British English or American English in writing what to choose
By suspenseful
@suspenseful (40193)
Canada
January 10, 2012 12:24pm CST
I live in Canada, but I am writing a novel where the main protagonist lives in the United States. Now according to the story, he cannot livein Canada because unless he is fabulously wealthy he cannot live in where the action takes placed or where the strange event happens. I will not go into detail, but he is not going to get lost in a snow storm in the North West Territories nor is he going to go over to England and fall in a hole at Stonehenge.
The thing is that with the economy going bad down there, I am thinking of considering a Canadian Publisher, f an American publisher does not work out. I still need to do at least another rewrite before that happens.
So do I use British English rather then American English since the character speaks American; Does that depend on the publisher, so if the publlisher is Canadian I should use Briltish English or visa versa, American?
If the character s American I should use American English?
Does it depend on my location where I live?
And only change the conservation of the characters?
Wpuld like your imput.
2 people like this
12 responses
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
17 Oct 12
I live in England, so whatever I write will be in British. It would seem obvious to me that writing in your own native tongue is the only sensible approach, but surprisingly most responders so far tend to disagree with me.
Naturally I have read a vast number of books written by both American and British authors, but my opinion of the literature or my enjoyment of it has never been affected by the difference.
There are far more members here from the USA than the UK, but that would not persuade me to use color instead of colour. As for the main characters, if they are American then anyone reading the novel will imagine the person to have an American accent irrespective of the spelling used.
2 people like this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
19 Oct 12
It also depends on the publisher and the audience. If I get it published here in Canada, I will write in my British English, but here in CAnada, things are very confusing and we see both British and American English in the same writings. Now if there were an author here or a publisher here who is on my lot for fun, then that person could tell me. I really do not like to change the words if the publisher thinks the whole novel should be American. I doubt that writing the whole novel except speeches by Americans in British English would work.
1 person likes this
@sakerxfalcon (109)
• United States
8 Feb 12
I always write with British spelling - as in colour versus 'color' even though I'm American.
The British spelling looks much cleaner and fancy to me than American... But to be honest I don't use British vocabulary other than 'bloody' and the like because that's how I talk now. I hang out with a lot of British people online and I tend to pick up habits.
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@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
19 Oct 12
I use the American spelling in my writing because I live near the States and they have a larger population. If I live in Great Britain, New Zealand, or Australia I would use British English. I sort of use a combination when writing to my friends here. For instance I use check instead of cheque. But since I am writing a novel and there is not that great a population here, yet, I will stick to American .
1 person likes this
@nishdan01 (3051)
• Singapore
13 Jan 12
American Engloish is getting popular. It is easy to translate American English. Plus, America is a neighboring country of Canada. So go ahead and choose AE. Best of luck in your writing.
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@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
19 Oct 12
I think I will stick to American. It is a bit hard as my word processor is automatically set to British because I am in Canada and they automatically setvitbto where you live, so if I am trying to learn a new language and switch back to English, it will go back to British English.
1 person likes this
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
13 Jan 12
travelling must be the way you spell it up there I have always wrote traveling.
as to color I hardly ever pay attention to the way it is spelt but then you have to decide the way you want it wrote and you might want just the American to talk in American and write it the way yo write up there works both way for me might for others
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@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
22 Jan 12
I think you have to use the dialogue in the way that the people are speaking in that country. So if the character was American, he woud say, "I have to full up my car with gas," whereas if the character was from England, "I will have to go to the garage to get som petrol for mg motor car." But generally I would use American English as when the guy is speaking he is not thinking of saving travel el ing instead of traveling if he were English. It all sounds the same.
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
13 Jan 12
I can understand but what I was wondering whether I should write the whole novel not just the conversation in American English, since with the economy being bad down there, it might be difficult to get an American agent and a publisher. I figure writing in American English would be best although there are some words such as traveling and travelling or colour vs color that I would have to decide on.
@Theresaaiza (10487)
• Australia
11 Jan 12
This is only a suggestion from a non-writer like me. It would be best to use the English that you are most comfortable using, but if you want to set the tone so that it fits the American lifestyle, then use American English, reserving slangs only for conversations, dialogues or statements.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
17 Jan 12
I would not choose American English because it is easy. I grew up with British English and I find some of its terms easy and when I listen to a broadcast from England, I know what they are talking about. I doubt that "it is so simple even a child could know it" is sort of like using simple words rather then the exact vocabulary that may be a bit more complicated but give the exact meaning.
Still since the novel starts n the States, and the character is American, American English does seem the best way to go. If there is some British character in the novel, I will just alter the convesation and use the British term.
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
15 Jan 12
Tbe trouble is that I am comfortable with both the American and the British English since I used to live in Vancouver, B.C. that was just a short hop, skip, and a jump from the States and e did get American programs, etc. I would prefer using American since if you want to consider the unwritten back story, how he met his wife, the circuimstances about that, his personal history, would have to consider that fact.
