English vrs English

[Yogma]

Hi.
For context, I'm British, but have spent quite a bit of time in the US, so I'm fairly comfortable between switching between the two versions of English.
I got the feeling when I started writing for here, that a majority of the audience was American, so I adopted the US-English spelling for my stories. Whilst the US spelling wasn't much of an issue, I did notice that a lot of my phrasing was still (unconciously) British based, which created a bit of a mish-mash of styles, therefore, about six months ago I switched my spelling over to be British-English so that I had better consistency between phrasing and spelling.
However, since making the swap to British-English, a number of the comments on my stories are getting pinged for "too many spelling mistakes", and I'm prety sure I'm loosing the odd star or two because of it.
I'm probably going to end up switching back to US-English to avoid all the comments, but I was just wondering if other non-US writers got similar coments on their stories when using non-US-English spelling?

 

[CalBishForNow]

1. I'm American, so I can't offer the perspective of a non-American writer like you're asking for, but I think UK spelling and idiom is common enough around here. At most you could start your stories with a foreword addressing that and any similar issues.
2. I can't resist pointing out "I'm prety sure" in a thread about spelling. American vs. British conventions might not be the only problem.

 

[Bazzle]

Hi.
For context, I'm British, but have spent quite a bit of time in the US, so I'm fairly comfortable between switching between the two versions of English.
I got the feeling when I started writing for here, that a majority of the audience was American, so I adopted the US-English spelling for my stories. Whilst the US spelling wasn't much of an issue, I did notice that a lot of my phrasing was still (unconciously) British based, which created a bit of a mish-mash of styles, therefore, about six months ago I switched my spelling over to be British-English so that I had better consistency between phrasing and spelling.
However, since making the swap to British-English, a number of the comments on my stories are getting pinged for "too many spelling mistakes", and I'm prety sure I'm loosing the odd star or two because of it.
I'm probably going to end up switching back to US-English to avoid all the comments, but I was just wondering if other non-US writers got similar coments on their stories when using non-US-English spelling?

Yup, how dare you spell words incorrectly. I am American and it's afront to my education that you write in British English.

 

[THBGato]

However, since making the swap to British-English, a number of the comments on my stories are getting pinged for "too many spelling mistakes", and I'm prety sure I'm loosing the odd star or two because of it.
I'm probably going to end up switching back to US-English to avoid all the comments, but I was just wondering if other non-US writers got similar coments on their stories when using non-US-English spelling?

Depends where you set the story.

I don't get that comment for my UK based stories - in fact a few comments have mentioned it positively (e.g. "On another note...as an American, I find some of the dialogue and even some narration difficult, but in a good way! It's fun learning some Bristolian and likely general British English that I'm learning. I just learned what a flannel is, for example!")

However, on my recent story set in the USA with US characters, quite a few comments did pull me up on this, despite my wonderful beta-readers catching the majority of "favours" and "hood/bonnet" confusions. Like you, I think it was less about spelling and more idioms - apparently Americans wouldn't say "I'll be nigh on seventy by then". Doubt it made a difference to the score though.

That said, my question to you would be: Is there a reason why you don't want to set your stories in the UK? Because if you did, then you just write in UK English, and it's all good.

Love your lesbian stories, by the way!

 

[Yogma]

Yup, how dare you spell words incorrectly. I am American and it's afront to my education that you write in British English.

Oi, comments like that are likely to get you a right sorting out if you don't watch your North and South

 

[StillStunned]

I've had a couple of comments along the lines of "A few spelling mistakes". I generally assume it's readers who are unfamiliar with UK English, but I've spent enough of my life editing and proofreading to know I'm not infallible unless I'm being paid.

But just today I got a comment from Anonymous that read:

it's SO nice to see someone who knows how to use commas and how and when to use "lie" and "lay"!

Presumably a Brit whose enjoyment of hot porn stories has suffered from US usage.

 

[Bazzle]

Oi, comments like that are likely to get you a right sorting out if you don't watch your North and South

I've received those comments!!

The hatred of finding extra u in words.

 

[Yogma]

Depends where you set the story.

. . .

