The Worst Stage of Language Learning

As I (Nathan) move into the Advanced levels of language, my progress gets harder and slower.  To continue progressing, I have to fine-tune my pronunciation.  I have to increase my speed and grammatical accuracy.  I have to speak in paragraphs.

My biggest roadblock at this point is learning and incorporating higher-level connectors.  You know, the ones that show purpose, reason, cause/effect, and hypotheses; words and phrases that express complete thoughts.

Essentially, I'm learning how to speak like an adult, but not just any adult.  I want to speak as someone educated, well-spoken, and confident, with the ability to influence people through my speech.

I'm trying to accomplish in 6 months, in a second language, what took me about 15 years in my first.