I am non-native English speaker, living in US for 25 years. I have a long professional career, and, therefore, I am pretty comfortable with my business writing skills. However, about a year ago, I started writing a short fiction stories. Being a part of the writers group, I have been always received a good feedback but, for certain reason, it didn’t sound too convincing to me. I need to find an outlet to get more exposure, to get more opportunities to improve my writing. It would be great to find a reputable writing critique site that would include some open minded people, i.e. people who would understand writing from different perspective, people who would appreciate different writing style due to cultural differences. Do you have any recommendations?
3 Answers
I've been using Scribophile for some time (a website where you can post your work and receive feedback). Like you, I'm non-native English speaker, and the people there don't seem to care. They also give very good suggestions.
Maybe you should give it a try.
You should look for local writers' groups in your area -- at the library, community college, church, coffee shop, etc. -- because some of them focus mainly on fiction and/or short stories; groups may be listed in the local/regional newspaper, a newsletter or a poster on a bulletin board.
It can be a lot easier discussing with a group of writers (in person instead of online) any character development issues or dialogue questions that you have. Good luck.
In addition to Scribophile, Critique Circle is also a good site. The majority of users there are friendly and people are always happy to help. Another option is youwriteon.com, which I have not tried but have heard a lot of good things about. I could not find a site with a focus on ESL writers, but both Scribophile and Critique Circle are definitely good places to try out.
