How To Beat STAMMERING or STUTTERING

Hello Norman'

book--How to beat Stammering or Stuttering-

What an amazing book you have here, for all of those who suffer with this impediment.
I Intend to read the five chapters over and over again, to fully digest the most informative information there.

I can relate to everything i have read, as i has a serious stammer from as far back as i can remember.
Having left school at thirteen. leaving those ' Mute years' behind, it left its mark, as i was unable to read or write.

The case studies are well presented ; like your reference as to how it happens, as in Winston's Churchill's case; and how his Dad dominated him.
like the way he tackled his stammer later on; with his controlled speech -----
You also make a reference to a mother and fear of and or others members who ridicule you.

How did i overcome. well, it was later on in life , around fifteen, when i walked around a field, reading poetry form a library book; and away from the distracters.
hope that may be of some help in later chapters.

This book should be readily available in schools throughout the world.
I give it my full support and six stars

tom bye dublin ireland
book- from hugs to kisses'

At times in my book, i refer to this stammer , see chapter 31 and 32 thanks

Hello Norman'

book--How to beat Stammering or Stuttering-

What an amazing book you have here, for all of those who suffer with this impediment.
I Intend to read the five chapters over and over again, to fully digest the most informative information there.

I can relate to everything i have read, as i has a serious stammer from as far back as i can remember.
Having left school at thirteen. leaving those ' Mute years' behind, it left its mark, as i was unable to read or write.

The case studies are well presented ; like your reference as to how it happens, as in Winston's Churchill's case; and how his Dad dominated him.
like the way he tackled his stammer later on; with his controlled speech -----
You also make a reference to a mother and fear of and or others members who ridicule you.

How did i overcome. well, it was later on in life , around fifteen, when i walked around a field, reading poetry form a library book; and away from the distracters.
hope that may be of some help in later chapters.

This book should be readily available in schools throughout the world.
I give it my full support and six stars

tom bye dublin ireland
book- from hugs to kisses'

At times in my book, i refer to this stammer , see chapter 31 and 32 thanks

Dear Norman,

I read each of the five chapters you have uploaded. I found this to be a fascinating read!

So informative and full of insights, there is so much to learn here and it's an important & interesting topic that will appeal to a wide readership. People of all ages are affected by stammering and it CAN be beaten - this is just the kind of self-help book that my age group wouldn't find a bore to get through :) You did a really good job with this, the research you've done is worth it. Excellent job!

Giving it a spin on my shelf to help get rid of that damn red arrow - hope your book rises in the charts!
Melanie x

Some very interesting case histories here. My husband tells me he stuttered as a child but managed to get over it. He has always been a shy man even as an adult but deliberately makes himself do things that require being in the "public eye.." Have put this on my watchlist and will get him to read through it as he may find it helpful. .

Thanks for taking an interest in and making such encouraging comments, I wish you luck p.s the news is full of pirates, so watch out. Happy sailing.

Dear Norman,


I have read all five uploaded chapters and have no hesitation in placing How to Beat Stammering on my bookshelf.

Almost throughout, you were talking about me.

To this day, I feel the stigma of stuttering. Being laughed at as a child. Mimicked by a primary school teacher. Scorned by the jocks in high school.

Unable to participate in conversation. Having to order tea when I wanted coffee. Merely saying ‘the same’ (as my father) in a family holiday hotel dining room.

Terrified of microphones. Appearing dim-witted. Excluded. Et al.

Strange you spoke about dear old Winston. Yes, I too found a way of pausing, breathing and a kind of emphasis.

Doesn’t worry me too much now because I have about 90% control and don’t care about the rest. I just laugh it off. But to this day, there are one or two words I cannot say. But again, I bounce over them with a big grin. Especially if I’m speaking to children who laugh with me instead of at me. What fun.

However, as a child, it was a monumental problem and I think I am still traumatized by it today.

You’ll smile if you take a squizz at Fig Tree. I burdened a little boy with stammering in my fiction.

Kind regards.


Pierre.

Hi Norman-

You've certainly done your homework with your case studies!

This could use a bit of an edit... I won't go through everything I saw, but right off the bat - in your long intro - I think the line should read "For some time I have BEEN forming new ideas..." Little things like that - easy to fix - will be finessed with a good edit session. (Hint: I always find that a fresh pair of eyes are priceless... I always have someone look over my work - I just hand her a new red pen and let her go to town!)

All in all, I like the premise of this self-help book, and think there is a huge audience for it. Even those who find themselves at a loss for words when presenting to an audience could use some helpful tips. For that alone, I find this shelf-worthy. I'll read on, and if I have any other thoughts for you, I will post another comment . Great job!

