... as a second language. Mandatory Bill Watterson panel aside, Hello to you all on this site and a very warm hello to you who are reading this introduction. Cesare Blanc here. I'm just your average twenty-something Humanities student, who three years ago thought it would be cool to try and reach as many people as possible by writing in English, instead of his native language. Cool as it might have been, I am sitting now on a pile about two hundred thousand words high, and I still feel as if I have barely left the floor: it was fun, but I am now thinking playtime is over and it's time to strife form something publishable. This was the cause of a long streak of depression and self-loathing. After a few dozen hundred vodka shots, I finally decided I had just about enough, pointed a finger into my fear's hideous face and proclamed with all the confindence a drunk man can gather I was fed up with this bullshit. *Hic* So. So I finally decided to enter the arena a little and stop worrying about results, just try and try again. The battle with insecurity is not over, but I have learned to accept it. Writing in your own room and not showing anything to anybody is fine, but it sort of... lacks that reaching quality that pushed me away from my native language in the first place. Thus, here I am. I have much to learn. I hope this place and these people can teach me a lot. Thank you in advance.
Welcome to the forum, and thanks for sharing your story. I'm sure a lot of us can relate. I'm glad you decided to step out of the vacuum of writing into the desk drawer (or, in this case, the hard drive or possibly a cloud service). You are probably interested in posting some of your work for critique, so please take a look at our New Member Quick Start Guide for more information. I'm also an EFL speaker, and it sure is a rocky road to make your writing stand out, both language and story-wise 'cause as non-native even more odds are stacked against you. But don't give up; this is so much fun, after all. See you around! -Kat
Thank you, I'll definitely take (another) look at the Quick Start Guide! Thank you also for your kind words on not giving up. Here's one to your own travel! *raises vodka glass*
Welcome! Like @KaTrian, I'm also an EFL speaker like her (we actually write together) and it's a challenge, but also rewarding as hell. Our English is still far from perfect, but it's been improving with leaps and bounds since we started writing in English. I'm sure your language skills will also improve a lot the more you write.
