how would you properly write dialogue for a character with a stutter? ranging from a barely noticeable one to a very extreme one. thanks!
How to Write Dialogue for a Stuttering Character
@brynwrites made an excellent post about this that I found while researching and it can be found here. It's a long post but it goes way more in depth than I did.
Types of Stutters:
Repetition of certain sounds: “Li-li-like this” or “Like-like-like this.”
Prolongations: “Llllllllike this.”
Blocks: “L—ike this.”
Rules for Stuttering: (This is mostly for block stuttering, but many apply to other types of stuttering as well. provided by this article)
Stuttering occurs on the first sound of the word. It will not occur mid word or on the first full syllable. (s...s-ample. NOT sam...sam-ple)
Do not write a stutter more than once in a single sentence or three times in a single paragraph. If the scene is a high-stress situation, you might be able to get away with it, but your readers do not want to read block paragraphs of stuttering.
Choose 3-7 sounds for your character to struggle with. People tend to get blocks on particular sounds. For example, b, p, k, w, g...)
Use another synonym for the word they are struggling with. Example: "You look g...g... really pretty."
Don't have your character stutter in every conversation. Under high stress, the stutter will be more frequent, under low stress they may not stutter at all.
If you use the dialogue tag, "he stuttered," do not write the stutter in the quote. If the character is stuttering in their sentence, you don't need to write out the fact that they were stuttering.
Do not write a stutter in thoughts. People with a stutter do not stutter in their thoughts. Just don't do this. It's unrealistic and insulting.
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Writing a Character Who Stutters: The Complete Craft Guide
A stutter isn't just a speech pattern you layer onto dialogue. Stuttering is a neurological reality that shapes how a person thinks strategically, navigates social terrain, and constructs identity.
Get that wrong, and your character becomes a prop. Get it right, and you have one of fiction's most quietly powerful tools.
Here's a six part process on writing characters with a stutter.
Part One: The Mechanics (What's Actually Happening)
The Three Types — and Why the Distinction Matters
There are three distinct forms to portray a stuttering character.
However, conflating them is a craft error because each produces a different rhythm on the page:
Repetition — A sound or syllable repeats before the word lands.
"Li-li-like this" or "Like, like, like this."
Prolongation — A sound stretches before the word can continue.
"Llllllike this."
Blocks — The mouth forms the sound but nothing comes out. A wall of silence before the word breaks through.
"L— like this."
Blocks are the most psychologically loaded of the three, and the least understood by writers. There's no sound. Just a visible struggle. In prose, that silence is actually a gift that you can make the reader feel the suspension.
Pick one primary type for your character. Most people who stutter have a dominant form, with occasional variations. Mixing all three randomly reads as inconsistency, not authenticity.
How to Write it On Page
The punctuation you choose affects reading speed and reader empathy:
Dashes (s-s-ample) — sharp, percussive, good for repetition
Ellipsis + dash (s…s-ample) — the ellipsis draws out the attempted sound, the dash breaks it loose; best for blocks, most phonetically accurate
Commas (like, like, like this) — fluid and readable; good for whole-word repetitions
En/em-dashes for mid-sentence breaks
The single most important technical rule: stuttering occurs on the first sound of a word, not the first syllable. So s…s-ample, never sam…sam-ple. Breaking this makes your stutter sound fictional to anyone who actually stutters.
The Frequency Problem
Most writers over-write the stutter. Don't. The rule of thumb: no more than once per sentence, no more than three times per paragraph in a neutral scene. Under high stress, you can push to twice per sentence.
Writing a stutter into every line is exhausting to read, unrealistic, and it reduces your character to their speech impediment rather than everything else they are.
Real people who stutter have good days and bad days. Quiet conversations with trusted people can be near-fluent. A phone call to a stranger can be brutal. Write that variability.
Part Two: The Workarounds (Where It Gets Interesting)
This is what most guides skip entirely, and it's where the real character-writing opportunity lives.
People who stutter are, by necessity, strategic linguists. They develop workarounds that reveal intelligence, adaptability, and personality. These deserve to be on the page:
The Running Start
When a character hits a block, they often back up and use a longer phrase to build momentum into the difficult word.
"I want you to— I'd really like you to g-go."
The restart isn't failure. It's a technique. Writing it in shows a character who has learned to navigate, not just struggle.
