I

t has been eight years since writer and filmmaker Djenar Maesa Ayu started on her second novel Ranjang (Bed), but she is yet to pen the book'€™s final words.

I am the type of writer who puts down words at the spur of the moment. It doesn'€™t take long for me to put down a short story when the urge is there,'€ she says.

The 41-year-old said that her stories were the embodiment of her sediments of thoughts and feelings accumulated through a long period of time on her sub-conscience.

'€œThese sediments would flare-up and that'€™s when I write them down,'€ said the writer who is famous for exploring female sexuality in her writing and breaking boundaries in standards applied to woman in Indonesia.

But, the same glow that illuminates her during her creative process is also the one that leaves her in the dark once it is gone.

'€œIf during this flare-up episode I fail to finish a story, it would be left unfinished for good and I throw it away. Every time I look back to these unfinished works, I would be confused because I don'€™t know what I was trying to say in the story and where I was taking it.

'€œThis is why it is hard for me to work on a novel. My first novel, Nayla, was completed in just four months, to the amazement of a lot of people,'€ said the proud mother of two daughters and a grandmother of a toddler girl.

Since 2001, Djenar has released five short story collections, one novel and a critically acclaimed movie that bills her as producer, writer and director. In her works, Djenar has consistently put focus on issues around female abuse and empowerment.

While keeping her fans waiting for Ranjang, Djenar has released a two short story anthologies '€” the latest of which, titled SAIA, was released on her 41st anniversary on Jan. 14.

SAIA contained 14 short stories and was closed with a snippet of Ranjang. Does this mean that Ranjang is ready to be released?

'€œNo actually. It is now about 60 percent complete, but it can easily be only 30 percent complete should anything change,'€ she said with a sarcastic laugh.

Djenar, however, stressed that she has a moral obligation to complete the novel.

'€œI have promised my readers. The snippet is my attempt of giving myself a deadline for the novel to be completed. It'€™s going to be complete, but honestly I don'€™t know when.'€

Being a single parent, she added, was another ball to juggle. Djenar dedicates her Thursdays through Sundays to her daughters and granddaughter.

'€œMonday to Wednesday is my own. I use these days to do my work and spend time with my boyfriend, getting drunk and all that stuff,'€ she says.

'€œIf inspiration comes within these days, I'€™d have no problem doing it. But if it decides to come between Thursday and Sunday, then I have to suppress it because I don'€™t want to cut the time for my children and grandchildren.'€

Djenar, who had her first daughter when she was 19, said she had experienced being a young mom and was trying to give a hand to her eldest going through the same thing.

Committing herself to a domestic life of taking care of her children and granddaughter, has lead her to a decision to release a cooking book containing their favorite recipes.

'€œI kid you not I'€™m going to release a recipe book. Does it sound strange?'€ Djenar said, promising that she has prepared dozens of recipes to be shared.

Djenar said that when she was little, her mother did not cook and the family has the food prepared by housemaids or ordered from a neighborhood catering service.

'€œEven then I hated homemade food. But after I had my first child, I began to miss certain dishes made by my housemaid or the caterer.  It then struck me that I wanted to be remembered through my food and that someday once my children have grown up, they would come to my house wanting me to cook a favorite dish,'€ she said.

Djenar learned to prepare dishes from recipe books '€” practice it and improvise along the way.

'€œI cook in accordance with what my children need and want as they get older and older,'€ she says.

'€œNowadays, I can cook many times a day. My children and granddaughter all have different palates and want different choices of food for lunch or dinner, but it is a lot of fun.'€

Djenar may have no set date for the release of her newest novel, but her fans should be thrilled that her recipe book will be released in May.