The Giving Voice Blogfest is your chance to express what it means for those people in the form of a poem, excerpt, flash fiction piece. Maximum 400 words in length.
How does your character feel about his situation? How will they cope with the speech problem? Maybe your story will include a Speech & Language Therapist transforming their lives (as the above examples of well known films of real life demonstrate).
MY ENTRY:
Outside the Speech & Language Therapist’s room Katy sat twisting her handkerchief around and around her thumb. This seemed worse than waiting to take her Key stage 3 SATS exams. Her mother glanced at her with hooded brows that said ‘Stop that!’ though no words were spoken. Her mother hated making a scene in public. In just a few moments Katy knew she would have to talk to the stranger they had come to see and she always had to attend these sessions with her mother, which somehow made it ten times worse and better at the same time.
The door to the clinic room abruptly opened and she was bathed in a shaft of warm light that seemed to spread a calming glow over her frazzled nerves.
“Would you like to come in now” Rebecca Lees smiled at them.
Katy and her mother sat side by side on the padded chairs provided.
“So how can I help you?” Rebecca Lees smiled.
“We’ve seen lots of speech therapists” Katy’s mother began “And she seems to be getting worse rather than better”
“I see. Would you agree with that Katy?”
Katy could feel her eyes widen in horror and her mouth felt like a dried prune. She nodded, lowering her eyes.
“We agreed to see you, because we were told you are a specialist in stammering” Katy’s mother filled the silence. “She doesn’t stammer with us at home, only with strangers…”
“Yes that’s quite common. Some stammers will stammer in one language and not in another, some only on the telephone.”
Katy’s mother pursed her lips “So what can you do about her?”
“Well if you wouldn’t mind stepping outside then I could assess Katy and take it from there” Rebecca Lees smiled again. “Would that be okay with you Katy?”
“C-c-c-can I?” Katy replied in a gush of enthusiasm, while cringing at the way her words sounded as if she was hurling them up like a bad meal, those same words that others found so easy to utter. Yet this therapist seemed different from all the other she had met over the years.
“There’s lots we can do to help you Katy, if you are interested in having the therapy?”
“I wu-woo-would like that” Katy gushed, the glow of hope like a freshly lit pilot light burning inside her. “Yes, p-pl-please ”
Sign up to the linky below and post your entry TODAY 4th June 2012.
You will be raising much needed awareness for those who are speech and language impaired. The more people who Blog about this Blogfest and post up their stories the better it will be. Don't forget to visit the entries and leave a comment. Thank you.
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great cause! i teach a couple kids with speech impairments
ReplyDeleteHi Jeremy, thanks for taking part.
ReplyDeleteI see you're an author, but are you a Speech & Language Therapist, too?
I wonder why she stammers in front of strangers.
ReplyDeleteGreat entry.
Good for Katy!!! Take care
ReplyDeletex
Excellent Madeleine - really thought-provoking - when I worked with youngsters in the theatre we often found that - weirdly - some stammers simply went away, as kids focussed on their roles and got into another persona ...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Blogfest and a great piece :-)
I liked the comparison to the SATs and the light coming into the room with the therapist.
ReplyDeleteOh dear! I was late posting (sorry) and now my name isn't on the widget anymore. But if anyone would like to stop by, my entry is up now. :)
ReplyDeleteMadeleine, this is a lovely scene. I'm so glad this therapist could give this girl renewed hope.
Thanks for hosting this blog fest!
Great entry, Madeleine. Its a wonderful blog fest.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great scene, I really enjoyed reading it. And, this is a wonderful idea for a blogfest. Kudos!
ReplyDeleteThis was a really nice story! I could understand why someone would have problems with stuttering in some situations and not have a problem in others, because of the different kinds of energy she's sensing.
ReplyDeleteHi Madeleine. Great voice. I was sort of thinking the end might have been something about Katy telling the speech therapist her mother made it worse. All the same, I thought it was thought provoking.
ReplyDeleteDenise
Amy, so glad you picked up on that.
ReplyDeleteDenise, yes glad you noticed what was inferred for her to express at a later date with the therapist.
Medeia, interesting question. Stammers often have problems speaking in certain situations and not others.
Thanks Carrie Anne, Julie, Old Kitty, Heather, Karla & Jeremy.
I've enjoyed reading all the entries, too. Thnaks to everyone for their participation and support.
I wonder why? My son used to stammer in front of strangers too.
ReplyDeleteHey Maddy. Sorry I'm so late.
ReplyDeleteLoved the excerpt. You managed to convey all the character's concerns and personalities through Katy's perspective. Impressive.
Thanks for hosting the blogfest. It was interesting to write to.
.......dhole
Great entry!
ReplyDeleteHi Madeleine .. there are so many variations for stammerers aren't there - singing seems to do away with stammering too sometimes ..
ReplyDeleteGreat post - and yes we should do more to help those who stammer - even just by ignoring them and letting them finish their sentence without interrupting ..
The King's Speech must open the door to the challenges stammerers have .. and those of us who don't - who struggle not to finish sentences off for others ..
Cheers Hilary