Hi - this is Stephan. I'm a hobby author and musician from Germany and I never wrote in English so far. I wrote things in German of course. Mainly short stories, song-lyrics and (so proud) a novel called “Glück so viel man braucht” which means in English “Fortune as much as you need”. So now I'm here to learn more about writing in English because perhaps I want to start with writing English lyrics. I'll try my very best when posting something. Don't be too hard with me, if I make mistakes. Looking forward for the community. - Stephan
From your introduction text I don't think you'll have a hard time with the language. People here are usually quite nice about it, especially when English is someones second language. Welcome to the forum
I'll second that. Your English is already solid, so it'll be mostly a question of mastering idioms. (For example, your translation of “Glück so viel man braucht” is word for word, but it would flow more easily in English if it read "As much fortune (or luck) as you need." A question of ear, that's all. The more you read or hear English, the faster these pieces will fall into place. Where in Germany are you from? I grew up in Frankfurt am Main in the 1950s and 1960s, but haven't been back since 1972. This was before it really became "Manhattan am Main" and from what I've seen of Google Streetview, there's not a lot I recognize anymore.
I come from Siegen. That's about 150 km north from Frankfurt. And yes - I guess there was a lot of change since the seventies. And since the reunion of Germany even more. Siegen is much smaller but partly it has these small, timbered houses. A nice place to live. I will read English books now and watch English or American films in the origional language. That will help with the terms. ;-) Have a nice week - Stephan
Welcome! You've got an adventure ahead of you: writing in a different language opens up different ways of looking at things. Hope to read something of yours, it would be interesting to see how much, if any, of your German seeps into your English writing. I should learn German. I like the language.
Oh yes - It will be an exiting question, if my German influences my writing style. I think there is always an interaction between language and culture. Fortunately German culture is not so far away from yours. At the moment I try to translate one of my texts, which is about a shooting spree. Just like in the US we have problems with that, too. As soon as I am allowed to make my own posts here, I will introduce it in the forum and I'm already curious, what the forum members say. Thank you all for your warm reception. By the way I just learned a new word by you (“seep”)
As far as I've noticed, non-English literature tends to be much less forumlaic, there's much more diversity in the style of writing. The English books have become too predictable and too much like one another . On another note, I like to read poetry in other languages and I'm currently struggling through Til Lindemann's little book, and I feel defeated But I think it's mostly his fault, not mine .
Yes - Till Lindemann is provavocative, confusing and unconventional. A bad boy, who often moves beyond the bounderies of the so called good taste. The music of Rammstein is not my cup of tea but I like the show. I don‘t know his books yet. Perhaps I will take a look. Could be interesting.
