Would it be too ridiculous to try smut writing from non-native English speaker?

[sonicdriller05]

I admit that my English is not that great. I moved to English-speaking nation at the age of 25. I only learned English from public school as a formal education.

Of course, I read and write and speak English for my career here. I have no problem with language issues while pursuing my career and tasks. But my English writing is heavily weighed to my career-related topics which is light years away from any form of English literature.

I read English novels and newspapers, though these days it is too busy to read a book. I even tried short novels using my original language when I was young. But I know, these experiences wouldn't be that much helpful for smut writing in English.



Any tips for writing a smut for a non-native English writer/speaker like me? Would it be better to write a novel using my home language and translate it? Or would it be better to start from English?

Do the writing assistance tools like Grammarly, Prowritingaid, and Hemingway helpful for a non-native English writer? If yes, which one would be the best one for smut or novel writing?

 

[SimonDoom]

I'd say, go for it. There are some other non-native speakers here who write stories in English, and there are natives whose English grammar skills aren't that good. Judging from the small sample of your post I'd say you should be fine. I caught two small mistakes. You might consider getting an editor to assist you.

 

[oggbashan]

No. There are hundreds of non-English speakers writing for LIt in English.

Your grammar is likely to be better than a native English speaker from the US or the UK thanks to our defective teaching systems which have de-emphasized grammar since the mid-1960s.

Anyone who has had to learn English as a foreign language will have been taught grammar.

 

[Omenainen]

I’m not a native and I don’t even live, nor have I ever lived, in English speaking country. I’ve still managed to write smut I enjoy and based on the feedback, so do others. So, my advice is to just go for it.

I recommend you write in English and not try translating, it’s a whole different skill and at least I write different stories in English than I would do in my own language. Writing prose in English is frustrating, I can never quite get it right, and it’s infuriating to know that, but in the end it doesn’t matter all that much. Or I’m just getting used to it

So, welcome, just go for it, and good luck!

Simon’s advise on editor is a good one, but they’re hard to find, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t succeed in that. You can go ahead and write and publish anyway. With my permission

 

[TarnishedPenny]

No. There are hundreds of non-English speakers writing for LIt in English.

Your grammar is likely to be better than a native English speaker from the US or the UK thanks to our defective teaching systems which have de-emphasized grammar since the mid-1960s.

Anyone who has had to learn English as a foreign language will have been taught grammar.

This!

You cannot possibly be worse than some of us who grew up with Sloppy English as a milk tongue.

Go for it!

 

[Bramblethorn]

I'd say, go for it. There are some other non-native speakers here who write stories in English, and there are natives whose English grammar skills aren't that good. Judging from the small sample of your post I'd say you should be fine. I caught two small mistakes. You might consider getting an editor to assist you.

All of this. Nobody mangles English like a native speaker.

 

[TxRad]

All of this. Nobody mangles English like a native speaker.

Texans do.

 

[SimonDoom]

Texans do.

Texas, as always, is the exception to every rule.

 

[jaF0]

All of this. Nobody mangles English like a native speaker.

Hey, I resemble that remark!!!!

OP, just be aware of regional terms and slang. Words mean different things in different places and what's common in your home country may get your eye blackened in another. The English slang for cigarette is but one example.

 

[Sextified]

<<< Nobody mangles English like a native speaker. >>>

Texans do.

And our 'little' state has so many 'regional' accents to enjoy obliterating the King's English with!

Sometimes you can hardly understand someone from South Texas, if you were born and bred from West Texas. Or if you leave the comfort of the Big Cities, to go looking for antiques, out in the forests and hills of East Texas.

Then you mix in all the 'foreigners' from the other 49 states, and you have a right mess trying to get a simple order placed correctly in a local restaurant. Curiously, us Texans have bastardized our own town names, so we can tell the Locals from the Strangers easier.

I know of several 'highly' qualified weathermen and weatherwomen, that still get ripped harshly during the spring and summer months. All for the horrible crime of mispronouncing the name of a one-stoplight collection of houses, that had a tornado wander thru it, and missing every single structure except for one horse barn..

Just try to endure the looks from us locals, when you pass the time in Bexar, Mexia, Gruene, Palestine, Bowie or Buda.

To quote an article,

"Certainly, the Texas tongue can be tricky when it comes to pronouncing city names. Folks from other states learn pretty quickly Texans do things their own way. Many places with Spanish names, like San Marcos, have been anglicized."

So if you are creative, have good ideas, but just don't speak the Lit's local language? Do your best, then ask nicely for a Beta-reader. Please make sure that you state the genre, length and any fetishes in your story when you post your initial request. Not showing that little bit of courtesy will drive off most of your potential candidates right from the very start.

