An odd question: Tourettes in writing.

In the US, most people are probably aware if for no other reason than there have been characters on TV who have it.

I think if you make it clear when the character is introduced that he has TS, readers will be able to follow the dialogue. You could also occasionally refer to the character having TS by having one character having to explain it to another character (just don't do this on every page).

And yes (to the first person who come along), I'm aware that there is more to TS than shouting out inappropriate words.

I suggest you read Jonathon Lethem's phenomenal MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN. His main character, Lionel Essrog, suffers from Tourette's. Lethem does an incredible job!

FROM PUBLISHERS' WEEKLY:

Hard-boiled crime fiction has never seen the likes of Lionel Essrog, the barking, grunting, spasmodically twitching hero of Lethem's gonzo detective novel that unfolds amidst the detritus of contemporary Brooklyn. As he did in his convention-smashing last novel, Girl in Landscape, Lethem uses a blueprint from genre fiction as a springboard for something entirely different, a story of betrayal and lost innocence that in both novels centers on an orphan struggling to make sense of an alien world. Raised in a boys home that straddles an off-ramp of the Brooklyn Bridge, Lionel is a misfit among misfits: an intellectually sensitive loner with a bad case of Tourette's syndrome, bristling with odd habits and compulsions, his mind continuously revolting against him in lurid outbursts of strange verbiage.

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And I would think that most everybody is familiar with this syndrome. I can't remember ever not knowing about it, myself. If you read Lethem's work, it might give you some ideas.

Read "Jerk, California." It's written by a man who has Tourette's, about a teen dealing with Tourette's (and other plot stuff). Very good book. He dealt more with the emotions behind the outbursts and how out of control the protag felt than just spouting words or phrases. The protag was very well aware of what he was doing, even though he couldn't stop it.

How about different type for the unwilling bits? Italics, maybe.

Saphyre said:

When it comes to writing him though, I just can't do it. Its really hard to fit his tics into the dialogue without having to have other characters indicate to the reader just what he is going on about. I'm afraid of confusing them.

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One thing you will notice with tourettes sufferers is how quickly thier family and friends adapt to the point where they no long notice the tics, they just become a part of that persons speach pattern.

I wouldn't set them apart in dialogue because they ARE dialogue, so don't put them in italics or bold, and make no reference to them. readers are smart people, once they know the characters tics they will accept them.

Another book to check out would be Icy Sparks. Can't remember the author, but it was part of Oprah's Book Club a few years ago.

Shouting out words and phrases is not the most common symptom of Tourette's. It's actually the most extreme symptom. Facial tics and non verbal sounds are more common. People who suffer from Tourette's often learn how to mask their tics and sounds, too. That might be the most interesting aspect of the condition.

CarlP said:

Shouting out words and phrases is not the most common symptom of Tourette's. It's actually the most extreme symptom. Facial tics and non verbal audible sounds are more common. People who suffer from Tourette's often learn how to mask their tics and sounds, too. That might be the most interesting aspect of the condition.

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^^^^^^I was going to say exactly that. My son's best friend has Tourette's and my son has a transient tic disorder (not diagnosed as Tourette's) and, indeed, the most common symptoms are physical and audible-sound tics. My son's most frequent and recurring tics include head jerking and sniffing. His friend is much the same but has more audible-sound tics.

If you're having difficulty working in that your character shouts out inappropriate words, don't. Leave out that symptom and emphasize the tics instead.

May want to take a peek at a great book, Icy Sparks, bestseller and an Oprah Book club : http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/Icy-Sparks-by-Gwyn-Hyman-Rubio

Actually, the most common symptom is "ticking." A tic (not a tick) is a repetitive, compulsive action. It may or may not be shouting out words or phrases. I have one friend with Tourette syndrome (not Tourettes) whose tic involves putting his hand into the air with his middle and ring fingers crossed. He also stutters when he talks sometimes. I have another friend with Tourette who makes a clicking noise with his tongue. I know another person with Tourette who does a repetitive blinking thing with his eyes.

Most people who have Tourette syndrome blend in with society pretty well, although they are often a bit awkward to be around, especially for people who don't know them well yet. The majority of people with this syndrome don't go around yelling profanity. That's the popular Hollywood depiction of the condition, but it's not the reality for the majority of people with Tourette syndrome.

In agreement with Carl P and Caro, you may be focusing on one of the most uncommon symptoms of the syndrome, which by the way, has become a cliched account of the syndrome. Here is a passage from the National Institute of Health's (National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke) website on the symptoms of Tourette's http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tourette/detail_tourette.htm#147233231

Tics are classified as either simple or complex. Simple motor tics are sudden, brief, repetitive movements that involve a limited number of muscle groups. Some of the more common simple tics include eye blinking and other vision irregularities, facial grimacing, shoulder shrugging, and head or shoulder jerking. Simple vocalizations might include repetitive throat-clearing, sniffing, or grunting sounds. Complex tics are distinct, coordinated patterns of movements involving several muscle groups. Complex motor tics might include facial grimacing combined with a head twist and a shoulder shrug. Other complex motor tics may actually appear purposeful, including sniffing or touching objects, hopping, jumping, bending, or twisting. Simple vocal tics may include throat-clearing, sniffing/snorting, grunting, or barking. More complex vocal tics include words or phrases. Perhaps the most dramatic and disabling tics include motor movements that result in self-harm such as punching oneself in the face or vocal tics including coprolalia (uttering swear words) or echolalia (repeating the words or phrases of others). Some tics are preceded by an urge or sensation in the affected muscle group, commonly called a premonitory urge. Some with TS will describe a need to complete a tic in a certain way or a certain number of times in order to relieve the urge or decrease the sensation.

Tics are often worse with excitement or anxiety and better during calm, focused activities. Certain physical experiences can trigger or worsen tics, for example tight collars may trigger neck tics, or hearing another person sniff or throat-clear may trigger similar sounds. Tics do not go away during sleep but are often significantly diminished.

You might be better served to focus on some of the lesser mannerisms and weave those into the story. They are unique enough to non-sufferers to draw attention, curiousity, and unwanted comment. You could even weave in a subplot in which the character tries to hide or suppress the symptoms, which hampers his/her personal growth and problem solving in the rest of the story.

As with other aspects of fiction with a medical component, a little research goes a long way, as does a lack of research. But in these two cases, the directions are opposite.