[saraid216]

> this is something I've been willing to fix for a long time

I'm guessing English isn't your native language, so this is a diction note:

You should say "I've been wanting to fix". "willing" is strictly correct, but it conveys that you've been waiting for someone to ask you to fix it. "wanting" conveys that you knew about the problem but hadn't found the time to deal with it.

Hope that helps.

[asveikau]

Nitpick: your explanation works for the far more common term "willing", an adjective. But, through it may sound awkward and very few people would use it this way, could it not also be the participle of "to will"? In this interpretation the use of "willing" is totally correct.

(Also, before saying that I've written this out of some foreign notion of English and that I just wouldn't understand, my own native language is English.)

[qu4z-2]

It's technically correct, but it sounds weird and non-native to me. It requires me to jump through mental hoops to explain how it makes sense. For easy communication, I'd recommend sticking with "wanting" in this situation.

(though I'm not averse to using awkward phrasings or the like in casual situations where clear communication isn't the number one priority. At the moment I'm on a crusade to bring back "thrice" and {h,th,wh}{ence,ither}. )

[kaelig]

Thanks! I actually moved to the UK exactly one year ago to improve my speaking/writing English skills, and every suggestion helps. I hesitated when writing this comment and went for "willing" because it sounded good (not a very good way to choose what word to use…).