Proving yourself a good writer when you are not a Native English Speaker

[rizwan-ts]

Hello all,

This is Rizwan and I am a new writer on Upwork.
Describing yourself as a good writer has always been a challenge to anyone: an opinion. Especially when it comes to the point where you have to compete among the Native speakers of the language. I am trying very hard but buyers don't really trust us (us: not native English speakers). What do the great Upwork community will suggest to me on this and how should be my strategy.

Hope to have great and helpful answers from you all.

Thank you!   

[colettelewis · Accepted solution]

---

Rizwan M wrote:

Hello all,

This is Rizwan and I am a new writer on Upwork.
Describing yourself as a good writer has always been a challenge to anyone: an opinion. Especially when it comes to the point where you have to compete among the Native speakers of the language. I am trying very hard but buyers don't really trust us (us: not native English speakers). What do the great Upwork community will suggest to me on this and how should be my strategy.

Hope to have great and helpful answers from you all.

Thank you!   

---

_____________________________________________________

It's not easy even for native English writers Rizwan, but it is not impossible either. 

If you want writing work on Upwork, then my advice is to find yourself a niche, and this is more likely to be in one (or some) of the  categories you have mentioned in your profile, where it is not always essential to have perfect grammar. Also, for the moment, stay with your local market.

My personal opinion, judging from your profile, is that you need more practice and it might be a good idea to get a recognized certificate of competence in English, which you could add to your profile.

Be careful when you apply for writing jobs on Upwork. Never over-promise, as this could lead to bad reviews and not getting future writing work. 

Your portfolio shows a lot of imaginative and creative writing. For this, I think you need outlets other than Upwork. You could join creative writing groups where you would get peer critiques. You could start a blog ... there are lots of ways of getting it out there. But writing, is a hard hill to climb (for almost everyone)  and certainly not instant riches!  

On Upwork, to begin with, stick to what you know and offer your technical rather than writing skills. 

[colettelewis · Accepted solution]

---

Rizwan M wrote:

Hello all,

This is Rizwan and I am a new writer on Upwork.
Describing yourself as a good writer has always been a challenge to anyone: an opinion. Especially when it comes to the point where you have to compete among the Native speakers of the language. I am trying very hard but buyers don't really trust us (us: not native English speakers). What do the great Upwork community will suggest to me on this and how should be my strategy.

Hope to have great and helpful answers from you all.

Thank you!   

---

_____________________________________________________

It's not easy even for native English writers Rizwan, but it is not impossible either. 

If you want writing work on Upwork, then my advice is to find yourself a niche, and this is more likely to be in one (or some) of the  categories you have mentioned in your profile, where it is not always essential to have perfect grammar. Also, for the moment, stay with your local market.

My personal opinion, judging from your profile, is that you need more practice and it might be a good idea to get a recognized certificate of competence in English, which you could add to your profile.

Be careful when you apply for writing jobs on Upwork. Never over-promise, as this could lead to bad reviews and not getting future writing work. 

Your portfolio shows a lot of imaginative and creative writing. For this, I think you need outlets other than Upwork. You could join creative writing groups where you would get peer critiques. You could start a blog ... there are lots of ways of getting it out there. But writing, is a hard hill to climb (for almost everyone)  and certainly not instant riches!  

On Upwork, to begin with, stick to what you know and offer your technical rather than writing skills. 

[rizwan-ts]

Thank you so much for the detailed response Nichola. Your suggestions matter a lot as you are a Guru. 

I wanted to start writing blogs as you too have suggested that, I am in practice and will surely consider your opinion for improvement.  

I am careful and trying to hunt small jobs initially and with more practice, I can strike for bigger ones. 

For the last suggestion, I was thinking about making Technical Content Writing my niche and give it a try.

[nhansen]

Finding a niche is a good idea. I have hired a number of non-native English writers whose English wasn't perfect but had the expertise in the area we needed writers for. Also look for jobs where the client also has a copyeditor working for them. In cases like that, having perfect English isn't as important because someone is going to read and revise your work anyway.

[rizwan-ts]

Hi Nicole,
I appreciate your kind suggestion. I have tried that as well but it took a lot of time to find such jobs, I am currently working with a local company to help them create their content (SEO based, copywriting, and proposal writing) I feel that I am improving and it is a good sign.

I too believe that writing is a Niche where improvement is always gradual. 

Thank you 

[prestonhunter · Accepted solution]

re: "Proving yourself a good writer when you are not a Native English Speaker... What do the great Upwork community will suggest to me on this and how should be my strategy."

You are on a Quixotic quest. You can either give up or continue tilting at windmills.

[rizwan-ts]

Thank you, Preston!

Couldn't have said it better and precisely. Consistency is the key!

[jr-translation]

---

Rizwan M wrote:

Hello all,

This is Rizwan and I am a new writer on Upwork.
Describing yourself as a good writer has always been a challenge to anyone: an opinion. Especially when it comes to the point where you have to compete among the Native speakers of the language. I am trying very hard but buyers don't really trust us (us: not native English speakers). What do the great Upwork community will suggest to me on this and how should be my strategy.

Hope to have great and helpful answers from you all.

Thank you!   

---

Write in your native language.

[atlinguist]

Rizwan, have you considered a collaboration? After all, what better place than a huge community like the UW freelancers to find a) a fellow writer, b) a proofreader or editor, or c) start a writing team? My experience (although I don't work in the writing niche) is that it's very hard to start a business by yourself. There are advantages to having a team to back you up.  

[rizwan-ts]

Hi Alexandra,

I never thought about this, I am not sure why but it is a simple and an awesome suggestion. Thank you for clicking this in mind and I am going to surely work on this.
Let me know if you are interested. We can have a detailed discussion.

I work in different niches and I have a team as well.

[atlinguist]

Thank you for the offer, but I am not a native speaker of English.

[millermelanie]

"What do the great Upwork community will suggest to me on this and how should be my strategy."

This statement makes it clear that you are not a native speaker and should not expect to be hired as one. Your English is very  good but not standard.