The Synonym Swap
Mid-sentence, a person realizes the next word starts with a block-sound and pivots to a different word on the fly.
"You look g— you look really beautiful tonight."
The beauty of this for writers: it can make a character seem indirect, evasive, or unusually articulate depending on context. Readers who know what's happening will read it differently than characters in the scene. That gap is dramatic irony, and it's yours to exploit.
Filler Words as Armor
"Um," "uh," "so," "well", people who stutter often use these as cognitive bridges to give themselves a running start. These aren't verbal tics of nervousness. They're tools. Write them as deliberate.
Sentence Architecture
A character who stutters will often restructure entire sentences to avoid a problem word, sometimes choosing a more elaborate construction when a simpler one would have been blocked. This can make them sound formal, or overly precise, or thoughtful beyond their years — because they've trained themselves to think three words ahead.
Self-Interruption
"I can't— I'm not talking today."
Some people verbally acknowledge the block and try again. Writing this in once or twice across a story is powerful because it signals self-awareness, not defeat as most writers think.
Part Three: The Inner Life (What Never Goes on the Page)
Do not write a stutter into your character's thoughts. Full stop. This is not a stylistic choice — it's a factual error. People who stutter think fluently. A character's interior voice is clean, articulate, fast. The disconnect between what they think and what comes out is the entire dramatic tension. Destroying that disconnect by putting stutters into their thoughts doesn't just insult people who stutter but destroys your own story's engine.
The rich craft opportunity here: write a character who thinks in complete, eloquent sentences, but who on the outside sounds halting. Let the reader know what they meant to say and watch what actually reaches the other characters. That gap is where the emotional core lives.
Part Four: The Emotional Architecture
A stutter doesn't stay in the mouth. It lives everywhere.
Before you write a single line of dialogue, answer these questions:
How does your character feel about their stutter? There's a wide spectrum: shame, pragmatic acceptance, occasional frustration, defiant ownership. Don't default to shame. Do so is the lazy choice.
Who reduces it? Stuttering typically lessens around people a character trusts, loves, or feels no pressure to impress. Write scenes where they're nearly fluent. This does more to establish intimacy than almost any other technique.
What fires it up? Beyond generic "stress," be specific. Phone calls are notoriously difficult for people who stutter because there's no body language, no waiting room.
Saying their own name is often harder than any other word. Introducing themselves, which combines a high-pressure moment with a specific required word, can be excruciating.
What do other characters do with the silence? The people around a character who stutters reveal themselves in how they respond. Who finishes their sentences (intrusive, condescending, however well-intentioned)? Who waits with complete stillness? Who pretends not to notice in a way that's obvious? The stutter is a social litmus test for every scene it's in.
Part Five: The Counterintuitive Truths
These are the things most writers don't know, and they're the details that make a portrayal memorable:
Anger can kill the stutter. Several people who stutter report fluency during intense emotional states, especially when in the state of rage. This is neurologically documented. Dramatically, this is extraordinary.
Your character who struggles to say their name in a shop can, under the right provocation, deliver a full-throated furious speech without a single block. Don't use this as a cheap "overcomes" moment. Instead, use it as a crack in the mask, a brief glimpse of who they are underneath the stutter, which is equally real.
The stutter often doesn't follow logic. A difficult sound on Monday may be easy on Thursday. A word that's been spoken a thousand times suddenly becomes impossible. This randomness is part of why people who stutter develop anxiety: the enemy is unpredictable.
Singing and reading aloud are often easier. The rhythm of music bypasses the same neural bottlenecks. A character who stutters badly in conversation may sing without any difficulty. The reason isn't mystical. In fact, it's neurological. This is a detail that, used well, is devastating on the page.
Fluency with one listener doesn't transfer to groups. A character may speak easily one-on-one with someone they trust and then lock up entirely saying the same thing at a table of four. The social math changes the neurological equation.
Part Six: What Not to Do
These are errors, not suggestions:
Don't use stuttering as a nervousness proxy. A character doesn't stutter because they're shy and then stop once they "open up." Shyness and stuttering are separate things. People who stutter are frequently bold, opinionated, and socially confident. They just have a speech impediment.
Don't let the character "overcome" their stutter. Not through willpower. Not through love. Not through character growth. This framing treats the stutter as a flaw to be solved rather than a condition to be lived with. It's both factually wrong and narratively lazy. Growth can occur around the stutter, in confidence, in strategy, in self-acceptance, but the stutter itself isn't a problem that gets solved.
