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Whew!
I've posted my first short story in a writing forum for feedback. I'm totally overwhelmed by how much more I have to learn! I don't know why I'm surprised, I kind of knew that but there are so many different aspects to examine a story from. Maybe what I find a bit disappointing is that I still have to improve my English a LOT. Sometimes I manage to compose sentences that are said they don't make any sense. Like this last one, I'm not sure if it's right. I find it strange as they make perfect sense to me
Sorry, if it's irrelevant, it just feels good to share it with people who actually understand what I'm talking about.
Comments
That is absolutely not a criticism - I wish I had your language skills - but things like that will stick out in written work. I can only suggest that you get your work read by a native English speaker before sending it out and read, read, read as much as you can. (I'm sure you do the latter anyway!)
Well done for braving the world of online critiques!
I'd have written something like - "Sometimes I manage to compose sentences which I'm told don't make any sense." Or "Sometimes I manage to compose sentences that are said not to make any sense."
There are usually several ways to say the same thing - which can be a good thing, but must be very frustrating to anyone learning.
The more you communicate with English speakers in both the written form and orally, the more aware you will also become of subtleties, too.
I have to say, you write a darn sight better than lots of 'natives', probably because you're better versed in the structure of the language which isn't really taught as well here - so don't be hard on yourself.
You have plenty of potential to reach greater heights; as time passes, even we English writers continue to improve, so you're not on your own.
I'm sure many of us would be more than happy to help you with any sentences or phrases which don't quite 'sound right'. You're in the right place!
You are on the right path... (They keep telling me this too and I only speak English.)
Balazs, you're doing fine.
On average it takes 10 years of constant practise to get good at anything.