Thanks for this, hugely helpful! I think you're absolutely right. The story needs to stand on its own two feet regardless of the stuttering issue. Out of curiosity, do you work with YA fiction? As you probably know, "issue" YA is huge at the moment -- I was on an awards shortlist last year and out of 10 authors, around 7 of them had written novels to do with teen mental health. That's why I was wondering whether an "issues" approach might be more the way to do it in the current climate, so I'm really glad that your thoughts echo my own. > So it needs to be delivered in a way that fluent speakers can still relate to the character and project their own wish fulfillment on them. Totally agree. And I know exactly what you mean -- I wasn't an isolated introvert in high school (though I was often quiet when I would have preferred not to be). I was in the Drama Club, and dated, and etc etc. Yet there was always this added stress to my life. That's what I want to try to capture, in the context of some sort of exciting adventure plot. My suspicion is that, if I do it right, teens will find a stuttering MC very relatable. The experience of feeling trapped in your own body, unable to say exactly what you want, is in many ways the epitome of being a teenager. Thanks very much for your input!