In what language to write?

I want to talk a bit about multilingual people, like myself. I’m a native French speaker and I used to write fanfictions in French when I was a teenager. At some point, I decided to publish in English because I felt there was a bigger audience to reach.

But then comes the question: should I write in my native language, then translate in English, or should I write in English directly?

If I write in my native language, I’ll write faster. But then I know I’ll spend hours translating, because I used idioms that don’t exist in English and I’ll have to come up with a translation that makes sense. Maybe I’ll realize that I added something that really belongs in my native culture and can’t be translated properly.

That’s why I decided to write in English directly. It takes more time—especially in the beginning and depending on how comfortable you are with English—and you’ll have to take more breaks to clear your head. Sometimes, your train of thought will be interrupted because you can’t find the right word in English. But the more you do it that way, the more natural it will become. Personally, I’m at a point where I have a better writing style in English than in my native language.

Fun fact: the first three chapters of Hybrids were actually written in French, then translated into English. If you’re a French speaker, you can probably see the difference with the later chapters!

Also, don’t forget that dialog formatting can vary depending on your language. My advice is to stick with the formatting that matches the language you will publish in.

Where to write

I’ve tried a few different platforms to write my fanfictions. From the classic programs like OpenOffice or Words, to the exotic apps like Bear or Slite, I finally settled on Google Docs, and I don’t think I’ll ever go back.

That app has everything a writer could want: 

• Your documents are saved in the cloud, which means that you won’t lose any data if your computer crashes, and you can access your document from any device;
• You can add betas in your document as long as they have a Google account, and give them specific access that won’t allow them to modify or copy your text. Moreover, you’ll be able to accept/reject any of their suggestions for easy and quick editing;
• It has—almost—everything a classic program has.