Don't use a dialogue tag to do double duty. If you wrote the stutter into the dialogue, don't then write "he stuttered." Pick one. The tag when the stutter is written in is redundant at best, patronizing at worst.
Don't let the stutter be the character. It's one fact about them. Give them opinions, contradictions, desires, a specific way of seeing the world. The stutter should occasionally complicate the expression of those things without substituting them.
Hey there, fellow writers and wonderful members of the writeblr community! 📚✍️ It's Rin here and...
Today, we're diving into a topic that's close to many writers' hearts: villains and antagonists. These characters often steal the show, driving our plots forward and giving our heroes something to push against. But here's the thing – while these terms are often used interchangeably, they're not quite the same. So, let's unpack this, shall we?
First things first, let's break down the difference between a villain and an antagonist. It's a distinction that can really elevate your storytelling game!
An antagonist is simply a character (or force) that opposes your protagonist. They're the obstacle, the challenge, the thing standing in the way of your main character achieving their goal. Here's the kicker: an antagonist doesn't have to be evil. They could be a rival love interest, a stern parent, or even nature itself.
A villain, on the other hand, is a specific type of antagonist. They're the bad guy, the evildoer, the character with malicious intent. All villains are antagonists, but not all antagonists are villains. Mind-blowing, right?
Let's look at some examples to make this clearer:
In "Romeo and Juliet," the feuding families are antagonists, but they're not villains. They oppose the protagonists' desire to be together, but they're not evil.
In "Harry Potter," Voldemort is both an antagonist and a villain. He opposes Harry (making him an antagonist) and he's also evil (making him a villain).
In "Cast Away," the island and the challenges of survival are the antagonists. There's no villain in sight!
Now that we've got that sorted, let's dive deeper into how to create these characters and use them effectively in your writing.
Creating Antagonists:
Define their opposition: What specifically does your antagonist do to oppose your protagonist? This could be physical, emotional, or ideological opposition.
Give them a reason: Why are they standing in your protagonist's way? Even if it's not justified, there should be a reason that makes sense to the antagonist.
Make them strong: Your antagonist should be a worthy opponent. They need to pose a real challenge to your protagonist to keep things interesting.
Consider their perspective: Remember, your antagonist is the hero of their own story. Try writing a scene from their point of view to understand them better.
Create contrast: Your antagonist should in some way contrast with your protagonist. This could be in values, methods, or personality.
Creating Villains:
Establish their evil: What makes your villain "bad"? Is it their actions, their beliefs, or both?
Develop their backstory: How did they become evil? A compelling villain often has a tragic or twisted history.
Give them dimensions: Pure evil can be boring. Give your villain some complexity – maybe they love their cat or have a soft spot for classical music.
Create a strong motivation: What drives your villain? Greed? Revenge? A twisted sense of justice? The stronger and more relatable the motivation, the more compelling your villain will be.
Make them smart: Your villain should be clever enough to pose a real threat. They should be able to anticipate and counter your protagonist's moves.
Now, let's talk about how to use these characters in different genres. Because let's face it, a villain in a romance novel is going to look very different from one in a fantasy epic!
In Romance:
Antagonists in romance are often rivals for the affection of the love interest, or perhaps societal norms or family expectations standing in the way of true love. Villains are less common, but when they appear, they might be abusive exes or manipulative friends trying to sabotage the relationship.
Tip: In romance, make sure your antagonist's motivations are clear and relatable. We should understand why they're opposing the main relationship, even if we don't agree with their methods.
In Fantasy:
Fantasy is ripe for both antagonists and villains. You might have a Dark Lord seeking to conquer the world (classic villain) or a rival magic user competing for the same goal as your protagonist (antagonist).
Tip: In fantasy, world-building is key. Make sure your antagonist or villain fits logically into the world you've created. Their powers, motivations, and methods should all make sense within the rules of your fantasy realm.
In Mystery/Thriller:
In these genres, your antagonist is often the perpetrator of the crime your protagonist is trying to solve. They might not be evil (maybe they committed a crime of passion), or they could be a full-fledged villain if their crimes are particularly heinous.
Tip: In mysteries, your antagonist needs to be clever enough to challenge your detective protagonist. Leave subtle clues about their identity or motives, but make sure they're smart enough to almost get away with it.