Kim

Norman,
This is a very worthwhile, important book. As I was reading this, it brought to mind the people I have known who stutter. I believe all of them have become successful in their careers. Your book underscores both the affliction, and the people who have overcome it—including so many famous people throughout history.

I am glad I had the time to spend with this book tonight. Excellent work.
Shelved.
Mark

I wasn't sure what I would make of this, but it really is a fascinating and informative read. I had no idea so many people were afflicted with a stammer. I only recently realised myself about Rowan Atkinson and how badly he is affected when he was interviewed for the anniversary programmes about Blackadder. It gives a whole new view on his epic pronounciation of the word 'Bob', as you say. You've written this in such a way that it is has instant appeal to anyone wanting a good read. Non-fiction is a hard sell, often having a very niche market, but I would be more than happy to read this all the way through and if you'd asked me yesterday if I would read a non-fiction book about stammering I would probably say no. Authonomy opens the mind to new reading, which is one of the best things about it. Giving it a turn on my shelf and will tell others about it.

Love this idea for a book. Most the people I've known who have had a stutter eventually overcame it. I'm sure this book will encourage those who have trouble speaking.

Hello, Norman - completely agree with what the delectable AnnabelleP says: this is accessible stuff, written in a light manner and with deft touches of subtle humour woven in. A fascinating subject, indeed, and well-crafted. Only thing I'd say is: spell Lewis Carroll's bloody name correctly (two 'l's in Carroll)!! Otherwise a good start, sir, and I am delighted to give you a punt upwards with a moment on the shelf. Best of luck with it - sestius

Hi Norman,
This is really interesting, and it's a topic I know little about. I am a teacher, so this is a really helpful book for me as it is something one comes across. I certainly think it will be useful to the YA market, in fact, I can think of someone who could do with reading it. This is well written, IMO, it's accessible and straightforward, you can tell you have first hand experience and this I feel, instills some confidence in the reader. I will try to get back to read more after the end of the month, in the meanwhile, it's on my SHELF!
Bests,
AnnabelleP
(Adelaide Short)

Norman,
What a great book! I have had several friends who stuttered, and I know it was always an embarrassment they wished to overcome. One thing that always amazed me is that, at least in my friend's case, when he sang, the stuttering vanished.
This book is well written, appears to be well researched and provides a great service! On my shelf.
Jeff

Dear Norman,

Please remember me for a return read. The book I am promting is The Little Girl in the Fig Tree.

Kind regards,

Pierre.

Dear Norman,


I have read all five uploaded chapters and have no hesitation in placing How to Beat Stammering on my bookshelf.

Almost throughout, you were talking about me.

To this day, I feel the stigma of stuttering. Being laughed at as a child. Mimicked by a primary school teacher. Scorned by the jocks in high school.

Unable to participate in conversation. Having to order tea when I wanted coffee. Merely saying ‘the same’ (as my father) in a family holiday hotel dining room.

Terrified of microphones. Appearing dim-witted. Excluded. Et al.

Strange you spoke about dear old Winston. Yes, I too found a way of pausing, breathing and a kind of emphasis.

Doesn’t worry me too much now because I have about 90% control and don’t care about the rest. I just laugh it off. But to this day, there are one or two words I cannot say. But again, I bounce over them with a big grin. Especially if I’m speaking to children who laugh with me instead of at me. What fun.

However, as a child, it was a monumental problem and I think I am still traumatized by it today.

You’ll smile if you take a squizz at Fig Tree. I burdened a little boy with stammering in my fiction.

Kind regards.


Pierre.

Here is a link that discusses James Earl Jones's stuttering. It's an amazing story. He just won a lifetime achievement award from SAG this past Sunday:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Earl_Jones

I love fiction, both reading and writing it, but in my opinion non-fiction books are the way to go. Much easier to sell to publishers and readers alike.

Self-help books such as yours are a great idea. Huge audience for self-help titles in general. Good luck with your book, Norman.

Norman, you've written a gentle, encouraging, and well-researched book here. I love that you are an actor because it gives you great credibility on the subject! SHELVED!

I have nothing new to add except I do have another great case for you! JAMES EARL JONES, the famous American actor (FIELD OF DREAMS, voice of DARTH VADER) had a huge stuttering problem that surfaced around age 7 when he had a tragedy in his life. He did not speak for the next ~8 years until he read a poem in class. He now has one of the most famous voices of our time (at least here in the US).

