: Re: Could I reach the level of good writing style as non-native language speaker? I currently write in Russian, but I think of switching to English to gain more audience and to play with both

@Martha805

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It is certainly not easy, but I'd like to point to a possible advantage of coming from a different culture with a different language: it might also give you an edge!

When I read manga (japanese comic books) for instance, I always gravitate towards the type of manga which draws its inspiration from western culture. The manga that talk about eastern culture, like ninja or samurai stories don't interest me. It's the ones about pirates and bounty hunters.

On the other hand, the comic books treating the same themes do not interest me at all. Why? It's precisely because of the refreshing look of japanese manga artists on our culture. They view it totally differently, bring in aspects from their own culture into it, and that's what makes it so very fresh and entertaining.

Something similar must be true for literature. Wasn't Nabokov, the great Russian writer, writing in English, French and Russian? Often drawing inspiration from the various languages.

Certainly, the task ahead is not an easy one, but nothing worthwhile is easy, don't let it discourage you!

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