I´ve had a strange reaction from a client...

i think that person just wanted to publish your article under his name.if what you say is true, four years of experience is a lot and most probably you won't screw up in what you're doing. Don't get put down by it though...=)

stickanad.com-one stop mall

 

That's not true. Experience doesn't make you immune to mistakes. We're human! We can make mistakes regardless of how many years of experience we have under our belts.

 

Four .. or forty years, when trying to learn english, and especially to write well in the language, does not make one immune from "screw ups". I've been studying writing and writing for decades and still don't have it right.

An attitude like "I have been doing so-and-so for X years so therefore I'm great" is the worst enemy for doing just about anything worth doing.

When you go to a good literary website and read, then compare that prose to some of the articles that are generated by folks who call themselves professionals, it is easy the be disgusted.

Writing is far more than rubbing a few words together. It is far more than a proper structure. It is far more than a smooth flow of ideas. It is far more than a proper selections of nouns and verbs. Actually, it is more than all of the above combined.

And when most of the above have not been incorporated into an article; it is, to put it bluntly, trash.

 

My associate has been writing for some 20+ years (she's even written a NY Times Best Seller). However, I still catch issues when I edit her work. I have been writing for years and blah blah blah, but I still make mistakes.

There's a reason why every writer needs an editor. We all make mistakes. All the top writers in the world have good editors.

One key question every writer needs to ask a client is: How in-depth do you want this article? Knowing this can really help eliminate issues. You won't end up writing a surface article when your client wanted the nitty gritty for a very knowledgeable audience and vise versa.

 

The article that was posted screams 'non-english, paid writer'. I wouldn't be happy with that article either, nor would I post it on my website.

There's nothing horribly wrong with it - I likely make more grammatical or spelling mistakes when I write. But the phrases and overal tone of the article make it entirely clear that this isn't a native speaker authoring the article. In fact, some of the sentences reminded me of another article I read recently that a friend had outsourced to India to have written. The odd phrases and the occassional overly emphatic sentence stuck out.

That being said, there's a market for that type of product as you're well aware. You can't please everyone and shouldn't try to. Instead I suggest you give the client a choice, either pay up or explicitly agree not to use the articles - you maintain the copyright and the ability to resell them later. Then don't take it personally and move on.

 

I briefed the article, but I won't comment much except to say that I have seen worse from students in the USA. I don't think the article screams non-English writer.

Had I purchased the article, I would be looking for content first and foremost. A piece with perfect grammar is of no use if it's simply fluff work.

You get what you pay for. I don't believe Padme was charging $1 per word. People who pay 1 cent (or less) per word have no reason to complain about anything. If you want a pro, hire a pro and pay a pro's fee.