Personally, I would recommend starting with either a short story, or a single chapter, then getting some advice. Editing can be a chore at the best of times, so it might prove easier in the long run to learn as you go, rather than try to fix one massive document.

Make a list of the common mistakes, misspellings, confused words and tense issues that plague you the most. Keep adding to your 'fix-it' list and slowly work them out of your system. Continue to read as much as you write.

At some point, you might want to determine if you are going to write in 'conversational' English or what passes for 'perfect' English these days.

I did a lot of studying on British language standards as they developed in TV and Radio over the years. The BBC had an absolute stranglehold on what went out over their airways in the past.

Growing up, I was privileged to know some radio broadcasters from all parts of the country. The need to have a clear "Radio" or "Announcers" voice was crucial to their careers. Away from the mic, they sounded just like any local, but when it was time for work, they flipped their internal switch, and you would never guess where they were actually from.

I know quite a few non-English writers, of varying backgrounds. Some come from a very strict school of adherence. Others have watched a lot of more recent 'American' TV and movies, and try to have their characters match the 'common folk' ways of doing things.

As a writer with a mixed heritage, (Texan and elsewhere), I try to do a little of both. I keep the dialogue between actors natural, and the narrating bits formal and structured. That little trick can be very subtle and difficult to pull off, especially for people who learned another language first.

Just write, experiment, have fun, find some good help, listen to the serious comments (if you get any), and do your best to grow as a writer. That can happen regardless of your native language.

 

[Rustyoznail]

I’ve edited a few stories by non-native English speakers, and in general it’s phrasing that trips people up. If you’re not sure, read it aloud.

The worst story I’ve edited for grammar and spelling was by an American. Great story, impossible to read.

 

[Wifetheif]

I admit that my English is not that great. I moved to English-speaking nation at the age of 25. I only learned English from public school as a formal education.

Of course, I read and write and speak English for my career here. I have no problem with language issues while pursuing my career and tasks. But my English writing is heavily weighed to my career-related topics which is light years away from any form of English literature.

I read English novels and newspapers, though these days it is too busy to read a book. I even tried short novels using my original language when I was young. But I know, these experiences wouldn't be that much helpful for smut writing in English.



Any tips for writing a smut for a non-native English writer/speaker like me? Would it be better to write a novel using my home language and translate it? Or would it be better to start from English?

Do the writing assistance tools like Grammarly, Prowritingaid, and Hemingway helpful for a non-native English writer? If yes, which one would be the best one for smut or novel writing?

Joseph Conrad was not a native English speaker. He wrote classics that are part of the English canon.
Give it a go in English. Translation is an art, just because you speak a language other than English, that doesn't mean that you can make your translation from one to another sing. That is why skilled translators are prized all around the world. If you are comfortable with dialogue, try starting out with that. If you feel more comfortable with narrative, start that way. Word and Grammarly are both helpful. I tend to make my early drafts in Word and run it through Grammarly at the end. The important thing is to start. Use natural language at first. Proper use of dirty words requires a bit of finesse. Breasts are not always tits and twats are rarely called that. Check out lit.com writers you like and see how they use them. But to repeat you have to start. If you don't you will never write anything.

 

[mynameisben]

Would it be too ridiculous to try smut writing from non-native English speaker?

Too ridiculous? Perish the thought! I've read smut off these boards from native English speakers that had me laughing my ass off it was so bad. But god bless them for trying, and god bless you for trying too.

Don't be afraid. You will never get good at writing smut (or anything else) unless you take the plunge and just WRITE! Write it in English if that is your want. Get yourself a good proofreader/editor, and learn from your readers' feedback about your mistakes. Don't let the trolls who will mock you -- they are assholes and they will mock anybody -- discourage you. If you really want to be good at writing smut in English just do it. If you pour your heart and soul into it you can't help but get better at it. And dare I say it, you will get good at it. I promise.


Ben

 

[ChloeTzang]

This!

You cannot possibly be worse than some of us who grew up with Sloppy English as a milk tongue.

Go for it!

And that’s not even talking about what aussies do to what purports to be English, downunder. I say just do it.

 

[oggbashan]

And that’s not even talking about what aussies do to what purports to be English, downunder. I say just do it.

Or some Indians do with Hinglish...

 

[ChloeTzang]

Or some Indians do with Hinglish...

Lol. And I wasn’t even going to mention chinglish.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Joseph Conrad was not a native English speaker. He wrote classics that are part of the English canon.

And, more recently, Tom Stoppard. One of the most celebrated writers for stage and screen.