Writing Character Accents In Fiction

Writing Character Accents in Fiction

Hey there, thanks for the question! I speak English as a second language; most English speakers I encounter aren’t native (yes, including fictional people); thus, this is a concern I’ve explored personally when I write. 

I think the core principle regarding accent writing is this: it shouldn’t be distracting. 

For the same reasons why Stephen King prescribes the basic dialogue tag “said” rather than fancier alternatives like “whispered”, “shouted” or “screeched”, dialogue must be first and foremost easy to read. It must flow like a real conversation – the pace and tone are a lot more important than how specific words are being pronounced by the character. 

Focus on what effect the accent has:

Using adjectives to describe their voice in general. Different types of English (American, British, Australian, etc.) will give off a different vibe, also partly dependent on how your character speaks in general:

Lilting: Having a smooth rise and falling quality; sing-song like. Welsh accent is often described as singing. 

Posh: from a high social class. This is the term generally used to describe the upper-class British accent.

Nasal: this happens when the sound goes through somebody’s nose when they’re speaking. North American accents are more nasal than, say, British pronunciations. 

Brash: harsh, loud, indicative of sounding a little rude. 

Slur: speaking indistinctly; words merging into one another.

Using metaphors.

Her voice was cotton and fluffy clouds. 

When he spoke, the ‘r’s scratched the insides of his throat. 

Mentioning their accent with a brief example(s). 

“Would you like to drink some wine?” she said, though her Indian accent gave extra vibration to her ‘w’s and ‘r’s, making the words sound more like ‘vould you like to drrrink some vine’.

“I want some chocolate.” His syllables were choppy and ‘l’s rather flat, saying ‘cho-ko-lit’. 

Some Tips:

Don’t phonically spell out everything. Perhaps give a few examples in the beginning, but stick to standard English spellings. 

Pay attention to word choice, slang, and colloquialisms. 

An Australian person would say “tram”, not “trolley; “runners” instead of “sneakers”

A Canadian may refer to a “fire hall” – what Americans call a firehouse or fire station

If your character comes from a non-Enligsh background:

Use vocabulary from other languages. 

“What time was the exam, ah? Two o’clock? Jiayou!” → putting “ah” or “la” at the end of sentences + Jiayou means “break a leg” in Singlish. 

“I can’t believe that 4-year-olds have their own SNS accounts now.” → “SNS” is short for “social networking service”, a term used to refer to social media in Korea. This would a subtle difference – even though it isn’t technically Korean at all!

Transpose grammar from different languages. 

For example, in French, plural nouns take plural adjectives (whereas in English, you would speak of ‘white cars’, not ‘whites cars’).

─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* . ───

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💎Before you ask, check out my masterpost part 1 and part 2 

More Posts from Nerdvanacrafts and Others

7 months ago

How to Write a Ruthless Character

A ruthless character is all about the endgame. They don’t care how they get there, lying, cheating, using others, it’s all fair game as long as they win. When writing them, show how they can cut off any distractions or emotions, making decisions that others would hesitate over.

These characters don't let feelings get in the way. Compassion, guilt, regret? Nah, they don’t have time for that. Show how they can turn off their emotions and make choices purely based on logic. They’ll do things that seem heartless to everyone else, but for them, it’s just another part of the plan. It’s not that they don’t feel anything, they just choose not to.

Boundaries? What boundaries? A ruthless character doesn’t care about rules unless they can bend them to get ahead. They’ll do things no one else dares, crossing lines others are too scared to even approach. The more uncomfortable their actions make people, the more it emphasizes just how far they’re willing to go. For them, pushing limits is just another day.

They don’t act on impulse. Every move they make is planned, and every risk they take is calculated. They weigh the pros and cons before acting, and they’re always three steps ahead of everyone else. Writing a ruthless character means showing that they’ve already figured out how to win while everyone else is still trying to figure out the rules.

Betrayal is their go-to move when things get tough. Friends, allies, even people who trust them, no one is safe. They’ll turn on anyone if it benefits them. And the best part? They’ll sleep just fine afterward. Show how others react to their betrayals, shocked, hurt, furious, while your ruthless character shrugs it off like, “It had to be done.”

if you have any questions or feedback on writing materials, please send me an email at Luna-azzurra@outlook.com ✍🏻

4 months ago

Anyone who's ever done anything creative needs to fucking see this.

9 months ago

Omgosh they're so cute!!

deer squad ASSEMBLE!! gotta crochet em all :)

Deer Squad ASSEMBLE!! Gotta Crochet Em All :)
7 months ago

not to be controversial but sometimes I think the private personal lives of celebrities are in fact none of our business

1 year ago

I was going to make a big update about what's going to be coming to my (hopefully) soon-to-be up-and-running Ko-fi shop, but it's late now and I'm tired so have some diamond art progress pics instead. Reblogs welcome!

I Was Going To Make A Big Update About What's Going To Be Coming To My (hopefully) Soon-to-be Up-and-running

