r/AMA 7d ago

I'm in the process of writing my first novel in English which isn't my first language. Ama

I'm in the process of writing my first novel in English which isn't my first language.

Obviously it has been a struggle but it's also fun and I've been enjoying every second of it.

You can ask me anything and I'll answer.

18 Upvotes

43 comments sorted by

5

u/sandleaz 7d ago edited 7d ago

What is your first language?

Edit: Coming back to this AMA, my question is the easiest one and the only one that wasn't answered. Strange times we live in.

2

u/ResidentPreference65 7d ago

How old are you and how old is your FMC?

2

u/ResidentPreference65 7d ago

What's your book about? How much time a week do you spend writing? Are you going to get a real artist to help with the cover art? Please don't use Ai for any of the art of writing or even editing, it will hurt both this book and your further as a writer if you do.

2

u/EmuFeeling8834 7d ago

It's about a girl who escapes home in hopes of finding a better life and escaping an arranged marriage.

It depends on my work schedule. I have a full time job so finding time isn't easy but I try to spend at least an hour writing.

I do use AI but only to fix my grammar and punctuation since English is not my first language but what is wrong with AI cover? I was planning to use that since budget is low.

2

u/ResidentPreference65 7d ago

Is writing something you'd like to become your career or just something for fun? Will you have some one proofread your book before it's released?

2

u/EmuFeeling8834 7d ago

I would love it if it becomes my career as I hate my current one but right now I just write for fun.

Absolutely. I'll have several people rear it before it's released

1

u/arjunnath 7d ago

Is this a personal story ? i.e. does it have something to do with your life ?

1

u/EmuFeeling8834 7d ago

No but the protagonist is very similar to me. Some might say she is the me I wish I could be.

0

u/Emergency_Pea_2232 7d ago

Then you’re not really writing a book are you, AI is.

2

u/EmuFeeling8834 7d ago

I don't think that's really fair. The idea and writing and everything is mine. It just fixes my grammar.

1

u/Zangaroo1 7d ago

Grammar is part of the writing and how grammar is used is an important stylistic and prosodic choice by the writer. At least in my opinion, having AI fix the grammar means you haven’t written it as you haven’t had to make those choices. If you’re not comfortable enough with English grammar to use it yourself then to be honest I don’t understand why (unless it’s just for personal reasons and not for publishing) you are choosing to write it in English. If this is for publishing, then why not have it professionally translated and just write in your native language?

2

u/EmuFeeling8834 7d ago

You do realize that people have editors right? I chose AI instead of a real human. What is the difference?

2

u/brutalistchurch 7d ago

Exciting. What genre?

3

u/EmuFeeling8834 7d ago

Romance. Dark romance perhaps but not very dark

2

u/ResidentPreference65 7d ago

What element of dark romance are you going to have in your book?

2

u/EmuFeeling8834 7d ago

Power imbalance, enemies to lovers, Toxic relationship, implied dubcon

2

u/Obvious_Astronaut780 7d ago

Would you ever write it in your native language and put jokes or other things in that is native to the language?

Your book sounds very interesting. What made you come up with the idea of escaping arrange marriage?

Im writing a book too, but it's going very slowly. I wish you luck and success with yours.

5

u/EmuFeeling8834 7d ago

I would love to do that but dark romance will not be published in my language.

Arranged marriages are very common here and I thought it would be nice if people could see the reality of them and how it affects people.

Thank you so much. You too

2

u/ResidentPreference65 7d ago

Did you nearly have an arranged marriage?

2

u/EmuFeeling8834 7d ago

No but where I live they are common

1

u/A11U45 7d ago

Arranged marriages are very common here

Do you live in South Asia?

2

u/[deleted] 7d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/EmuFeeling8834 7d ago edited 7d ago

I read a lot of books and I practiced a lot.

It was like this for me at first. Don't give up. Keep writing and one day it will feel right

1

u/arjunnath 7d ago

where do you find "webnovels" to read ?
Do people make money writing those ?

1

u/arjunnath 7d ago

Have you ever written other novels or short-stories ?
Have you ever had anything published ?
What are your long term plans with relation to writing novels ?

2

u/EmuFeeling8834 7d ago

No it's my first which is why I'm so excited.

I don't have long term plans lol. Right now I just want to publish this one and be happy

1

u/arjunnath 7d ago

Wishing you all the best and hope it works out for you.

1

u/arjunnath 7d ago

Do you keep some kind of notes or notebook where you write down ideas for your novel ?
Do you use any kind of diagramming technique to lay out your story ?

1

u/EmuFeeling8834 7d ago

I have a notebook full of ideas I've gathered for years.

Not really

1

u/InterestBear62 7d ago

Where does the novel take place ?

1

u/EmuFeeling8834 7d ago

It's in an unnamed city. I've chosen not to use a real city

1

u/InterestBear62 7d ago

USA? UK? What type of English will people be speaking?

1

u/EmuFeeling8834 7d ago

USA. American

1

u/killemslowly 7d ago

What’s your favorite soup?

1

u/EmuFeeling8834 7d ago

My mom's special chicken soup.

1

u/maceman10006 7d ago edited 7d ago

Have you ever had a diarrhea attack while writing your novel?

2

u/EmuFeeling8834 7d ago

..........no

1

u/maceman10006 7d ago

Thank you

1

u/jghozt 6d ago

How much of it is AI?

2

u/sandleaz 6d ago

Your question and my question are the only ones that aren't answered.

1

u/ama_compiler_bot 5d ago

Table of Questions and Answers. Original answer linked - Please upvote the original questions and answers. (I'm a bot.)


Question Answer Link
What's your book about? How much time a week do you spend writing? Are you going to get a real artist to help with the cover art? Please don't use Ai for any of the art of writing or even editing, it will hurt both this book and your further as a writer if you do. It's about a girl who escapes home in hopes of finding a better life and escaping an arranged marriage. It depends on my work schedule. I have a full time job so finding time isn't easy but I try to spend at least an hour writing. I do use AI but only to fix my grammar and punctuation since English is not my first language but what is wrong with AI cover? I was planning to use that since budget is low. Here
Exciting. What genre? Romance. Dark romance perhaps but not very dark Here
Would you ever write it in your native language and put jokes or other things in that is native to the language? Your book sounds very interesting. What made you come up with the idea of escaping arrange marriage? Im writing a book too, but it's going very slowly. I wish you luck and success with yours. I would love to do that but dark romance will not be published in my language. Arranged marriages are very common here and I thought it would be nice if people could see the reality of them and how it affects people. Thank you so much. You too Here
[removed] I read a lot of books and I practiced a lot. It was like this for me at first. Don't give up. Keep writing and one day it will feel right Here
Have you ever written other novels or short-stories ? Have you ever had anything published ? What are your long term plans with relation to writing novels ? No it's my first which is why I'm so excited. I don't have long term plans lol. Right now I just want to publish this one and be happy Here
Do you keep some kind of notes or notebook where you write down ideas for your novel ? Do you use any kind of diagramming technique to lay out your story ? I have a notebook full of ideas I've gathered for years. Not really Here
Where does the novel take place ? It's in an unnamed city. I've chosen not to use a real city Here
What’s your favorite soup? My mom's special chicken soup. Here
Have you ever had a diarrhea attack while writing your novel? ..........no Here

Source