Non-native copywriting newbie... any chances?

by cv104
8 replies
Dear all,

I'm considering writing some articles but the problem is the fact that I'm a non-native english speaker (russian, actually).

I'm enjoying english as my second language and doing my best to follow all grammar rules but still have some problems when it comes to past/present perfect (as long as there're some usage differences in British/American dialects) and defenite/indefenite articles (there're simply no equivalents in Russian so I'm not pretty sure if I have to use one sometimes).

However, my lexicon is huge enough to express myself nearly as good as I would do speaking my native language (I even have to struggle slang I got used to watching movies when speaking).

So my question is: are there any chances for a non-native newbie like me? If yes, what's the best place to start looking for some copywriting jobs?


P.S.: what do you think about my language? Is it too primitive or not? Thanks!
#chances #copywriting #newbie #nonnative
  • Profile picture of the author Gary Pettit
    There is no problem with your English. You have it down.

    My only advice:

    Get a copy of E.B. White's "The Elements of Style." It remains the quintessential guide for writing well in English. Should be available online or at any library, for free. Ask the librarian. He/she will be happy to locate a copy for you.
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    • Profile picture of the author cv104
      Originally Posted by sparkie2260 View Post

      There is no problem with your English. You have it down.

      My only advice:

      Get a copy of E.B. White's "The Elements of Style." It remains the quintessential guide for writing well in English. Should be available online or at any library, for free. Ask the librarian. He/she will be happy to locate a copy for you.
      Thanks for your advice. I will definitely get myself a copy of this book. Can I ask you to give me a little tip on what my rates must look like? I made a little investigation and it seems like an average rate is hard to determine (or maybe that's because I'm searching wrong places on net to find it out). Currently I'm considering $20-$25 per 500 words as my basis. What do you think about it? Is it ok for a non-native newbie like me? Thanks a lot
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  • Profile picture of the author wcmylife
    @CV104

    It really depends on what market you are targeting with regards to charging $20 or $25. It also depends on what type of article you are writing technical/non-technical/seo article, niche articles etc. If a client is giving you substantial volumes then you might want to reduce your price. At the same time if you are doing articles with tight turn around time's, then its OK to ask for what you think is right.

    If you are starting out and are not sure about your English, I would suggest you get an experienced Editor and payment a percentage of what you earn. Ask them to edit your articles with TRACK CHANGES, so you can see where you are going wrong. After 100 articles, I am certain you will no longer require an editor.

    Hope it helps.
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  • Profile picture of the author ARSuarez
    Originally Posted by Ken_Caudill View Post

    Read Hemingway, Dos Passos, Cormac Mccarthy, Hunter Thompson, Neal Stephenson, Jack Kerouac. They're all approachable, readable, and superb stylists. Doing that will give you a feel for American English and its rhythms.

    Besides, they all tell a hell of a story.
    I'd also add John D. MacDonald, the Travis McGee stories. Gary Halbert was, according to Scott Haines, pretty adamant about reading these books to improve storytelling.
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    • Profile picture of the author JRCarson
      Your English is MUCH better than many people I have outsourced my article writing to. And those websites that those articles are on make money. So YES, I think you can make money writing articles right now!
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      • Profile picture of the author cv104
        Originally Posted by sparkie2260 View Post

        Get a copy of E.B. White's "The Elements of Style." It remains the quintessential guide for writing well in English.
        Thanks a lot for this tip. I downloaded a copy today from net, then printed and stiched it. I thumbed it through a bit and have to say that it's exactly what I need. It contains TONS of real-life writing issues I'm currently having problems with. Definitely this one is brilliant, thank you.

        Originally Posted by Ken_Caudill View Post

        Read Hemingway, Dos Passos, Cormac Mccarthy, Hunter Thompson, Neal Stephenson, Jack Kerouac.
        Besides, they all tell a hell of a story.
        Thank you, I will try to find some of them in Moscow stores (there're just a couple of places with classics in english available to purchase). My last book was "The faith of my fathers" by US senator John McCain (you probably remember him as he was Obama's opponent during 2008 presidential campaign). I was really impressed with his 5 years spent in Vietnam as POW. He got balls of steel, that's for sure.

        Originally Posted by wcmylife View Post

        @CV104
        If you are starting out and are not sure about your English, I would suggest you get an experienced Editor and payment a percentage of what you earn. Ask them to edit your articles with TRACK CHANGES, so you can see where you are going wrong.
        Well, I used to consider this idea and already found a couple of guys with good writing experience (both are spare-time writers) who agreed to help me with that. In parallel I wanna take a little course on Present/Past Perfect. You see, I'm an american english steady and it makes my Present/Past Perfect problem getting even worse since there're usage differences in American/British dialects. When I'm not sure, I simply do not use it trying to express myself in other words. And it worries me 'cause it's a very important part of english grammar and I can't simply throw it away. I also want to find some american english grammar textbook to get rid of this problem at last.

        Originally Posted by JRCarson View Post

        Your English is MUCH better than many people I have outsourced my article writing to. And those websites that those articles are on make money. So YES, I think you can make money writing articles right now!
        Thank you, I already applied for some writing projects and waiting for responses by now.


        Thank you guys for your support and writing tips - they are pretty helpful. I'm glad to find some help out there. I will post some news in this thread once getting my first writing job! )
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  • Profile picture of the author Gary Pettit
    Awesome advice, Ken. Bravo!

    And many of those authors are probably available for free online, if there's any trouble finding copies in Moscow.
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