That said, my question to you would be: Is there a reason why you don't want to set your stories in the UK? Because if you did, then you just write in UK English, and it's all good.

Love your lesbian stories, by the way!

Re: my lesbian stories - coming from you that means a lot

As to why not all my stories are set in the UK (a number of them are), as I mentioned, I've spent time in the US, so I do have a fondness for the place and people - even the ones that insist on misusing the King's English

 

[old_prof]

I've had a couple of comments along the lines of "A few spelling mistakes". I generally assume it's readers who are unfamiliar with UK English, but I've spent enough of my life editing and proofreading to know I'm not infallible unless I'm being paid.

But just today I got a comment from Anonymous that read:

Presumably a Brit whose enjoyment of hot porn stories has suffered from US usage.

I have to point out that after you helped me with the scene in snow fall, I spent hours (well maybe minutes) deleting extra u’s. I would have thought you would realize how to spell realize. Without an s in sight.

It was almost enough to doubt the value of getting help from someone like you. I thought we got rid of y’all 250 years ago. Seriously thank you again for that. It continues to be a huge influence on my writing. Even if you can’t spell

 

[StillStunned]

I have to point out that after you helped me with the scene in snow fall, I spent hours (well maybe minutes) deleting extra u’s. I would have thought you would realize how to spell realize. Without an s in sight.

 

[Dodola]

Re: my lesbian stories - coming from you that means a lot

As to why not all my stories are set in the UK (a number of them are), as I mentioned, I've spent time in the US, so I do have a fondness for the place and people - even the ones that insist on misusing the King's English

You're the first Brit who has said anything positive about Americans in the seven months I've been hanging around the AH, so thank you and cheers .
I have several friends in the UK and visiting them in person is on my bucket list.

 

[TheLobster]

I have to point out that after you helped me with the scene in snow fall, I spent hours (well maybe minutes) deleting extra u’s.

Isn’t it funny how dem Brits had been living with those extra u’s for a whole millennium, but all it took was that one Webster guy and his dictionary, and now they’re all gone!

Makes all that drowned tea worth it, I’d say.

 

[THBGato]

Isn’t it funny how dem Brits had been living with those extra u’s for a whole millennium, but all it took was that one Webster guy and his dictionary, and now they’re all gone!

It's a little bit of a myth. There were lots of spellings Webster included that were never adopted e.g. soop for "soup" and tung for "tongue". Webster alone wouldn't have made a difference, and many of the spellings he documented were already widely accepted alternates.

 

[TheLobster]

It's a little bit of a myth. There were lots of spellings Webster included that were never adopted e.g. soop for "soup" and tung for "tongue". Webster alone wouldn't have made a difference, and many of the spellings he documented were already widely accepted alternates.

Damn, no soop for us

 

[StillStunned]

Whenever I see US spelling, I imagine a Regency gentleman raising his quizzing glass to examine the text more closely. Then his eyebrow twitches and he says, "Ah" and turns away. And everyone knows.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Hi.
For context, I'm British, but have spent quite a bit of time in the US, so I'm fairly comfortable between switching between the two versions of English.
I got the feeling when I started writing for here, that a majority of the audience was American, so I adopted the US-English spelling for my stories. Whilst the US spelling wasn't much of an issue, I did notice that a lot of my phrasing was still (unconciously) British based, which created a bit of a mish-mash of styles, therefore, about six months ago I switched my spelling over to be British-English so that I had better consistency between phrasing and spelling.

Don't kowtow to your perceived audience, would be my advice. I'm an Oz writer with a million and a half words here on Lit, and not a single comment about "incorrect spelling", except from one clown who didn't understand deliberate archaism in a story set in the Dark Ages.

However, since making the swap to British-English, a number of the comments on my stories are getting pinged for "too many spelling mistakes", and I'm prety sure I'm loosing the odd star or two because of it.
I'm probably going to end up switching back to US-English to avoid all the comments, but I was just wondering if other non-US writers got similar coments on their stories when using non-US-English spelling?

I wouldn't, personally. Keep consistent with your culture and background, would be my advice, that is, Brit English. If your audience is ignorant, that's on them, not your problem to fix.