In Literary Fiction:
Here, antagonists are often more abstract. They might be societal expectations, personal flaws, or even time itself. Villains in the traditional sense are less common, but morally grey characters who oppose the protagonist are frequent.
Tip: In literary fiction, focus on the nuances of your antagonist. They should be as complex and flawed as your protagonist, with their own rich inner life.
In Sci-Fi:
Science fiction offers a wide range of possibilities for antagonists and villains. You might have alien invaders, oppressive governments, or even well-meaning scientists whose creations have gone awry.
Tip: In sci-fi, make sure your antagonist or villain is consistent with the technological and social aspects of your imagined world. Their methods and motivations should make sense within the context of your sci-fi setting.
Now, let's dive into some tips to make your antagonists and villains the best they can be in your novel:
Make them believable: Whether you're writing a mustache-twirling villain or a morally grey antagonist, their actions and motivations should make sense within the context of your story and their character.
Give them a personal connection to the protagonist: The conflict becomes much more engaging when it's personal. Maybe your antagonist and protagonist used to be friends, or they're fighting over the same goal.
Show their impact: Don't just tell us your antagonist is a threat – show us the consequences of their actions. Let us see how they affect your protagonist and the world of your story.
Give them wins: Your antagonist or villain should have some successes along the way. If they're always failing, they won't seem like a credible threat.
Humanize them: Even if you're writing a truly evil villain, give them some humanizing traits. Maybe they have a pet they dote on, or a tragic backstory that explains (but doesn't excuse) their actions.
Make them adaptable: A good antagonist doesn't stick to one plan. When the protagonist foils them, they should be able to come up with new strategies.
Give them their own character arc: Your antagonist or villain should grow and change throughout the story, just like your protagonist does.
Use them to highlight your protagonist's strengths and weaknesses: Your antagonist should challenge your protagonist in ways that force them to grow and change.
Consider their presentation: How do other characters react to your antagonist? How do they present themselves to the world versus who they really are?
Don't forget about henchmen: If you're writing a villain, consider giving them some underlings. This can add depth to their character and provide more challenges for your protagonist.
Remember, whether you're crafting a dastardly villain or a complex antagonist, these characters are crucial to your story. They're the ones who push your protagonist to grow, who raise the stakes, and who often drive the plot forward.
But here's a gentle reminder: while it's important to make your antagonists and villains compelling, be mindful of the impact your writing might have. If you're dealing with heavy themes or traumatic events, handle them with care and sensitivity.
Now, I know we've covered a lot of ground here, and you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed. That's okay! Writing complex characters is a skill that develops over time. Don't be afraid to experiment, to try different approaches, and to revise and refine your antagonists and villains as you go.
One exercise I find helpful is to write a short story from your antagonist's or villain's point of view. This can help you understand their motivations better and ensure they feel like real, three-dimensional characters.
Another tip: watch movies or read books in your genre and pay special attention to how they handle antagonists and villains. What works well? What doesn't? How can you apply these lessons to your own writing?
Remember, there's no one "right" way to create these characters. What matters is that they serve your story and engage your readers. Trust your instincts, and don't be afraid to push boundaries or subvert expectations.
As you work on your antagonists and villains, keep in mind that they're not just there to make life difficult for your protagonist. They're an integral part of your story's ecosystem. They shape the plot, influence character development, and often reflect themes or ideas you're exploring in your work.
And remember, writing is a journey. Your first draft of an antagonist or villain might not be perfect, and that's okay. The beauty of writing is in the revision, in the gradual sculpting of characters until they leap off the page.
Lastly, don't forget to have fun with it! Creating antagonists and villains can be some of the most enjoyable parts of writing. Let your imagination run wild, explore the darker sides of human nature, and see where your characters take you.
I hope this deep dive into antagonists and villains has been helpful and inspiring. Remember, you've got this! Your unique voice and perspective will bring these characters to life in ways no one else can.
Happy writing! 📝💖 - Rin. T
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Calling all aspiring storytellers with hearts full of whimsy! Get ready to sprinkle a touch of enchantment into your scenes with my Scene Wo
So, a friend @honeyscovet told me about Sick Bargain, and KTV looks like a soft dark romance book compared to Sick Bargain. Do you understand de level of fucked up this book has? And these haters are still complaining about KTV 🙄🙄🙄🙄
So, a friend @honeyscovet told me about Sick Bargain. Some parts of the plot and all that. And let me tell you, it makes KTV look like a soft dark romance. It also has a 5 🌟 reviews on Storyboard and Amazon and good reviews on Goodreads.
