Second-language speaker looking for an editor

[Cybran]

Hey there,

after receiving an useful hint, I decided to look for a VE to help me with my story!

To give a short summary of what the story is about: It's about a college guy and his adventure with an attractive middle-aged woman or MILF respectively.

I have already posted my story so far in another topic, so you can have a look at it: Over here. (I know, the rule is posting only the first 500 words or so, but now it's too late for that )

What I'm looking for is primary someone to help me out with stylistic and grammatical advices. (e.g. correct usage of words, sentence structure etc.)

But of course I'm also looking forward to some hints and comments regarding the content!

So write me a PM/post here if you are interested in this case!


So long!

 

[faq52]

having read the first couple of paragraphs it is my opinion that you need to take English lessons more than you need an editor. the biggest single issue is translation in to English. you are using English words but thinking in German.
you would also do well to do a lot more reading in English so that you learn the natural flow of words.

 

[driphoney]

Since this is a free story site full of amateur writers and volunteer editors, one of the best things you can do to polish your English and knock the edges off, to find inconsistencies, etc. is to keep writing it and having a native speaker look over it. Of course reading it, taking classes, speaking to native speakers and even watching movies in English will help, but writing a language is harder than understanding and even speaking it, where small mistakes are often overlooked, writing it is more exacting and will push you.

Like anything in life,doing it is the way you get better. This site is just one place you can gain some experience. Now to get good votes, you have to do it well. Once a person is informed that you're writing as a non-native speaker, they can pick up on the nuances, but there are native speakers posting stories here all the time with less or equal grasp on the English language than you have.

 

[faq52]

writing a language is harder than understanding and even speaking it, where small mistakes are often overlooked, writing it is more exacting and will push you.

this is so true!
I write a lot. not usually fiction. the number of times I have something in my head, write it and then when I read it I am horrified at how illiterate I sound. on the other hand there are times when I find myself writing pure gold spontaneously.

Like anything in life,doing it is the way you get better. This site is just one place you can gain some experience. Now to get good votes, you have to do it well. Once a person is informed that you're writing as a non-native speaker, they can pick up on the nuances, but there are native speakers posting stories here all the time with less or equal grasp on the English language than you have.

possibly 80% of the stories are written by native speakers who have no better grasp of English than you do.

 

[driphoney]

this is so true!
I write a lot. not usually fiction. the number of times I have something in my head, write it and then when I read it I am horrified at how illiterate I sound. on the other hand there are times when I find myself writing pure gold spontaneously.

possibly 80% of the stories are written by native speakers who have no better grasp of English than you do.

Pardon me. I probably should not post while sick, on a good day I screw up, on a bad one, the mistakes just pile up. Sorry.

I should have directly quoted the original poster as that's who I was addressing. I was not insulting your English. I had looked at his story on another thread without knowing he was not native, then again after he pointed it out here.

So, since I'm so clumsy in my English, let me reiterate just to be absolutely clear, my comment wasn't really intended as an insult, nor was it directed at you.