I'm a 20 year-old French student trying to figure out whether or not he's any good at writing. I don't study literature though. I've got essays on (French) literature published but I never tried creative writing, much less in English as it isn't my native language and yet it's the one language I'd like to write fiction in. I don't know what else I could say: I haven't had a very interesting life so far, I'm a big fan of Bret Easton Ellis, Joan Didion, Donna Tartt, Anthony Burgess, TS Eliot, WH Auden, Christopher Isherwood and a few others. The main difference in my tastes with regards to French vs English fiction is I like clean, neutral and matter-of-fact narratives in English while I can appreciate more sophisticated writing styles in French. I just don't like the book or the narrator telling me what to think either way.
I'd concentrate on my French in creative writing rather than English first. Why? When translating from another language into English, the narrative changes. Although not exactly on how much, but it does change. Try translating your published essays on French literature into English. This will give you a better understanding of what I'm trying to relay?
You stated in your original post . . . English isn't your native language? Are you proficient, writing in English? French being your native language, then as an experiment, try to translate your previous works into English . . . you will see (I'm hoping) the changes in the way it reads. Hence, why I suggested translating. (hope I'm much clearer now)
Well, yes but actually, no. You're talking about translating French into English (1). I'm talking about writing in English (2). Unless you think (1) is a good way to reach (2), which I don't think it is, I have a feeling we're talking at cross purposes. I am well aware the two languages differ. That's why I'd like to switch. Maybe wait until I have posted my two "constructive criticisms" required in order to post original content to get an idea of how fluent I am in English.
Seligman, One doesn't have to have an overly interesting life to write fiction. An imagination and dedication to writing and improving is much more important. Nothing wrong with working to create your works of fiction in English. Looking forward to crossing paths with you here on the forum. Terry
Thank you very much Terry, actually I was only saying I had a boring life because I didn't know what to say about it even though it felt kind of appropriate to say a few things about it in a presentation.
Hi Seligman! I am not a native English speaker, but I write exclusively in English (not professionally -- more as a creative outlet) and would go as far as saying that my English has become second nature to me through the years. I feel that relying on two language structures (and two cultures) helps me write more creatively and, often, express myself with more precision.
Yes this is a very odd feeling I get too. Sometimes I'll try to explain what I mean (in English) and I'll get overly technical in a A Bit of Fry and Laurie sort of way. (If I forgot how to say "a plate" for instance, I'll say something like "this generally fragile circle-shaped object involed in eating-related social rituals.") Thank you for your welcoming words!
I've heard it improves cognition as well, activates more synapses or something (OK, I don't now the technical aspects of it). But basically it makes you smarter. I sort of wish I had continued my French studies after high school (I really don't remember any of it now).
Same here with German, though I didn't completely lose it. I can still understand Rammstein and read simple enough texts. I can get a clear enough understanding of what's going on in a Kafka short story. But I can't deal with a Thomas Mann or Ernst Jünger novel (especially as the second one resorts to impossibly elaborate vocabulary). I used to be a good student in my German literature classes. Yet there is something I never quite understood: although I've always been a good student in languages such as German and English, I've always sucked at Ancient languages. I recently attended a Latin exam and I passed my exams and I did ok in Latin but no matter how much time I spent reading Seneca and Cicero during the year constantly switching from the original to the translation and back to check my interpretation, I'm still quite surprisingly bad at it! I don't know if it has to do with my IQ or if I somehow reached the upper boundary of my cognitive abilities but it's a very mysterious thing to me. But then I'm not really a fan of Latin literature anyway. The best authors (Tacitus e.g.) are too much of a pain in the neck to read unless you are literally fluent in Latin. Also I have the bad habit of dropping what I'm not immediately good at. The upside of it is I dropped math quite early to turn to the humanities and it turned out pretty well for me so I can't complain.
Well, one big difference—you haven't heard anyone speaking ancient languages! No movies or TV shows to help you brush up. I know immersing yourself in a culture where everyone speaks that language all the time helps immensely.
Mental agility. You can attain it with any "language" - music, math, playing chess, dance. I am not a neuroscientist, but I don't think just knowing another language makes any difference in intelligence per se. It is probably more about how the brain uses irreconcilable information like vastly different languages (say, German and Chinese) to interpret the world.
Thanks - drew on bilingualism to formulate this and took extra brain processing time, which is always an annoying side effect.
