The reason of many K-Fiction story

By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Siti Martina

Photos = Siti Martina

I'm in Seoul! I'm going to Busan! Let's meet in Mokpo! That's the location in a recent novel I read. After finishing the novel, I can imagine how beautiful that place is.

That's what a young author in my country recently did. This is not the Korean translation of a novel. The story is entirely written by Indonesian young women, where they write their stories with Korean settings. Korea is popular in many countries, with what the waves of Korean TV shows and pop music sweeping across East Asia and elsewhere. Five years ago, I might have just watched soap operas or listened to K-pop, but now I follow anything about Korea.

I like reading books about most anything, especially novels. After some years learning about Korea, my reading tastes now turn toward love stories related to Korea. Are you curious as to what makes young authors here write such Korean fiction?

I've had the chance to chat with two young authors, Yuli Priatania and Indiastuti. Both of these young women are authors of Korean fiction.

This is an excerpt from the interview.

What made you decide to write stories about Korea?

I just love K-pop and Korean TV shows.

When did you get interested in writing Korean fiction?

In January 2011, because I was so amazed by the pop group Super Junior.

Who is someone who has helped you to get interested in fiction?

The pop star Kyuhyun in the group Super Junior.

Where do you usually get story ideas?

Everywhere, like just surfing online.

How do you feel after you write a book that's then accepted by a publisher and printed?

I'm so happy and so proud.

Yuli works as a novel editor, and she has loved K-pop and Korean TV shows since 2011. The first time she discovered Korea was with the pop group Super Junior. That led to her interest in writing Korean fiction. She's a fan of the band member Kyuhyun, too. The Korean fiction "And Then" is in its second printing, and was a best seller in 2015. Not only that, she has other novels, too, like "2060" and "A (Wo)man Scent."

The next interview was with Indiastuti.

What made you decide to write a story about Korea?

It all began when I fell in love with K-pop in 2010. I started to read a lot of fan fiction, but I got bored with it. I started to move on and tried to write fan fiction. This continues today, and eventually I loved writing stories set in Korea or which have a Korean theme.

When did you get interested in writing Korean fiction?

It's really been forever! When I was first interested in fan fiction, I would often write stories under the name of my favorite pop star, and put these on my blog. "Therapy" is the first novel that I made with other characters.

Who's someone that makes you interested in writing this fiction?

The publisher Grasindo is really good. They create writing events with rules: write a story on the theme of Korea. I heard about this competition from my friend Adel.

Where do you normally get the ideas for your stories? 

I usually write a story in my room in front of the computer, but to imagine the characters and to get an idea, I often get it after watching a Korean soap opera. Can you think of a person who could be an inspiration for me and my writing? 

Are the novels you write written to impress people?

I don't think so. I worried about this, too, because this is the first time I participated in the writing event. I really didn't have any time before the deadline. So when my work was accepted, I don't think my work was in accordance with the publisher's expectations.

How do you feel after you write a book and then it's accepted by a publisher and published?

"Therapy" is my first novel, so I'm really proud of it.

Indiastuti is a university student majoring in literature. She's a 21-year-old woman who fell in love with all things Korean about six years ago, and she's a big fan of the pop group Super Junior, especially Kyuhyun.

Starting out as a hobby, reading Korean books in translation and reading some fan fiction, both became interested in writing Korean fiction. 

That's a short chat with two young authors. They were both winners of the Publisher Searching for Authors #3 competition in 2015. It was jointly organized by the Korean Cultural Centre in Indonesia (KCC), the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and Hanin Post, all working together with the Indonesian publisher Grasindo. It took place alongside the Indonesian international book fair in 2015, where Korea was the guest country of honor.

According to the contest regulations, the winning stories are then published. Maybe if young people read a lot of Korean books, they'll get interested in writing their own stories related to Korea. 

Based on the conversation with both authors, that their love for Korea encouraged them to start writing Korean fiction. They both loved to read Korean books and fan fiction, and that helped them decide to write and create stories with Korean themes.

The world of writing needs authors with strong imaginations to create stories that give inspiration and impress their readers.

I think Korean novels have increased the enthusiastic writing of Korean fiction among Koreaphiles in Indonesia.

Just like them, I love to read Korean novels, too. I also like to write stories, and I love Super Junior. We can see how Kyuhyun and Super Junior had a great effect on the fans, encouraging them to develop their hobbies, in this case, writing Korean fiction.

This can be a positive thing for Koreaphiles. Give them a chance to find their talent, right?

How about you? Are you interested in writing Korean fiction, too?

wisdom117@korea.kr

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