It's possible you're getting pinged for trying to fake Americanese when it doesn't come naturally, and you've been spotted.

 

[FrancesScott]

Hi.
For context, I'm British, but have spent quite a bit of time in the US, so I'm fairly comfortable between switching between the two versions of English.
I got the feeling when I started writing for here, that a majority of the audience was American, so I adopted the US-English spelling for my stories. Whilst the US spelling wasn't much of an issue, I did notice that a lot of my phrasing was still (unconciously) British based, which created a bit of a mish-mash of styles, therefore, about six months ago I switched my spelling over to be British-English so that I had better consistency between phrasing and spelling.
However, since making the swap to British-English, a number of the comments on my stories are getting pinged for "too many spelling mistakes", and I'm prety sure I'm loosing the odd star or two because of it.
I'm probably going to end up switching back to US-English to avoid all the comments, but I was just wondering if other non-US writers got similar coments on their stories when using non-US-English spelling?

Hi there,

I’ve just done the opposite. I wrote a gender-swapped homage to Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories, which I set in present day London. I decided it would be fun to try to write it in BE*. I had two Brits (@THBGato and @Kumquatqueen) and one European polyglot (@redgarters) look at it, but any mistakes remain my own. I know the stories well.

I’ve received no complaints at all.

If someone can’t cope with reading BE, I’d say that was their problem, not yours.

* Maybe Irish English is more appropriate

 

[old_prof]

It's a little bit of a myth. There were lots of spellings Webster included that were never adopted e.g. soop for "soup" and tung for "tongue". Webster alone wouldn't have made a difference, and many of the spellings he documented were already widely accepted alternates.

I always thought it was Paul Revere's second midnight ride, crying "The u's are gone! The u's are gone!"

Now I find out it was about sheep rustlers.

 

[SimonDoom]

I'm American. I've read plenty of British English works and don't think twice about the conventions and spellings. Probably, there are a few Americans who get bothered by them, but my guess is they're a small minority.

I don't have a non-US perspective or any experience with it, so I don't know for sure, but my guess is that on balance you'll do better sticking with the style/convention system that is most familiar and most true to you. If you're a Brit, write like a Brit.

 

[anthrodisiac]

I don't have a non-US perspective or any experience with it, so I don't know for sure, but my guess is that on balance you'll do better sticking with the style/convention system that is most familiar and most true to you. If you're a Brit, write like a Brit.

This is generally good advice, but I'll note there is an exception to this. If you're writing POVs from American characters, then using Brit spelling feels out of sync with their voice. This is more true of first-person POV than third-person close (I still like to do it for third-person close POV, that's just me). You can bet that inconsistency is going to rankle a not-insignificant amount of people, because it massively breaks immersion, which is one of the draws of first-person. Treat first-person narrative like you would the main character's dialogue — if the MC wouldn't use BE in speech, they shouldn't in the narrative either.

Of course, that doesn't mean you can't do it, but voice consistency is something to consider. If you're doing a POV from a Brit, you'd want to use BE. Using American spellings for the POV of the King would definitely feel out of place. Same goes for any POV if you want to hue close to voice. A Southern belle probably isn't going to be using Cockney rhyming slang. The King probably isn't gonna drop "y'all" in every other sentence. (Note "probably": if you have voice that seems inconsistent on its face, you can do this intentionally, but it needs a very, very good reason behind it, explained early or lampshaded and explained later, so the reader knows it's being done on purpose.)

So, if you've been writing first-person POV and using BE for American characters, that might be where your comments are coming from. Not saying that's the case, but if this is the case, it would explain why people felt the need to say something.

Like Simon mentioned, you should probably stick to whatever you're comfortable with, with exceptions for first-person POV. You can't please everyone, so don't try to. You don't need to humour all your readers, after all.