Norman - any non-fiction on this site can come across as a breath of fresh air to me, and yours tackles a very interesting subject. More than that, if offers insight into a familiar affliction and advice on how to overcome it.

I felt that the first chapter was a little overwritten. Self-help books (in my experience) do often contain many more words than they need, but they also strive to be easily readable. I don't think there's anything wrong at all with your manner of address - it talks personally and reassuringly to the reader - but I felt that, as an introduction, it could be a little more condensed.

I liked the short stories about famous stammerers - Claudius, Lewis Carroll, Churchill, Robert Graves, Gareth Gates (good and contemporary) and, am I right, King George? They help to establish that even some of the most famous and successful people have suffered. But what really impressed me was your suggestion that constantly being told to 'shut up' or 'keep quiet' might be one of the root causes of stammering. That is interesting, and believable, and though I'm sure there's more to it than that, it does offer an insight into why stammerers can sing, or recite poetry (legitimate communication) but not answer questions easily.

There were a number of typograhical problems. I twice counted 'weather' instead of 'whether', a 'Turret's' in place of 'Tourette's', and Dodgson was also spelled Dodgeson. I think a little pruning might not go amiss. But I also think that you have done something good here. I'll be giving it some thought, and quite possibly dipping back into it, as I find insights like yours fascinating. Most importantly of all, you understand stammering from the inside, as it were, and I'm sure that there are many who would find your book extremely useful.

Simon

Hi Norman. Well, this is a fairly impossible book to critique. Not least because I don't feel qualified to comment not having experienced a stutter or having any knowledge of the 'condition'. But I do know it's quite a widespread problem and in that sense this is an inherently worthy work, in striving to shed some light and understanding on the issue. I do feel qualified to say that at least it seems to be written in a readily accessible manner and people should have no trouble getting to grips with your subject as a result. I'd worry that a book of this nature is going to be lost in amongst all the fiction and, well, everything here. But that's a fault of context rather than any reflection on the book itself. Anyway, cut a long story short, I'm going to shelve this briefly, purely in recognition of your efforts to raise awareness on this topic.

Well I’ve managed to set my spellchecker to (U.K.) English!
Also I’ve gone over three chapters looking for faults, tomorrow I will try to do
the rest. I’ve added a little more but loath the idea of padding. Must sleep, by by all.

I have deliberately tried to keep the book short to keep it low priced for the reader, and low boredom. The style I used was my attempt to exude confidence; one friend thought it was a bit TV evangelist / used car salesman, at times I felt like a drill sergeant.
On of the most important parts of the book is the preface. Because the book delves into what people are made up of, I try to tell them the best way to deal with what is coming; I thought that a sensitive, gentle approach might be best, because I can’t just know how strong the mental state of individual readers. If I blurted out, a load of home truths, in there face then the destructive results.., softly softly, you know.
I am a terrible speller, and punctuator, the struggle with them is on going.
Thanks for the input, your interest is appreciated.

Hey Norman!
Your lack of comments is no doubt because this is a site of mostly fiction, although your subject is interesting and very valuable. I had a friend in high school, who's social life was nil because of stuttering. She could talk to me, but anyone else... nada. Even the teachers got frustrated with her. I've lost track of her, but I hope she finds your book.

Best of luck!!!

Hi there, I started reading this book - I don't stutter but my mum used to and what you are saying is very interesting.

A couple of suggestions:

You need to use a spell checker. Most of it is fine but there are a couple of words that are completely misspelt.

The chatty style is good but in a couple of places I think you sort of "apologise for yourself" by saying things like "oh dont get me wrong i dont think stutterers deserve to be bullied" (to paraphrase) a bit too much. once or twice is fine but it could get distracting.

Also one suggestion - i really like the way you've talked about famous people in here but one of the things I found very memorable when I was reading self help books (I have OCD) was the case studies of people with various obsessions and compulsions and how they applied CBT techniques to get rid of them. You could have fun writing a few of these yourself and it would be very useful and also stick in people's minds.

I also think this book could probably be slightly longer - 16000 words for a self help book is quite short :)

Well done for writing it though - it's very easy to read and very good :) xxx

I only have one coment that is all that has come on my scren, but I would like to say thanks to every body who has tried to reach me. All the best from Norman P.

I write Training Manuals and although I have posted fiction here I think this is good place to post your book.
A couple of things that stand out is that the conversational style you have used is the best for this style of box, alothough punctuation with parenthesis is not right.
Chirchill is missplelt probably because your spell checker is set to ignore Words using All Caps.

Good luck with it.