Hey, people. I'm originally from Ukraine, and my native language is Russian and Ukrainian. But for last 3 years I live in Canada. And I want to start to do a little stories in English. Maybe if somebody been at the same spot as me, you guys can give me advice what I have to work on more, and where I have to go, and what to learn to be a cool and interesting writer. Thanks. And I'm new here. Is there a thread where everybody give topics to each other to write about and than it's get to competition?
Don't know about such a topic, but my advice is write a lot. Write what interests you because if you're not interested in / motivated by what you write, it'll show. I'm Finnish and write in English, so naturally there's a learning curve when it comes to writing in a foreign language, but all it takes is practice, lots of it. However, since writing is fun, it doesn't really feel like work even though I recommend you take a work-like attitude to writing: don't expect a muse to appear or to be struck by sudden inspiration: just sit down and write something and it'll come to you. Some like to plan beforehand, some don't, experiment with different methods of writing and you'll find a way that suits your style. I remember my and KaTrian's (my writing partner and wife) first draft of our first manuscript and when comparing it to the latest draft of our latest piece, the difference in quality is huge even though we've been writing together for only a few years. Granted, both of us have been writing (mostly in English) since we were kids, but when we wrote separately, we had difficulties finishing our stories, but as soon as we teamed up, the stories have kept coming and so far we've finished over a dozen full-length manuscripts, so also take into consideration that writing doesn't necessarily have to be a solo sport. That's about all that comes to mind right now. Good luck!
welcome, daniel! you've come to the right place... support here is awesome, our members are the most helpful bunch on the internet and our admin/mods run the best writing site anywhere... i mentor writers who are fairly new to wriiting in english, so if you need more help than you can get here, or have issues you'd rather deal with in a less public way, i'm always only a mouse click away... lucky you, having settled in BC!... i've driven across the entire province, and flown up the fraser to rose lake, love victoria and vancouver... i'm sure you'll enjoy your time on wf.org... love and hugs, maia
I am originally from Yugoslavia, my native language is serbo-croatian. I moved to Australia when I was 17. A few things helped me. I went to University, which helped me learn English really well. I worked as an interpreter to make ends meet as a student. I worked with people a lot. Then, my interests within my profession kept being focused on the language side of things. When I went back to writing, 15 years after I emigrated, I first wrote in my native language, and I studied writing in my free time, I read many how-to books and above all I read literature in English. I re-read some of my favourite classics in English, I socialised almost exclusively with native English speakers. I also learned a lot from watching movies without subtitles and learning the lyrics of my favourite songs. Eventually, and after many years of various life experiences, I am as confident writing in English as I am in my mother tongue. Best of luck!
