YOGYAKARTA (25/10/2021) - "Creating Writing as Fluid as Flowing Water" is the theme of the recent studium generale held by the Department of German Language Education, FBS, UNY on Wednesday, October 20, 2021. "Ever felt stuck while writing? Or confused about what to write? On the other hand, some can write dozens of articles in a day. Why is that? How do they do it?" This was the objective of the event conveyed by Jihan as the head of the organizing committee.

The event received warm responses from various parties, as evidenced by the participation of 270 attendees. Out of this number, 150 were university students, while the rest were teachers, high school students, and the general public. This diversity of backgrounds indicates that writing is an interesting and necessary theme for various groups.

This sentiment was echoed by Cahyadi Takariawan, the speaker at the studium generale. He shared that writing activities start from students submitting articles to various media outlets and have resulted in 55 books to date. Some of his books, such as the Wonderful Family series, have become bestsellers. "Everyone can write. Only those who make excuses will not produce written works," he added while providing motivation. In his presentation, he outlined very clearly the steps to avoid stagnation in writing. He began his presentation by ensuring that everyone can write. Then, he continued with the following steps such as writing goals, finding ideas, organizing themes or main ideas, selecting focal points, creating a writing framework, writing according to the framework, selecting references, self-editing, publishing, and last but very important, continuously practicing writing and avoiding excuses not to write.

The event became more engaging with many questions asked during the discussion session. Questions arose regarding solutions and tips for starting writing, especially for beginner writers, how to choose the right theme, how to overcome writer's block, and how to avoid plagiarism. Mr. Cah, as the affectionate address for the speaker, answered in detail with appropriate examples and sprinkled with fresh humor, which is his trademark. As a conclusion, he mentioned that his 55 books have taken him to America, Canada, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Switzerland, Germany, Turkey, Qatar, and others. This means that writing can empower and liberate people.

The event, which was also attended by the Head of the German PB Department, Dr. Wening Sahayu, M.Pd., and several other lecturers, was concluded by the moderator, leaving many unanswered questions due to time constraints. "We will continue this theme because of the enthusiasm shown by the participants, and the WhatsApp group that has been formed will be utilized as a platform to enhance writing capacity," the presenter concluded to end the studium generale. (AKS)