Do you, uh, ever, um, do this? Um?

I use it if my character is nervous, frightened, or otherwise pressured. But not really in their regular speech.

I'd use it if the character is nervous or unsure about something (or sometimes showing that they're weirded out, like "Um. Okay. You go do that."). Otherwise I don't use it too frequently, unless I'm trying to show something about the character--a character who is insecure and hesitant may um and ah and stumble over their words a lot.

I haven't used it yet. Only because most of my characters I'm currently writing, well, it just wouldn't be in their nature. But other characters I've written, yes I've done that. But not a lot. Only if nervous.

I've found myself doing that a lot with one of my characters. He's the timid, nervous type, so it seems to fit. I try to use it sparingly, though.

I also use "um" a lot in my own speech, so sometimes it manages to slip in when I don't want it to...

Project nachonaco said:

If I can't think of what word my characters are supposed to say next, I put 'uh' or 'um' in the middle of the sentence. But only if it's speech.

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I don't insert uh or um because I don't know what my character is supposed to say, I insert it because they don't know what they're supposed to say.

As the others have already said, I use it to show nervousness, anxiousness, indecisiveness, or shyness in the character.

I usually incorporate the infamous dot dot dot, or the ever-popular "like." Probably because I use the word very frequently in my own speech. I had a student teacher once in school --poor guy-- he used to stumble a lot over his words and some of the kids (yes, I did it once too--I was sometimes a rotten teenager) used to count how many times he'd say "ah" in one class.

Project nachonaco said:

If I can't think of what word my characters are supposed to say next, I put 'uh' or 'um' in the middle of the sentence. But only if it's speech.

Am I the only one that does this?

(And no, it's not as frequent as, um, in the title.)

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I do this when either the character is nervous, or when the character cannot think of what they are trying to say. I don't know if it is correct or not, but it's an old habit that is hard to break.

Éclairer said:

I usually incorporate the infamous dot dot dot, or the ever-popular "like." Probably because I use the word very frequently in my own speech. I had a student teacher once in school --poor guy-- he used to stumble a lot over his words and some of the kids (yes, I did it once too--I was sometimes a rotten teenager) used to count how many times he'd say "ah" in one class.

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Incorrect use of the word "like" drives me, like up a tree, like ya know, like wow.

I use "uh" a lot in my comic strip, but I don't think I've ever used it my any of my novels.

I just scanned my latest book and I used the term "uh oh" once. (It's possible it didn't make the final edits.)

When my characters stutter they do so because I think it would help the story (or the timing of the joke in the case of the comic strip.)

I pretty much always know what my characters will say next. I usually have problems shutting my characters up. Sometimes I think I may actually write too much dialogue but that's probably from my gag writing background.

Well, in my opinion—without having read these type of works—this would be no different typing actual dialogue of a character stuttering, which is just as annoying for me as a reader. Start. Stop. Start. Stop. Eventually, the I.Q. of the character will have dropped dramatically in the eyes of a reader. Even if the situation warrants the behavior, a reader could follow with the assumption that the plot is probably just as contrived if this character can not think straight for even a moment within a calm period of the novel.

John61480 said:

Well, in my opinion—without having read these type of works—this would be no different typing actual dialogue of a character stuttering, which is just as annoying for me as a reader. Start. Stop. Start. Stop. Eventually, the I.Q. of the character will have dropped dramatically in the eyes of a reader. Even if the situation warrants the behavior, a reader could follow with the assumption that the plot is probably just as contrived if this character can not think straight for even a moment within a calm period of the novel.

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Very true.

Not yet. None of my characters thus far have been the sort who talk that way. I don't see anything wrong with it, in dialog, if it fits a given character and isn't done to death.

Having done transcription for a REALLY LONG TIME NOW, I can say with some authority that just about everyone says "um" "er" "like" "y'know" and "uh" a lot more than he or she thinks he does, even when he KNOWS what he's supposed to or going to say next, and no matter how many letters denoting supposed literacy he has after his name. This is why clerics have to practice their sermons-- so they won't drive everyone out the door with "um" and "annnnd..." Run-on sentences that go on for hundreds of words without a full stop are also more common and normal than many suppose, and tend to be present in "outdoor" or public speech more than "indoor" or domestic, whether the dialog is face-to-face or over the phone. Why this is the case I'm not sure. Once when talking on the phone with my dad I sat without saying anything but "uh huh", to see how long he would keep talking without a full stop-- twenty-five minutes! None of it was repeated, either... :|

Sentence fragments or very short sentences with NO "ums" or "ers" are usually present more in domestic dialog between two individuals who are quite familiar with each other, to wit: "Where's the damn milk?" "You left it out on the counter. Had to toss it." "Huh. Move your foot." "Sit over there!" (long silence) "Goin to the park?" "Just got back."