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8 months ago

Woooow called out on Tumblr tonight! Lol

nerdvanacrafts - Nerdvana Crafts

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4 months ago
Kofi Only Allows 10 Photos Per Listing And Some Of My Sets Have 12 Items Each. So Here's An Array Of
Kofi Only Allows 10 Photos Per Listing And Some Of My Sets Have 12 Items Each. So Here's An Array Of
Kofi Only Allows 10 Photos Per Listing And Some Of My Sets Have 12 Items Each. So Here's An Array Of
Kofi Only Allows 10 Photos Per Listing And Some Of My Sets Have 12 Items Each. So Here's An Array Of
Kofi Only Allows 10 Photos Per Listing And Some Of My Sets Have 12 Items Each. So Here's An Array Of
Kofi Only Allows 10 Photos Per Listing And Some Of My Sets Have 12 Items Each. So Here's An Array Of
Kofi Only Allows 10 Photos Per Listing And Some Of My Sets Have 12 Items Each. So Here's An Array Of
Kofi Only Allows 10 Photos Per Listing And Some Of My Sets Have 12 Items Each. So Here's An Array Of
Kofi Only Allows 10 Photos Per Listing And Some Of My Sets Have 12 Items Each. So Here's An Array Of
Kofi Only Allows 10 Photos Per Listing And Some Of My Sets Have 12 Items Each. So Here's An Array Of
Kofi Only Allows 10 Photos Per Listing And Some Of My Sets Have 12 Items Each. So Here's An Array Of
Kofi Only Allows 10 Photos Per Listing And Some Of My Sets Have 12 Items Each. So Here's An Array Of
Kofi Only Allows 10 Photos Per Listing And Some Of My Sets Have 12 Items Each. So Here's An Array Of
Kofi Only Allows 10 Photos Per Listing And Some Of My Sets Have 12 Items Each. So Here's An Array Of
Kofi Only Allows 10 Photos Per Listing And Some Of My Sets Have 12 Items Each. So Here's An Array Of
Kofi Only Allows 10 Photos Per Listing And Some Of My Sets Have 12 Items Each. So Here's An Array Of
Kofi Only Allows 10 Photos Per Listing And Some Of My Sets Have 12 Items Each. So Here's An Array Of
Kofi Only Allows 10 Photos Per Listing And Some Of My Sets Have 12 Items Each. So Here's An Array Of
Kofi Only Allows 10 Photos Per Listing And Some Of My Sets Have 12 Items Each. So Here's An Array Of
Kofi Only Allows 10 Photos Per Listing And Some Of My Sets Have 12 Items Each. So Here's An Array Of
Kofi Only Allows 10 Photos Per Listing And Some Of My Sets Have 12 Items Each. So Here's An Array Of
Kofi Only Allows 10 Photos Per Listing And Some Of My Sets Have 12 Items Each. So Here's An Array Of

Kofi only allows 10 photos per listing and some of my sets have 12 items each. So here's an array of the product photos of the "Superheroes" collection.

These items have been made in a home with a cat so if you have allergies, please let me know ahead of time!!

Item Details: Approximate height: Ranging between 4 in/10.16 cm and 7.5 in/19.05 cm tall Materials used: Acrylic yarn, plastic safety eyes, poly fill stuffing, embroidery thread, felt, E6000 glue

*Washing instructions: Recommended spot cleaning by hand, but can be washed with a washing machine in a laundry bag (delicate setting and warm water) and air dried.

**The patterns for these items were created and designed by Kati Galusz, and handmade by Sly Fox of Nerdvana Crafts. These items are intended as fanart, and I am in no way affiliated with Marvel or Thunder Bay Press. These characters are owned and copyrighted by Marvel.


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5 months ago

Happy 2025! Can you believe it's a new year already? New year means new updates so here we go:

First and foremost, I will be pushing the Kofi a little harder this year as it will become my primary source of income. I am thinking of adding monthly membership tiers starting with a dollar for those who want to support but are tight on funds. I'm also considering a $5 tier blind bag option where members can get a mystery baby animal blorbo every month, but I'll need to build up some stock so it might be a little bit before that one arrives. After that, however, as a primarily fiber artist, I'm not sure what else I could offer in higher tiers other than my eternal gratitude so if there's something you think I could offer exclusively to higher tiers, feel free to make suggestions in the comments below!

Secondly, as Kofi will become my primary source of income, that also means that my commission slots will be opening soon! How soon, you ask? Hopefully by February 1st! I'll be opening FOUR small commission slots and don't worry, there WILL be a commission list coming so y'all can see what I have at my disposal. Commissions will start at $30 + shipping for the smaller items, and increase based on the approximate size and estimated time for larger items (like dragons!). The list will be divided by size categories so folks will know ahead of time about how much they'll be paying. As of right now, I will not be taking custom commissions, or commissions outside of my repertoire, while I am figuring out this new system of mine, and how much I can physically and mentally handle being a full-time online maker and crafter.

Final third item, I will be setting up the shop this month to showcase what's currently available to be shipped and what's available to be commissioned so folks have a better view of my repertoire. There will be two separate categories: items ready to ship and items available for commission. The difference being that the items ready to ship have already been made and are sitting on a shelf waiting to find a new home.

That's it for new updates! Oh! Before I forget! As part of pushing the Kofi (and helping me raise the funds for C2E2), we have a cute little tracker that for every donation of a certain amount, a specific image gets colored in. We started that in December, and here's what we have so far!

image of a $1000 savings tracker with unicorns, diamonds, stars, and rainbows. Two stars, one rainbow, and two diamonds have been colored in. The diamond with the heart, however, does not have the heart colored in, as the donation paired with it was not a full $25 but I still wanted to acknowledge the donation and my gratitude for it.

Anyway, THAT'S it for new updates! Let's start the new year off with smiles, happy thoughts, and ready to kick some ass! Happy 2025!


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4 months ago

Please for the love of all that's holy, use Sparknotes!!

What Is HAPPENING

what is HAPPENING


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nerdvanacrafts - Nerdvana Crafts
Nerdvana Crafts

Hello and welcome to Nerdvana Crafts! Where you can find handmade gifts for the nerds in your life! My name is Sly and I am a neurodivergent fiber artist who crochets amigurumi from a variety of fandoms. Each item is made to order, and may take 2-4 weeks to make and ship. Each item is also made in the presence of a cat so if you have allergies, please message me and I will do everything in my power to prevent kitty contamination. All of my creations are intended as fan art, and because I use a variety of patterns, their sizes will vary as well!

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