Writing fanfics in a foreign language

Most of you guys out there, reading this, are probably British or American so, unlike the rest of us poor sods, it didn’t even occur to you to write in anything but your native language. For me, however, the first decision was whether to write in English or in German. Well, as you are reading this I obviously chose English. When I started, fandom in Germany was practically non-existent. It is still difficult for people who are into a rare series or pairing. 
Most mailing lists, archives and blogs, too, are English only. There are so many people there, from so many different countries that it is the only logical thing to do.
And then of course there was fact that in a foreign language you just don’t notice just how damned EMBARRASSING some things sound. I think if I ever came into the predicament of having to write a lemon scene in German I will die of shame.

Anyway, I have made a little list of things I have found to be extremely helpful. Most of them should be obvious and a few points probably don’t apply to anyone else but I thought I might as well share ^^;;

 -         Don’t needlessly complicate things - at least in the beginning. Use simple sentences, no unnecessarily difficult grammar, look up all the words you feel insecure about and double check those you have taken from an English/other language dictionary in an English/English one. English does have some funny connotations. Be aware that writing an epic about medieval horsemanship in 3 person past tense and  high style is NOT the easiest thing to begin with.

-          Detail’s a bitch. Let’s take a horse, for example. In German I could say how a horse with a large white spot on its forehead and a white line down its nose is called but if I try the same in English I’m lost. This is one problem I have yet to find a practicable solution for. No dictionary (or at least none I can afford) is thorough enough to list that kind of word and searching the web for specialized sites on every minor detail is time-consuming to say the least.

-          Read English books, go to English movies and talk to as many native speakers as you can get hold of. It really does help. Find a fic you really like? Read it, look up all the words you don’t know, then go back and read it again. A sure way to flesh out your vocabulary.

-          It might be a good idea to make a list of useful expression from other fics with a similar theme. I’m not saying you should copy sentences, let alone entire paragraphs – just a few words you think you might need.

 -         GET A BETA READER! Or better yet, two. A native speaker and somebody from your own country (whose English is at least as good as yours). They are sure to come up with different things.

Other than that there is only one thing to do: write, as much as possible and whenever possible. Practice does make perfect and especially in a foreign language you can make considerable progress in a relatively short amount of time. Whenever I look at one of my older fics I can’t believe I have ever written something so clumsy and awkward. Not to say that I'll never feel the same way about what I'm typing right now.

Owari