writing someone who stammers

[indianroads]

In my next project (just barely over the horizon) the MC will be a man that stammers. Has anyone here written such a person? If so, any pointers?

[vranger]

I just did some research on it. The consensus seemed to advise introducing the idea to the reader, but don't overdo it when you write the dialogue. If possible, it's better to only have the impediment come up in certain situations, like when the character is nervous. Even if you include it more frequently, don't lean on it for an entire sentence. Start it out a sentence with the stammer and then drop it.

The reasoning is that it's annoying to plow through as a reader, and distracting.

[indianroads]

The MC will only have this affliction in the first chapter, the “cure” is where the story lies.

[Foxee]

The MC will only have this affliction in the first chapter, the “cure” is where the story lies.

Is this a normally-occurring stutter or does it have a distinct cause? (Since you're 'curing' it I'm wondering if it's not entirely normal in how we think of stutters)

[indianroads]

Is this a normally-occurring stutter or does it have a distinct cause? (Since you're 'curing' it I'm wondering if it's not entirely normal in how we think of stutters)

It's a bit of scifi. He'll have a chip implanted in the speech center of his brain which will buffer his speech. The chip will auto update to improve function via the internet - the zany thing is that an intelligence lives in the chip and had its own agenda.

[K.S. Crooks]

A coupe things that are common to those who stutter:
A certain letter in a certain place may be the issue- words that start with "B" or end in "T" for example.
The beginning of a sentence
When answering a question or being nervous
Many stutterers lose the stutter when acting or imitating someone. When they speak with someone else's voice they use a different part of the brain.
Singing also uses a different region of the brain than the speech centers, thus a person who has difficulty speaking can work around it by singing their phrases.

[indianroads]

A coupe things that are common to those who stutter:
A certain letter in a certain place may be the issue- words that start with "B" or end in "T" for example.
The beginning of a sentence
When answering a question or being nervous
Many stutterers lose the stutter when acting or imitating someone. When they speak with someone else's voice they use a different part of the brain.
Singing also uses a different region of the brain than the speech centers, thus a person who has difficulty speaking can work around it by singing their phrases.

Years ago I worked with a guy that stuttered - he was also a musician and sang beautifully.

As usual everyone has been extremely helpful, and I think I have what I need... for now.

Thanks to all!

[vranger]

Years ago I worked with a guy that stuttered - he was also a musician and sang beautifully.

As usual everyone has been extremely helpful, and I think I have what I need... for now.

Thanks to all!

It brings up the memory of Mel Tillis.

[Lorewen]

Have you seen The King's Speech? It was a major starting point for my research into stuttering for one of my own MC's, and based on what else I was able to find, it looks like the portrayal of the problem is fairly accurate.