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Topic : Re: 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? Even though English is not my first language, I have completed - selfpublishingguru.com

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Whether or not this is a problem or an advantage likely depends on the book and the intended audience. If your main character and/or your narrator shares your immigrant background, then writing like an immigrant is a good thing.

Even if you're writing about "middle America," if you're bringing an outsider's perspective to your subject, having a different voice can be an advantage. You're really only in trouble in the case that you're trying to sound like a native-born American and failing. In that case, I would say your best bet is to capitalize on your differences, rather than try to eliminate them. After all, one of the biggest challenges for any writer is standing out from the crowd.

This doesn't need to entail large differences in your book. For example, Nabakov's classic Lolita is set entirely in America. But the narrator, like Nabakov, is an immigrant. Therefore, we don't expect him to think or sound exactly like a native-born American.


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