Incoherent thoughts

[wiseheart]

Finsihed the first chapter of The Shoemaker's Daughter, I have. Well, more or less. I'm still not entirely sure that it ends the way it ends. Confused yet? I certainly am.

Put the dratted thing into my Edhellond folder. Hope the crowd would tell me if it's too unfinished or whatnot. There are also some expressions I find too modern, but for my life couldn't think of anything else.

Writing in a third language can be truly frustrating at times. You leaf through dictionaries of various size, because you are looking for the One Perfect Word(TM) for that particular sentence. You either find none, or if you do, it turns out that the native speakers interpret it differently.

And then there are the words you simply can't keep in your head. I have looked up the word "inspiration" at least forty times in the recent two months by now. I just keep forgetting it.

I remember when I started reading (and writing) fanfic in English, I had such a respect for native speakers who had no difficulty expressing themselves that I lived in constant awe and fear. It took me a year or more to make a difference between good grammar, purple prose and good story. *g*

I'm a lot more critical now. I found that some authors I greatly admired at first were simply lucky enough to be native speakers. But I also found that quite a few of them I still find wonderfully talented and enjoy their writing a great deal.

I can't remember if there was a point to make at all. It's late and we are having a heat wave. My brain doesn't function at its best.

Comments

[jilba.livejournal.com]

I have enormous respect for anyone writing in a language they're not a native speaker of. I have enough trouble in English without trying anything else!

I'll get off to read soon!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I hope you'll like it. There is a lot of slow storytelling, up till the 6th chapter it would more resemble an original story than a fanfic.

[jilba.livejournal.com]

I'll have to go there and take a look, really, I will. I just haven't had a chance yet. Hubby has a bad back and making doing anything nearly impossible.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Poor man! Should I send over some Elven healers?

[jilba.livejournal.com]

Yes. He needs them.

Thank you.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Mistress Erinti is on her way, Madam.

Duly,
Gildor Inglorion

[jilba.livejournal.com]

Mistress Erinti has arrived, and worked her medical magic.

I gave her some emu oil as thanks, and now hubby's much better!

Thank you for sending her, my lord Gildor.

[nerwen-calaelen.livejournal.com]

will have a look at it sometime :) but with increasingly complicated summer plans may not be for some time (am so far behind with reading in general).
While writing correctly or clearly is important for a story it isn't the most important thing - after all grammer can be corrected by others but redeaming a bad story is far harder. :)
In fanfiction, I have found myself in awe of how so many non-native english speakers write such good English, especially when compared to many of the native speakers. I remain amazed by the ammount of work these people (you especially, on all of t, not just grammer) put into it. :)

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

The problem with holidays is that we always try to stuff in all those things we don't have the time for during school term. (Experience speaking here.)

As for the research stuff, it's really a matter of preferences. I'm a geek by nature, I do this in all my interests, not just with Tolkien. It's like a crime mystery story: to find connections, hidden influences and that sort of thing.