accents

[trenchcoatedson.livejournal.com]

Is any one else writing a story with an accented character and has decided to actually write the accents in? And having trouble with it? Or has any one had this problem in the past- whether for NaNoWriMo or just any story?

I mean, not the accent itself, but the fact it's nothing like how you normally write or talk.

Currently I'm writing a story about a man from the Ozarks, and I wanted the story to seem as if he was writing it himself... like an autobiography or something. So I decided to implement his accents. Now, I'm actually from down South (Arkansas, the same place he is) so I can write a Southern accent perfectly fine.

But... what's driving me crazy is it's NOTHING like how I talk at all. It's driving me insane, and it's making me have trouble writing. It just seems awkward and WEIRD. I keep wanting to go through and beta this man's writing and edit the hell out of it. I've only written 1,107 words so far. Sad.

I could start over and write it normally, but... I just am not seeing the novel that way, nor am I seeing the character speaking properly. He has Asperger's Syndrome (undiagnosed), and he wants to write just how he talks, or else he feels like it's not actually him writing it.

So I don't know if I should just keep writing until I finally get used to it or start working on a new novel... Someone give me a pep talk or something, or personal advice. D:

Comments

[ionicaq.livejournal.com]

Write it normal and then edit the accent in during the editing process?

[sarahrose.livejournal.com]

I haven't experienced it, but read Forrest Gump! I think it's a horrible book, but it's written that way!

[abbichicken.livejournal.com]

Keep writing however it comes, if there's an accent, it's probably best because it makes sense to your writing brain to do it that way? You can always edit it for consistency later on. And even if you are from a similar place, I guess it doesn't necessarily mean you would sound the same? Go with it, worry about the details later! =)

[cloverdilly.livejournal.com]

I think if you're feeling it and you can actually do it without trying or thinking too hard, I say stick with it! It's kind of fun to get into a character's head that way, and it does become a lot easier over time.

The only downside is that it might start to become a little too natural to you and affect the way you think or talk. Just a little. ;)

[ansleylc.livejournal.com]

The thing I've heard about dialect is that you write PART of it. Like, my MC has a lower-class accent, but I shore as heck hav't been writin' it all out like so's. :P You throw in a "gonna" and a "y'know" in here and there and that works. (I even splurged on a "natcherly"!) That way it's not annoying or hard to read, and the reader can still hear it in their head.

[azriona.livejournal.com]

I tend to find reading/writing accents very difficult, unless they're used sparingly. (I've got a Scottish character in my novel; I'm not even going to try to write him an accent.) But that's me. I think for a first draft, write it the way it comes out naturally, whatever won't drive you crazy. The point this month isn't to edit, it's to get it on paper.

I know for a fact I've already switched from third-person narration to first-person at least once, and I'm ignoring it for now, because fixing it is too much of a pain until I get way ahead on my word count.

I think for your accents, it's sort of the same thing. As long as you're writing it in a way that you can read later in order to edit, I think you're okay. If it's making you crazy to write the accent or lack of punctuation or whatever - don't. Or maybe switch POV for a while, so your Aspy's character is only telling the story sometimes, and it's someone else telling it the rest of the time. (Not knowing your story, I have NO idea if this works or not.)

[iparadigm.livejournal.com]

I'm writing a novel that takes place in the deep South, (Alabama). I am from this area, and I definitely have a tiny bit of the accent. Some of my characters will speak like I do, others will have the deep south accent. I'm not having too much of a problem with it.

I think the best way for you would be the eternal: Fake it, til you feel it. Force it, and before long it will come naturally. I think editing it in would be a bad idea, because it would take along time, and be fairly difficult.

If all else fails, you can just not do it. People will still identify him if he speaks normally, but you throw in several cultural references.

[sonanova.livejournal.com]

The way I have been doing it is to have the narrator, in first person, observe how the caracter says certain words. For instance, the other character rolls his rs. After pointing that out once or twice, it sticks with the reader. Later, if the character curiously mispronounces a word or it seems off to the narrator, I point that out as well. Like his love for the word mittens, refusing to say gloves.

Another character mispronounces the narrators name, elongating it to three syllables, rather than two. I let the character sound it out for the audience a few times. It's an endearing little trademark.

In the end, it's always best to show, not to tell. This is a fun way of showing how the other characters hear the accent:)

[kagetenshi.livejournal.com]

If you actually hear someone speak with an accent, a lot of times they say words just like people lacking ones do, save for some shortcuts in words they take like "y'know" and stuff like that.

What I would do, to save your sanity, is just establish that this person has an accent. Truly, anyone that would be reading the story will think to themselves "Oh, this book tells me this man has an accent. I can imagine how he sounds like as I am reading the words he says".

The only exception might be people whose mother tongue is not English, and some (but not everybody) don't speak with all the necessary words in a sentence. Even fewer speak in third person. I don't see this often in books except for a couple fantasy novels where the other side spoke very little "human" tongue.

[tsukara.livejournal.com]

My first year I wrote a character (one quite bonkers at that) who talked with a stutter all the time, repeated words, messed with grammar etc. While it annoyed me at some points, it not only boosted my word count (which every new Nano is glad for) but it also, weirdly, helped me to get into this character's extremely messed up head at some points. When, if he spoke normally, or I were to write him speaking normally, I might make the mistake of writing him as a completely normal person.

So, for me, it helped, even though it was, on occasion, frustrating.

[aka-meerkat.livejournal.com]

I say write it to the best of your ability. When you're writing in a voice that's drastically different from your own, I think that you always have to edit for consistency later. You just have to do your best to ignore the flow of what you're putting down.. which, I know, is much easier said then done   ;)

It might help you to go the extra mile getting into your character's head before each writing session. Really try to be him while you're telling his story, because he wouldn't go back to see if what he was writing sounded like him or not. It might also help to tell yourself that you can go back and edit the day's work once you've reached your goal for the day.

I've found that timed writing helps me to focus on just getting words onto paper. Get yourself a little timer (there's lots available on the internet for free), set it for ten minutes and write as much as you can for those ten minutes. When the time is up, take a ten minute break to walk around, get a snack/drink, read your e-mail or check LJ. Repeat until you're done for the day.

[st-aurafina.livejournal.com]

I think the way to go is to give sparing hints at the accent - occasionally write the words as they sound, and try to indicate more with syntax and context. Open up a copy of Trainspotting for an idea of how inpenetrable writing an accent can be. Or read just about any comic with Gambit in it. *sighs*

I found The Curious Affair of the Dog in the Night-time to give a very readable first person view of a boy with Aspergers - I don't know how accurate the depiction was, but I certainly had an idea that he didn't view the world like the characters he was interacting with.

[my-shrooms-sing.livejournal.com]

I don't know. I think it would drive me crazy to write a whole story in an accent. I can't really write accents well, though. Whenever I go back and read over any accents I write I feel like I've done them completely wrong, so I delete them and replace them with how I'd say it. It's kind of limiting, I guess.