Trying to render dialog with 100% accuracy would make said dialog stretch on for page after page and be incredibly boring-- and hardly anyone would want to read it, so of course we don't want to do that.

When you are talking to a relative stranger and he says "uh..." that usually denotes simple hesitancy ("So, where are you from?" "Uh..." Meaning "I'm not sure I want to give you that information at this stage in our relationship")-- when in the midst of a conversation your homeboy says "uh...", however, that usually means he's trying to think of a lie: "Did you see Danny last night when you were out?" "Uh..."

I hope this was helpful!

I never do it because I think it's been overdone.

John61480 said:

Well, in my opinion—without having read these type of works—this would be no different typing actual dialogue of a character stuttering, which is just as annoying for me as a reader. Start. Stop. Start. Stop. Eventually, the I.Q. of the character will have dropped dramatically in the eyes of a reader. Even if the situation warrants the behavior, a reader could follow with the assumption that the plot is probably just as contrived if this character can not think straight for even a moment within a calm period of the novel.

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Oh, I dunno, I can think of at least one case I read recently where it's been used really well--"Shards of Honor" by Lois McMaster Bujold, the heroine, having survived the conflict with the enemy, is psychologically tortured by her own side as they attempt to uncover whether she's been programmed ala Manchurian Candidate. The author can tell you that she's a broken woman until the cows come home, but she really shows it, and hammers it home, with a steadily increasing stutter. Since this is a very well-spoken woman previously, the stutter is almost painful to see, but very very effective.

Stuttering has nothing to do with thinking straight--habitual stutterers think just as well as the rest of us!--but it definitely gets worse under stress, and even if one is at a relatively calm moment, if the character is under general tension in the book (y'know, savin' the world, being unjustly framed for murder, that sorta thing...) their stutter is likely to be much more pronounced, no matter.

I can't recall ever using those "um and ah" words in any of my stories - but I suppose if I needed a character to use it, I would. Just never have.

In my completely humble opinion, and echoing what has been written here at AW in other threads, dialogue in a novel can't too closely mimic what people might say in real life. We don't want to read the ums ers etc anymore than we want to hear them in real life. Doesn't it drive you crazy when somebody hesitates too long in getting a thought out when she is speaking?

UrsulaV said:

Oh, I dunno, I can think of at least one case I read recently where it's been used really well--"Shards of Honor" by Lois McMaster Bujold, the heroine, having survived the conflict with the enemy, is psychologically tortured by her own side as they attempt to uncover whether she's been programmed ala Manchurian Candidate. The author can tell you that she's a broken woman until the cows come home, but she really shows it, and hammers it home, with a steadily increasing stutter. Since this is a very well-spoken woman previously, the stutter is almost painful to see, but very very effective.

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That is a valid and effective use. In general, though, I would put it firmly into the "less is more" category.

UrsulaV said:

Stuttering has nothing to do with thinking straight--habitual stutterers think just as well as the rest of us!--but it definitely gets worse under stress, and even if one is at a relatively calm moment, if the character is under general tension in the book (y'know, savin' the world, being unjustly framed for murder, that sorta thing...) their stutter is likely to be much more pronounced, no matter.

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Someone with social anxiety, even if they don't actually stutter, may be quite hesitant in their speech. The same person could be a profound thinker and write eloquently.

I try to make sure my character's don't "um" too much unless they're stammering out of embarassment or fright. I say, if they feel right to you for now, put them in and then just do a "find" and delete them later.

In any public speaking class, you'll find the first thing they tell you is not to "um" when you're talking. Just to 'take a pause'. Ever hear Condaleeza Rice um speak? She um really doesn't um sound um like she um knows what she's uhhhhhhhhhh talking about.

I use it now and then. Or I'll use "er"

It better have a damn good point, though. I don't generally just throw random letters into my dialogue.

One of my characters, Gretchen, is a very chatty woman who often speaks before she finishes thinking... she also doesn't have the most refined vocabulary... so in her speech patterns she does use "um".

The main character in one of my YA novels is very unsure of herself and has been emotionally abused all her life, so doesn't think she's worth much. She uses "um" because she isn't sure the person she's talking to actually wants to listen to her, so she's a little afraid to speak.

Um...er...um...No.

To me, 'er' and 'um' looks daft in most dialogue, and certainly if used constantly.