 

[ScrappyPaperDoodler]

Hi.
For context, I'm British, but have spent quite a bit of time in the US, so I'm fairly comfortable between switching between the two versions of English.
I got the feeling when I started writing for here, that a majority of the audience was American, so I adopted the US-English spelling for my stories. Whilst the US spelling wasn't much of an issue, I did notice that a lot of my phrasing was still (unconciously) British based, which created a bit of a mish-mash of styles, therefore, about six months ago I switched my spelling over to be British-English so that I had better consistency between phrasing and spelling.
However, since making the swap to British-English, a number of the comments on my stories are getting pinged for "too many spelling mistakes", and I'm prety sure I'm loosing the odd star or two because of it.
I'm probably going to end up switching back to US-English to avoid all the comments, but I was just wondering if other non-US writers got similar coments on their stories when using non-US-English spelling?

This is something I used to obsess about, but the honest truth is that it probably doesn't matter.

I had a quick look at the first page of your recent story, 'Lock and Quay.' First, let me say it looks quite interesting, and I didn't do a deep dive as I'll probably want to read the whole thing for enjoyment when I have time. You are clearly a competent writer, but there are quite a few errors that are unrelated to regional variations. The same is true of your original post — "prety," "unconciously," "loosing" and "coments" — which leads me to believe you're just a very fast typist and need to take a breath before hitting submit!

 

[EmilyMiller]

This is generally good advice, but I'll note there is an exception to this. If you're writing POVs from American characters, then using Brit spelling feels out of sync with their voice.

My lexicon is notoriously transatlantic as it is [no, I’m not going to explain for like the thirtieth time ], but I tied myself in knots writing English, American, French, and Greek main characters (and a Minotaur) in By The Horns.

I tried to have Baroness Cara Loft and Librarian Evelyn use British English, Doctor Juliana Jones use American English, Renée Clochette use Franglais, Lukas use Greeklish, and Asterius bellow and snort.

 

[SimonDoom]

This is generally good advice, but I'll note there is an exception to this. If you're writing POVs from American characters, then using Brit spelling feels out of sync with their voice. This is more true of first-person POV than third-person close (I still like to do it for third-person close POV, that's just me). You can bet that inconsistency is going to rankle a not-insignificant amount of people, because it massively breaks immersion, which is one of the draws of first-person. Treat first-person narrative like you would the main character's dialogue — if the MC wouldn't use BE in speech, they shouldn't in the narrative either.

Of course, that doesn't mean you can't do it, but voice consistency is something to consider. If you're doing a POV from a Brit, you'd want to use BE. Using American spellings for the POV of the King would definitely feel out of place. Same goes for any POV if you want to hue close to voice. A Southern belle probably isn't going to be using Cockney rhyming slang. The King probably isn't gonna drop "y'all" in every other sentence. (Note "probably": if you have voice that seems inconsistent on its face, you can do this intentionally, but it needs a very, very good reason behind it, explained early or lampshaded and explained later, so the reader knows it's being done on purpose.)

So, if you've been writing first-person POV and using BE for American characters, that might be where your comments are coming from. Not saying that's the case, but if this is the case, it would explain why people felt the need to say something.

Like Simon mentioned, you should probably stick to whatever you're comfortable with, with exceptions for first-person POV. You can't please everyone, so don't try to. You don't need to humour all your readers, after all.

I hadn't considered this, but I would strongly agree with your point. A big no-no to write an American character expressing himself or herself like a Brit. I would think a Brit reader would feel the same about a British character written by an American and acting and talking like a Texan.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I hadn't considered this, but I would strongly agree with your point. A big no-no to write an American character expressing himself or herself like a Brit. I would think a Brit reader would feel the same about a British character written by an American and acting and talking like a Texan.

One of my fervent dislikes is Americans who try to write Australian jargon based on Paul Hogan and Crocodile Dundee. Fuck right off about that, you pricks, this is 2026, not 1986. And they were always prawns, never shrimps.

Brit writers never seem to do that, probably because the BBC and the ABC were culturally aligned for decades, in terms of TV and radio; plus for a long time Oz booksellers were plugged more into the UK publishing business than American publishers, and we'd get Oz imprints.

 

[Britva415]

It's possible you're getting pinged for trying to fake Americanese when it doesn't come naturally, and you've been spotted

Maybe, but anyone who calls that “spelling mistakes” is being a disingenuous bigot.