What to do if my writer's brain functions in English but my target readers are those of my motherland?

Question

As a reader I have spent far more hours, well... years reading in English than my natural Portuguese mother language.

Now that I am writing, in Portuguese, I find myself fishing for words I know well in English and then not being able to translate them properly to Portuguese. Like the word/expression idling.

Don't know any other writers around here, and do need some help with this.

Would it be more profitable to write everything in English and then find a professional translator, or write it all, in Portuguese, and worry about the proper translation of certain words at the time of editing?

Don't know if I even am at the right place to ask this, but can't think of another option.

Thanks.

Answer 1

Usually, you want to stick with what you can write the easiest with. Writing alone is challenging without having to worry about different languages.

My advice would be to write in what ever you are most comfortable in (which appears to be English). Later translate it to Portuguese for local sales allowing you to have an English copy should you ever wish to go global as well.