@Theresaaiza (10487)
• Australia
16 Jan 12
If it were up to me, I'd choose American English. Sometimes, I have trouble digesting the British way. American English has deeper influence on our educational system that's why. For an easier read, and understandability if there is such a term, I would definitely prefer American English.
1 person likes this
@koopharper (7601)
• Canada
11 Jan 12
As a writer myself also living in Canada, I've had to deal with this as well. First if the issue is your character's manner of speech they need to stay in character. Don't forget your character is not you. If they are American they are American when they speak. As far as American or British spellings go, you need to pick one and stick to it. It would depend on who you think your audience is. Problem with Canadians is we grew up reading both and mixing them together when we write.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
17 Jan 12
I know what you're talking about. I just do not want to send it off to an agent and have him write, "They prefer British spelling," when the character is American. And then have the character dialouue only be in American while the descriptions, etc. be British. If I was writing about a character who never moved out of Canada or went to visit relatives in England, it would be a different story but then I would aim the market for Great Britain and Canada.
I also what to do with a character who is British? I know about using boot instead of trunk for a car, but do I also write colour instead of color?
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
21 Jan 12
That might work. But it might not unless the person who is British is speaking about a specific thing where the term is different such as Bobbie instead of Cop for a police man.
@Theresaaiza (10487)
• Australia
18 Jan 12
Oh I see the dilemma here. This is really interesting to note.
I would do what koopharper advises, choose one spelling then stick to it, except in the conversation parts maybe. Like color when the one saying it is the American. And colour for the others.
1 person likes this
@danishcanadian (28953)
• Canada
28 Jan 13
Hmmm that's an ineresting ine. Anything I've written is in Canadian. With the exception of some spellings, there's not much difference. We're not British, but we spell a handful of words differently than they do in the USA.
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@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
18 Feb 13
The thing is if the publisher is in the States, would they accept Canadian English with the colour instead of color, et cetera? And what happens if things go in America and publishing houses go out of business or transfer up here? Would I have to write in Canadian English? Now the Canadian English would be easier because my computer automatically goes to it, but if the character is American, he would use that idiom and I certainly would not want to move him from where he lives to farther north. The reason being that he is not a rich man.
@urbandekay (18278)
•
10 Jan 12
Depends what your market audience lives, obviously US is a big market but so is the market for British (or as it is sometimes called International) English and this may depend upon your publisher.
all the best urban
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
15 Jan 12
I could make two copies, but then I would still be having the character who is American, talking in American English and it would be easier. Now if I lived in Australia or New Zealand, it would be easier, because I would think anyone living nearby would be using the British rather then the American English. But since I live in Canada, and we do not have as great a population so unless I can sell it overseas, it would have to be American.
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
10 Jan 12
If a character is American, he or she should speak American English. However, if they are interacting with a Canadian or a British citizen the language should be true to that character's natural way of speaking, using the slang or mannerisms that would be natural to them in real life.
It's exciting to hear that after so long you're down to just one rewrite and looking for a publisher!! 
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
15 Jan 12
Actually it isnot just the character but the whole novel. Should I write it in American English because the story and main character orginates in the States or in British English since I live in Canada. Then if the character was changed to British, that would also have to include the back story and I do not want to do that. It will be a while before it is finished because I have to finish draft, start on the other one and it will not be in a month or so, writing does take time, especially when you have to make a map , figure out times, etc,
@sumanadep (1228)
• India
11 Jan 12
Well I am not a writer or have any knowledge about this.. but I would say if it is the characters in the novel the language should depend on where the character lived and learned...
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
22 Jan 12
That would only apply to words that are different, such as in England, saying petrol, American saying Gas. And in American they say that they are going to the gas station whereas in England, they are going to the garage. It does make it a bit confusing when yu do have a garage behind hour house, but it is just to park the car.
@Devilova (5392)
• Indonesia
11 Jan 12
It depend on the character that you already wrote, if it from US you have to use American English.But if you still doubt with it, try to make the character as an American-Canada.So you won't need a lot of rewriting.Just add couple conversations that show the character can speak both of it.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
16 Jan 12
The character is Amerilcan, but what about the prose part when I write,
As he entered the room he could make out two men in a heated conversation. The red headed one had a birght coloured (or should it be bright colored) jacket that seemed to shimmer with radiance.
Do you see what I am getting at? And would it depend on what country they are in or what the publisher says?
@Dunkelweizen (75)
• United States
10 Jan 12
You definitely shouldn't change your character's voice just because the publisher is from Canada. If your character is American, he should speak with an American accent and use American vernacular.
Also, if you're writing this book before you have a publisher/editor, this isn't the time to worry about minutiae like that. If the publisher thinks it needs to be in a different style, the editor will work with you to correct that.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
11 Jan 12
I have had a bit of problem having my word processor cooperate. I did check American English but then because the computer and I am in Canada, it defaulted to the British English version and I got a lot of red lines under the words. Too bad there is no selection at the beginning. They have updated because now it works, but that means I have to go back to the chapters I changed. That as wel as correct the map and figure how long the character traveled.
