Re: Any tips for ESL writer?



Brad <adeva2003@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Hello,

I am a female, originally from Europe and
English is my second language.

I have started writing a story that has always been on my mind for
years, and I love the writing process. It is a mixture of science
fiction and fantasy. I think it is pretty good ;)

My only problem is that English is not my mother tongue and, although
I can tell I am getting better every day, I don't think I will ever
be
able to write like a native.

I want to finish the book and I've been thinking about possible ways
to solve my problem. Best thing would be to have a buddy who would
correct my English, but of course, I can't expect someone to do this
for me for free, and I can't possibly pay what the ghostwriters ask
for.

I was wondering is there anyone here who could give me an advise? Has
anybody been in my situation? And if so, what did you do to overcome
the problem?

What I do is I write the chapter first and then go back and make
corrections, look up words in the dictionary or google similar
sentences if necessary, but there is no way I can make sure by myself
that every sentence will be correct.
As far as I know, editors would stop reading it after spotting the
first few errors.

I've been thinking about this for a while, but can't come up with a
solution. My only hope is that the story will be so good that the
editor will be willing to do the correction.
Should I just go ahead, finish the story and then ask an editor if
he/
she is interested to see it even if it might not be perfect? Do I
have
a chance?

Does anyone have any tips as to what should I do? I would really love
to write this book!
If this is not the right group to discuss this, could you recommend
me
another one?

Thanks,

Evelyn

Do not see the fact that English is not your native language as a
major problem, most people whose native language is English write
poorly. The resources available on the web today include definitions
and descriptions of idioms, so although you may need to work at that
if you care to use popular idioms, the information is available.

You might benefit from participation in a crit-group, the usenet group
"alt.fiction.original" is not too hostile. I suggest posting there.

The "misc.writing" group is not for the posting of original work, but
if you want to discuss the problems inherent in writing in a language
that is not your native tongue, that kind of discussion might be
useful to you.

--
Monopolists do it with play money.
Do not pass Gas, go directly to Jail.
.



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