How to Write Stories People Will Love

Question 50: Stuttering characters

RobynTheWriter827 asks: How would you write dialogue with a character that has a stammer? I have a stammer, and it annoys me when I see inaccurate assumptions of stuttered speech in dialogue.

This is one of those things that writers need to research, but have trouble finding information because maybe they don't know anyone with a stutter to ask. Thankfully, Robyn was able to share with me some of the peeves she has when people write a stammering character inaccurately.

Let's start with some incorrect assumptions...

Myth 1: Stutterers are always angry, frustrated, or sad all the time. The Truth: They feel these emotions like everyone else, but that's not all they feel. It doesn't mean they've failed at life or given up talking. They don't spend their days in pits of despair. They have ups and downs like everyone else. Life is still good.

Myth 2: Stutterers are terrified of public speaking. The Truth: Maybe some are, but many are not. Just like everyone else.

Myth 3: Stuttering always looks like, "C-c-c-can w-w-we g-g-go now?" The Truth: There are different kinds of stammers. The one demonstrated just now is an exaggerated form of Repetition. (They don't actually stutter that badly.) There is also Prolongation and Blocking. I'll explain these farther down the chapter.

Each person has one form they tend to do more than others. If the word they want isn't forthcoming, other words are often used to replace it, like "thingy". There are also the non-verbal parts of stuttering. Instead of speech coming out of their mouths, they might emit tongue clicks. They might emit no sound at all, with their mouths opening and closing (Robyn calls this The Goldfish Thing). There may be hand gestures in an effort to convey or act out the complete thought while their mouth tries to catch up. Sometimes it turns into an unexpected game of charades.

Myth 4: Traumatic events cause stuttering. The Truth: Although trauma may contribute to this condition, there is actually no known cause for it. Most people who experience trauma don't end up stuttering. So resolving a character's issue from the past will not automatically wipe away the stuttering. There is no magical cure to erase the stuttering altogether. (Unless your story contains magic!) There's just speech therapy to better cope with it. And relaxation. Stress makes it worse.

Types of Stutters

There are three primary kinds of stutters. (There are always variations, but these are the three clinically recognized ones.)

REPETITION - This is the over-represented one usually seen in writing. The first letter of a word  gets repeated a few times before the rest of the word is spoken. For example, "C-c-c-can we go now?" They don't stutter every single word in the sentence. It's as if the engine has stalled slightly when applying gas, but once it gets going, the rest of it goes smoothly.

PROLONGATION - One syllable is drawn out for an extended time before finishing the entire word. For example,"Caaaaaan we go now?" Unlike repetition, there is no disruption in air flow when they do this. It's like they're stuck for a little while making that one sound. 

BLOCKING - One word is spoken, followed by a long gap while they struggle with the next word. for example, "Can......... we go now?" They're able to speak one word, but then silence follows before the sentence continues. During this gap, they may attempt to pantomime the intended thought.

How to Write the Dialogue

You would handle this like most other dialogue, interspersing the non-verbal stuff with the spoken stuff. The actual stutters in conversation can be handled like in the examples above. I'll write a sample conversation so you get the idea (I'll denote what kind of stutter is represented in parentheses):

Jane plopped down on the couch beside me. "Some party, huh?"

I nodded. "Lots of p-people here." (Repetition)

She gave me a mischievous look. "Anyone catch your attention?"

My eyes darted to the cute boy in the corner. I could barely contain my fluttering stomach. "Do you......." My mouth opened and closed, grasping for the words. (Blocking)

Jane looked at my gesticulating hands, which eventually ended up discreetly pointing at the boy. "Do I know him? Only his name. Joe. Or was it James? Jasper maybe?"

I rolled my eyes. "You're no help." (Not every sentence is stuttered.)

"I know it starts with a J."

The boy suddenly turned his gaze on me and smiled.

I elbowed Jane with excitement. "Hhhhhhhe smiled at me!" (Prolongation)

"I saw that!" She waved at him.

"D-d-don't do that!" I slapped her arm, but it was too late. The boy was walking this way. The butterflies in my stomach multiplied. I opened my mouth to say something else, but only clicking sounds came out as my sluggish tongue struggled to form words. (Repetition followed by blocking. Note how increased stress makes the condition worse.)

All coherent thought evaporated when he stood before us. "Hello ladies."

When writing your dialogue, bear in mind that the stutter tends to be only with one word (frequently the first word), not the entire sentence. Also the stutter is with the beginning of the word, not the middle. In other words, they might say "ssssssstammer", not "stammmmmer". And finally, most stutterers tend toward one of the three primary stutter types. I mixed it up in my sample dialogue so you could see all of them in action.

Nervous Stammering

This chapter refers to stuttering as a clinical condition that certain people experience every day, all the time. It's part of their regular speech pattern. During my research into the topic, one article differentiated stammering from stuttering as two different things. It said stammering was a temporary condition, usually brought on by nervousness. Stuttering was the chronic condition. Most of the other articles I read used the two words interchangeably, so I did too here. But in cases where you want to write about nervous stammering, you could use the same strategies as mentioned above. Just less frequently or severely.

If you stutter too, feel free to contribute your own tips and observations!