidak seperti buku tips penulisan praktis lainnya. Penulisnya memberi ruang yang cukup untuk menuliskan ide-ide cerita. Ini akan memudahkan siapapun yang ingin menulis karena diberikan panduan dan juga sekalian ruang tulisnya.

Pada saat buku ini diterbitkan, tidak ada banyak 'protes' tentang isinya yang bahasa Inggris semua. Saya, jujur saja, sangat menikmatinya. Pembaca Ika Natassa lainnya pun saya rasa setuju adanya. Berbeda dengan situasi belakangan ini, dimana pembaca baru Ika Natassa tidak banyak tahu atau membaca situasi sebelumnya, misalnya tentang mengapa Ika Natassa menulis cerita yang sedemikian rupa itu dalam karya-karyanya dan mengapa Ika Natassa menggunakan pilihan bahasa yang seperti itu. Alih-alih malah terdikotomi 'anak SCBD' dan "Bahasa Anak Selatan'. C'mon, wake up!

Saya selalu membaca buku ini ketika perlu inspirasi untuk menulis cerita pendek, terutama untuk mengingat kembali poin-poin dalam membangun konflik dan menguatkan karakter.

[Syifa Shevani · Rating 4 out of 5]

With this book, I learn how to makes my own story hehehehe :)

[Niratisaya]

Sejatinya adalah sebuah note yang dibuat dg witty. So it's easy to read but hard to write (on it).