British authors!

I don't come here often but I did today and I really enjoyed reading this thread. very interesting. Willy Wanker I loved your recent story in the gay male section because it was so "British"!

As a non native english speaker, I attempted to write a story about an Irish rock band in the gay male section (U-N-I) and I often struggle with the use of english vs American words as I know there are many american readers. I asked someone to proofread a few chapters and I wrote 'I can't be arsed' but he didn't understand it so I changed it to 'I can't be bothered.'
Also, I never know if I should use 'pants' or 'trousers' or any other words lol

I’ve had two stories published so far and the location could be anywhere in the world so I wrote them in correct English. I have a third pending which I specifically state is set in a park in an English city. At present I’m working on a story set in the southern states, specifically Mississippi, an area of the US with which I’m familiar.

So therefore I’m using terms such as: median instead of central reservation; interstate or freeway instead of motorway; two blocks south instead of two streets away to the right/left; vacation instead of holiday; rental instead of hire car; GPS instead of SatNav; gas instead of petrol; hooker instead of prostitute; ass instead of arse.

Aluminum (which doesn’t exist) instead of aluminium which is the most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust; I’ve even succumbed to using “gotten” the worst abomination of the English language.

But there are words, phrases, expressions which I won’t change because they are correct English.

If an American writer is setting a story in a country other than America then he/she should be prepared to make similar concessions. If he/she is not prepared to do so then the story will lack realism. It’s quite possible that non American readers will deduct stars because of his/her perceived wilful arrogance.

Emirus said:

If an American writer is setting a story in a country other than America then he/she should be prepared to make similar concessions. If he/she is not prepared to do so then the story will lack realism. It’s quite possible that non American readers will deduct stars because of his/her perceived wilful arrogance.

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It isn't the story's location that should determine the word choices; it's the nationality/language education of the POV character or narrator. An American main character providing the POV of a story and on a one-week bus tour in England isn't suddenly going to be speaking in UK idioms just because they are standing and looking at Stonehenge.

And in most cases, it isn't arrogance that will have led an American author to use American idioms for a character steeped in the English of another country (or teaching), it's just lack of knowledge. North America is an insular continent. Most Americans haven't been anywhere else. Most of them don't even realize that not every English speaker is speaking "American."

electricblue66 said:

Genius is a soft art in a quiet place.

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Did you make that up? Because if you did, I'm giving you serious points.

Someone ought to toss this in:
There even are places where English completely disappears.
In America, they haven't used it for years!
Alan Jay Lerner, My Fair Lady (and no, it isn't in Pygmalion)

SimonDoom said:

Did you make that up? Because if you did, I'm giving you serious points.

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Yes, all mine. Thank you.

sr71plt said:

It isn't the story's location that should determine the word choices; it's the nationality/language education of the POV character or narrator. An American main character providing the POV of a story and on a one-week bus tour in England isn't suddenly going to be speaking in UK idioms just because they are standing and looking at Stonehenge.

I couldn’t agree more. It would be absolutely stupid to have an American as the narrator of a story set in England to use the Queen’s English and vice versa. Queen’s English for a story set in England with English characters. American English for a story set in America with American characters. Otherwise there’s no realism.


And in most cases, it isn't arrogance that will have led an American author to use American idioms for a character steeped in the English of another country (or teaching), it's just lack of knowledge. North America is an insular continent. Most Americans haven't been anywhere else. Most of them don't even realize that not every English speaker is speaking "American."

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Again I agree with you that it isn’t arrogance because, as you rightly say, North America is an insular continent. If not for the many different languages then Europe would probably be different.

And me

I'm another Brit author who is so computer illiterate I can't post a hyperlink to my stories. I enjoy reading Brit authors when I stumble across them. Thanks for starting the thread, I'm looking forward to catching up with the ones I haven't found before.

I don't write from a specific location. I guess my stories are set in not-London; a melange of various towns and cities I know well. I did an Xmas story set in Bridlington - my attempt to elevate it to the capital of erotic pleasure in Britain. It was only ever going to fool people who have never been there, but it was fun to write.

I've never had any criticism of my use of UK spellings and/or punctuation. This could be a whole other subject to excite the splenetic trolls who plague Loving Wives.

Brit here, Works are set in the UK but nowhere specific, location is vague to cover a wider audience. I like sarcasm so you'll see the brit in that. It's mostly non con with one erotic coupling.

https://www.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=3727322&page=submissions

Red

British Cuck, first story.

https://www.literotica.com/s/summer-fun-17

Check out my first story. I’m a British writer, writing about true experiences. Got loads more to share.
Be as critical as you want in your comments.

Another British author here, with over 20 stories published, mainly in two larger series.

https://www.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=3548632&page=submissions

'Beth's Summer Break' is in 11 parts and complete. 'Goodbye To The Past' is work in progress and is up to six at the moment.

Some of my settings are fictional/generic and some are loosely based on real places - e.g. my Chelsea Harbour in the GTTP series is the real one but with a great deal of poetic license. Amberdown in BSB is somewhere in Sussex. I hope to find it someday.

My main protagonists are English but I have written quite a few American and European characters, many with dialects. So far nothing has fallen foul of any submission issues and given that I have never had a comment such as 'X would never have said that,' I assume I am doing ok ;o)

As with the Marvel and DC series, my characters have a habit of turning up in each others timelines. I like to give my characters some life and backstory, so there is usually a fair bit of rambling before the mindless shagging and swapping of bodily fluids begins. Sienna from 'The Third Time' turns up unexpectedly in the BSB series and Caitlin from GTTP first appears in that series before she gets her own story expanded. This then means Gina and Bonnie appear in GTTP etc etc.

Now I've seen this thread, I'll investigate the works of my fellow countrymen and women and hopefully may get a few views and comments myself.

I find that I score pretty highly (apart from one consistent one-bomber!) but that I get few faves and even fewer comments. Maybe something to do with the predominantly American readership?

Cheers and happy writing
BS

Hello Chaps and Chapesses, I'm a Brit posting on Lit, mostly straight romances with a few fantasy and sci-fi excursions on the jolly old charabanc, plus the odd bruising encounter with the LW category, which is a bit like being a Southern comic venturing timidly on a Glaswegian Music Hall stage!

Most of my stuff isn't all that erotic, the few attempts I've made at eroticism have sucked big time. Most of my writing is in my native tongue, one or two have gone OTT into Cockney (eg Not Passing Go!) and in a recent tale I have attempted mixing American and British idioms where the 2 main characters are English (although one lived 22 of his 49 years stateside) and the 3 supporting roles are American (eg The Extra).

I like twists, and the eponymous Anonymous appears to prefer predictability, so that often leads to hate mail. Otherwise, my writing tends to slip under the radar, gets few comments and even fewer 1*s. I write across about half a dozen genres, as I am happy writing about anything.

Always happy to give feedback and read it, although I never go out of my way to check Anon comments, only read them if a genuine commentator responds and I happen to see them. Have recently started editing an American author, so learning more about the different spellings as I go along.

https://www.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=1971046&page=submissions

I'm British and tend to write it as neutral as I can. Most if my stuff is centred around celebrities. Feel free to read my stuff (not the earliest as that was fairly terrible, shame lit don't let you take then down).

Would be good to chat to some more authors.

RTMinotaur said:

I'm British and tend to write it as neutral as I can. Most if my stuff is centred around celebrities. Feel free to read my stuff (not the earliest as that was fairly terrible, shame lit don't let you take then down).

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To remove a story, all you need to do is submit the same story title with DELETE added in the title field, together with a note to editor (bottom of the submission page) asking for the story to be taken down. It will take a week or so.