BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

YOUNG aspiring writers must be courageous and willing to take risks, said a local writer yesterday.

Kris Karmila said that those aspiring to become writers need to take the initiative to publish their works as a motivation to spread their wings in the industry.

The 32-year-old local poet, singer and writer launched her book, titled ‘Tekad’ (Willpower), in Jakarta last week.

“My motivation is that, if you want to succeed, don’t give up easily. Persevere and keep your focus to achieve your ambitions,” she said.

“This is why I took the leap of faith to invest with my own hard earned money to publish my first book, which is like a dream come true,” she added.

Karmila shared that her book is a dedication of her 22 years of involvement in writing, performing and producing music lyrics.

The book encompasses over 50 of her literature work and features some of the highlights of her profession in pictures.

“My creative writings are all about daily motivation and how one should stand up after experiencing failures. Alhamdulillah, the first printed edition was almost sold out during the launch,” she said.

“Now I am in the process of obtaining approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs to bring my books to Brunei,” she added.

She expressed hopes that the approval would be released soon as she plans to donate a portion of her book sales to the orphans’ fund in conjunction with the holy month of Ramadhan.

Karmila also spoke of her intentions to reach out and inspire students, young people and fans of musical poetry to enliven and promote Malay writing and poetry, which indirectly promotes its culture and tradition.

She said that her book is currently available for pre-booking and interested members of the public can contact her at kriskarmilabrunei@gmail.com.

Karmila previously shared that she first developed a passion for the local writing and literature industry at the age of 10 years old.

She nurtured her passion by participating in competitions such as the National Day Poetry Competition.

She also took part in similar competitions organised in conjunction with His Majesty’s birthday celebrations.

Since then, her works have been featured in Bahana magazine, Antologi Puisi Kembara Merdeka and Antologi Sajak Tongkat Putih by the Language and Literature Bureau.

In 2013, she became one of the speaker panelists at the prestigious 10th Ubud Writers and Readers Festival in Bali.

Karmila also composes her own songs and music.

Some of her works have been aired on Radio Televisyen Brunei’s (RTB) Rampai Pagi show.

She also wrote two film segments which were aired on the RTB-RTM exchange programme titled ‘Perjalanan Seni Pemuisi Negara’ and ‘Segment Hawa’.

The Brunei Times