Communities

Writing
Writing
Codidact Meta
Codidact Meta
The Great Outdoors
The Great Outdoors
Photography & Video
Photography & Video
Scientific Speculation
Scientific Speculation
Cooking
Cooking
Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Judaism
Judaism
Languages & Linguistics
Languages & Linguistics
Software Development
Software Development
Mathematics
Mathematics
Christianity
Christianity
Code Golf
Code Golf
Music
Music
Physics
Physics
Linux Systems
Linux Systems
Power Users
Power Users
Tabletop RPGs
Tabletop RPGs
Community Proposals
Community Proposals
tag:snake search within a tag
answers:0 unanswered questions
user:xxxx search by author id
score:0.5 posts with 0.5+ score
"snake oil" exact phrase
votes:4 posts with 4+ votes
created:<1w created < 1 week ago
post_type:xxxx type of post
Search help
Notifications
Mark all as read See all your notifications »
Q&A

Post History

60%
+1 −0
Q&A Is it a flaw if a book is readable, flows well, and gets the point across, BUT you can tell that the author is a non-native?

I sometimes notice that a work of literature has been written by an immigrant. It's not just the sentences - it's something in the underlying world-view, the imagery, the way different things are g...

posted 6y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-12T21:57:24Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/37355
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T09:16:45Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/37355
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2019-12-08T09:16:45Z (over 4 years ago)
I sometimes notice that a work of literature has been written by an immigrant. It's not just the sentences - it's something in the underlying world-view, the imagery, the way different things are given attention.

I love this effect, and go looking for it. Why? Because I find the different POV of the writer interesting. You bring a different experience, which allows you to tell a different story. **What you have is a unique advantage. Don't fear it - use it!**

There are multiple examples of very successful writers who were not born in the country where they wrote, and who wrote in a language other than their mother's tongue. Consider Vladimir Nabokov, a Russian-American writer. Or, if you're looking for a more modern example, consider Ken Liu - a Chinese-American writer of f/sf, who has received Hugos, Nebulas, and other awards for his short stories.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2018-07-01T14:50:47Z (almost 6 years ago)
Original score: 9