> One thing I'm kind of iffy on is when the end of their arc is them delivering an important speech totally fluently. I feel like that shouldn't be the end goal or the peak of their life in the novel. I completely agree and think you're absolutely right. Don't worry, I definitely wouldn't do that! If I did that sort of scene, it would be more along the lines of a covert stutterer finding the courage to give the big speech (or whatever), knowing that they were going to stutter through it -- and they do, and it's still AWESOME. They've exposed their stutter to the world and realized they're still a person of value. I LOVE the idea of a stuttering noir detective! :)