The fucking double standards is NUTS. Like, you love a book that has a WAY DARKER PLOT, but you can't manage that Rina made a DARK book herself? Istg 🙄🙄🙄
KTV still has very good reviews, but do you see what I see? People just hate just to create drama and ruin the experience for someone else
Only a few hours left before Kiss the Villain release, I can't believe we survived until now. And we finally arrived to the last teaser before the official release day.
We went from the 10th of October to this day alive and still in one piece!🤣 We really need to celebrate.
Who would've thought that 161 days would go this fast and slow at the same time! I still remember the days where I was scrolling on Tumblr and Tiktok searching for anything regarding Gareth Carson and Kayden Lockwood.
Ironically, now I'm running away from these two, so I won't get any spoilers. Unfortunately even Instagram decided to join!
Should I just drop social media?
Let's be honest, I enjoyed making up theories and analysing, imagining how the book will be, the events, the thrill and excitement when Rina shared any teaser.
The wait was totally worth it !!!!!
Guess what too?
The 20th of march is also the international day of happiness. Coincidence I don't think so!? Because I'm sure that tomorrow will be the happiest day of my life
Even when I'm not gonna read the book right away, so for security measures I'm dropping off Tumblr. For the first time in my life I don't want to spoil a book, so I'm gonna wait ten more days until then 😮💨.
Nevermind, let's focus on the bright side and enjoy the few hours left. 😉 Enjoy the book on my behalf until the day I'll finally read it.
Ps: how was Gareth able to hide his true personality all this time? No one ever discovered it or sensed something was off, even Killian who's a psychopath, not even his parents, even Jeremy !!!!!
Gareth literally outsmarted everyone, making him THE smartest man, and also made Kayden Lockwood fall in love, and obsessed over him!!!! I'm curious about his coping mechanism to keep his demons under control. Because this dude really earned my respect !
☆ OH, I AM WATCHING. I AM STUDYING. I AM ANALYZING EVERY LETTER BECAUSE Rina just threw this at us like I don’t have a fragile heart.
Gareth, you snarky menace, and Kayden, you dangerously obsessed king—why do you two insist on wrecking my entire existence??
AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT 16 DAYS ARE LEFT UNTIL THE BOOK DROPS??? 16. DAYS. That’s two whole weeks and some extra suffering. How am I supposed to function like a normal human being when I KNOW these two are about to ruin me in the best possible way???
Like if it's Gareth it's more likely the facade he keeps around people, his Golden boy image, the perfect son, and the fixer of the group. The facade he puts on to hide his desires and real thoughts, because he doesn't want to disappoint his parents, especially his dad. Which explains his daddy issues with Asher.
And if it's Kayden with his enigmatic personality. I can see him putting on a mask to hide his real career, and play the perfect of a criminal law professor meanwhile accomplishing his hidden goals, maybe it gives him more freedom. (It might be a possibility, even if it's a small one.)
Yet again, I bet on Gareth. It's more logical, especially when the book will focus on his struggles and his secret life.
My second analysis, which I only thought about like this morning. When we look at the picture it's like the masks are being thrown away, not kept as a reserve. When I need it I find it.
I don't think Rina only found this picture of masks, and it's not chosen without thinking twice. Like there's tons of pictures involving masks, so I'm sure Rina chose it for a specific reason.
So what if the masks are being thrown away because Gareth doesn't need them anymore. He doesn't need to hide himself anymore. His real self. Because he finally found someone who understands him, accepts him and can be his real self with. Which is Kayden Fucking Lockwood.
Let's ignore the idea of it because of his family, especially Asher, finally accepting his true self and Gareth finally throwing his masks away, cuz he doesn't need to act around them anymore.
Let's focus on the romantic side of it.
Which is Kayden being so obsessed with Gaz and loving him unconditionally that he accepts every single side of his personality even the ugly side, the side that even Gareth hates.
I'm kicking my feet from happiness at the idea. Even if it's just a theory !!!!!
We officially have only 22 days!!!! We are close, very cloooseeeeeeeee.
