Become a Writer Using English if It's Your Second Language
If you are reading this article right now, that means you know English and you can speak it as well. If you want to become a writer, and English is your second language, you can do it by following these simple steps. Good luck.
Contents
Steps
- Think about why you want to write in English. Perhaps you think English is more popular and there are more chances for your books to become a best seller, or perhaps you have problems writing in your first language. Whatever your reasons are, if you have made up your mind that you want to write your novels, books, facts, fictions or any article in the English language, then there is nothing to worry about because a language becomes yours if you fully master the language.
- Examine your current skill by doing a simple test on the internet. Search on the Internet for English literacy tests and choose one which suits your style. If you are living in a country where people speak English, then you must have an idea how good your English is, so rate yourself, on a scale of one to ten, by judging your own skill in conversations and discussions. Once you have found out on which level your English stands, then find the root of your weaknesses in the language, such as grammar, spelling mistakes, vocabulary, and most of all, your style of writing. Writing mostly depends on your talent as a writer, and you can easily improve your mechanics.
- Make a list of things that you need to improve on. For example, if you need to improve your grammar, then work out the best way to improve it. If you don't have time to join a class in your area, or there is no course for your grammar needs, then purchase some good literature in English (both writing help and original literature).
- Read lots of books, newspapers, and articles in English. This will help you improve your writing, as well as help you learn the norms of English writing. Although reading other books will improve your writing style in English, bear in mind that you can't copy people's work (called plagiarism), but you can always learn from reading, and reading might inspire your writing as well.
- Start writing your story using grammar and spell check on the computer. Also, read your work and be your own editor, work with patience, ask your English-speaking friends to read your story, and get their critiques in order to improve your writing.
- Talk to native English speakers. This way you can learn how to write dialogue in your story.
- Complete your work and decide if it is worth trying to publish. If it is, do not hesitate to send it to publishers. Do your best, but don't obsess about making it perfect before you send it, because the publishing company has professional editors to do that for you.
Tips
- Make yourself comfortable when writing and make sure your room is fresh and quiet.
- Start writing short and simple stories to develop your basic style.
- Make your surroundings colorful because colors can bring inspiration.
- Be confident about your work, and organize your work. Make a profile for your characters if you are writing a novel. Put headings for each chapter, and if you have your plot and ending ready, whether in your mind or on paper, start writing from any chapter, as long as you write them all.
- Play sports or join the gym in order to relax your mind, peace of mind is very important for a writer.
- Be patient about writing, as writing is a hard thing to do, even for native English speakers, so take your time.
Warnings
- Do not copy other writers in order to sound good in English.
- Do not give up on writing if you get rejection letters, because most writers get rejected on the first attempt.
- Do not put yourself under too much pressure, it can be bad for your health.
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