Mert Karaçam
asked
Elena May:
In your bio it says thay you were born in Bulgaria but you are writing books in english. So I was wondering do you have advices for a foreign amateur writer who wants to english books? :)
Elena May
Hi Mert. What a great question! Many authors from all around the world want to start writing in English to reach a wider audience, so you’re in good company. I’m not sure if you’re interested in just how to write a good quality book in English or also in how to get it published, so I’ll address both points.
On the actual writing, here are a few things that have helped me and many others:
1. Read as many books in English as you can. Read different genres and different writing styles. Read fiction and nonfiction, articles, blog posts, news stories, essays, even informal online forums. Read well-written works and think about what makes them good. Read poorly written stories and think how you could improve them. And don’t limit yourself to the written world: movies, songs, games, and plays are great resources as well.
2. Don’t just passively consume English-language media. Write! Write book reviews. Write responses to posts. Find international pen-friends and write them long emails. Try to write something—anything—in English every day. If nothing else comes to mind, even a short journal entry would do.
3. This part is the trickiest if you’re not used to that, but it’s also the most important. When you write in English, you should THINK in English. You shouldn’t think in your native language and translate your thoughts when you put them on paper. Unless you are a very skilled translator, this will not only make your writing process longer, but will also lead to strange, literally translated phrases, and your text will likely fail to convey your original meaning.
On the same point, whenever you’re unsure about the meaning of an English word you plan to use, don’t simply look up the translation in a bilingual dictionary. Often, the same concepts don’t exist in every language, and translations are not exact or can have different connotations. In some cases, the translation can be straightforward: a “dog” is always a “dog,” but other words, such as, for instance, “splendid,” could be translated as many different words in another language, and each of them might miss subtle meanings. If you’re uncertain about a word, you should check it in an English dictionary that provides a definition with examples. Many such dictionaries are available online for free (e.g. dictionary.com)
Even after you have a perfect book, publishing it might be tricky. It’s very hard to get an agent if you don’t live in an English-speaking country, but, fortunately, nowadays self-publishing is a great option and you have many opportunities to produce a quality book. You’ll find tons of advice at the “Self-Publish Like a Pro” section on my website: https://kingdomofashes.net/category/s...
Best of luck with your writing!
On the actual writing, here are a few things that have helped me and many others:
1. Read as many books in English as you can. Read different genres and different writing styles. Read fiction and nonfiction, articles, blog posts, news stories, essays, even informal online forums. Read well-written works and think about what makes them good. Read poorly written stories and think how you could improve them. And don’t limit yourself to the written world: movies, songs, games, and plays are great resources as well.
2. Don’t just passively consume English-language media. Write! Write book reviews. Write responses to posts. Find international pen-friends and write them long emails. Try to write something—anything—in English every day. If nothing else comes to mind, even a short journal entry would do.
3. This part is the trickiest if you’re not used to that, but it’s also the most important. When you write in English, you should THINK in English. You shouldn’t think in your native language and translate your thoughts when you put them on paper. Unless you are a very skilled translator, this will not only make your writing process longer, but will also lead to strange, literally translated phrases, and your text will likely fail to convey your original meaning.
On the same point, whenever you’re unsure about the meaning of an English word you plan to use, don’t simply look up the translation in a bilingual dictionary. Often, the same concepts don’t exist in every language, and translations are not exact or can have different connotations. In some cases, the translation can be straightforward: a “dog” is always a “dog,” but other words, such as, for instance, “splendid,” could be translated as many different words in another language, and each of them might miss subtle meanings. If you’re uncertain about a word, you should check it in an English dictionary that provides a definition with examples. Many such dictionaries are available online for free (e.g. dictionary.com)
Even after you have a perfect book, publishing it might be tricky. It’s very hard to get an agent if you don’t live in an English-speaking country, but, fortunately, nowadays self-publishing is a great option and you have many opportunities to produce a quality book. You’ll find tons of advice at the “Self-Publish Like a Pro” section on my website: https://kingdomofashes.net/category/s...
Best of luck with your writing!
More Answered Questions
Starless One
asked
Elena May:
Good evening! From the hints that you've given us in "Kingdom of Ashes" (nomadic society, came into contact with the Slavs in the Early Middle Ages, worshipped a sky god - Tengri?) I have concluded that Vladimir's people were the proto-Bulgarians and that he might have taken the name Vladimir because it means something like "ruler of the world" (nice pun). But wouldn't the old form have been "Vladiměr" at the time?
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