Writing can be a chore on its own, let alone when Writing in a foreign language. If you are not a native English speaker then it might be difficult to get your point across in English, especially when it comes to fiction.

However, writing in a foreign language can open up new horizons and experiences. For example, when I started writing in English instead of Greek, I found out that there were a lot more people willing to read my work. If you write in a more well-known language, you get the chance to grow your audience. Of course, writing in a different language also makes you more comfortable with it, therefore ensuring that you learn to speak better without second-guessing yourself.

Tip #1

The first step for every writer is to be a reader. You can’t start writing in a language if you don’t know which expressions are used by native writers. So read as much and frequently as possible.

You can follow people in social media to keep up with slang terms; follow blogs to learn how to make your writing more interactive. Finally, don’t skip out on published books that show how writers choose to express themselves in Fiction and Nonfiction alike.These people will give you insight on how native speakers talk and their use of idioms. There are a lot of expressions that make sense to a native speaker, but a person learning a language might have difficulty comprehending the vernacular.

Tip #2

Of course, this applies to all writers but especially to those who are new writing in a language e.g. English. If I had refused to accept comments and advice of readers on my grammar and expression, I wouldn’t have advanced as a writer. You will continually make the same mistakes over and over again if you don’t listen and accept the corrections given to you.

Tip #3

To tie in with tip #2, don’t stop writing in fear of getting corrected. The more you write and make mistakes, the better you become. Writing with awful grammar and getting it corrected will teach you how to do better next time. Messing up the meaning of a sentence will help you understand what you 

really wanted to say.

Your first stories will probably be awful, full of stupid mistakes and sentences that don’t make any sense.You will later read them again and cringe more than you can imagine; but that’s something every writer goes through. Even the native ones.  

Tip #4

If after creating your work in a foreign language, you feel insecure about it (or even if you feel like it’s perfect), it’s always useful to turn to a professional. There are plenty of people who, for some kind of payment, will edit your work to perfection especially if you feel like your work needs some extensive grammatical corrections.

Tip #5

There are certain things that stand out when you are editing or reviewing your work. There might be parts that made absolute sense in your head, but do not translate well in paper. To avoid that, ask people to read your work and give you an opinion; this can be anyone, from friends to strangers.

Make sure you also include people with a different ability to understand the language, beginners and native speakers, depending on the level of professionalism. A university paper demands a wider understanding of the language and technical terms than a young adult novel.

Overall, don't give up, even if you feel like it. When starting out, it's normal to feel insecure about your writing. Nonetheless, you will never know how good you can get if you don't at least try.

Written by: Jenny Vidali