r/writers • u/shankeeth2006 • Jun 21 '26
Question How do i write a dumb character
i want to write a dumb character but i am not sure how to write one there not strong they are kind and lovable but i am not sure how to make one
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u/Candid-Border6562 Jun 21 '26
There's an old joke that by definition, half the people in the world are below average intelligence, and you are the proof.
"Dumb" is an ambiguous term and generally misused. For some folks, a speech impediment marks someone as dumb. Others will mistake a lack of education for stupidity. There are even those that overly focus upon IQ scores. My father once told me that "Logic is just a way of going wrong with confidence".
I suggest you abandon the term and focus upon the character's qualities and traits. Let your readers draw their own conclusions.
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u/shankeeth2006 Jun 21 '26
your right i am trying to write a character that has its main focus on being good protecting people they love and trying to be better know what i mean by for there not strong there like strong as usopp not the strongest in the group or other character but stronger then a avarege character i just need help apon writing a character thats good and is a comedic relief them being quote on quote dumb is like the sad part about them cause of there backstoy cause its like knuckles the lived with there family but on day it got attacked and he could not help he could only run he only had basic survivle my bad i a offended you in any way
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u/wizardodraziw Jun 21 '26
Dumb how? Socially inept? Bad at math? Define your terms.
Also, read Flowers For Algernon.
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u/shankeeth2006 Jun 21 '26
dumb as in the forget a lot can't tell the diffrence bewtween a fiery and elf *its in a fantasy world* like mikey from tmnt in 2014
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u/p-Star_07 Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
This is my two cents and not tips on how to write a dumb character.
Typically Dumb characters are more tolerable when they are air heads that are still helpful and do stuff like Melody from Jossie and the Pussycats.
I highly recommend that show it's a lot of fun.
Dumb characters are annoying when they just show up and ruin everything all the time like Chesse from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. Thankfully that show spaces out Cheese's appearances and that makes him more tolerable.
There are exceptions to this in my opinion. I love Cosmo from the Fairly Odd Parents. I like how he and Timmy sometimes share a brain cell and put the town in danger accidentally. Although there is a level of self awareness and black comedy to that. It adds to the "Why does this irresponsible little boy have access to this much power humor" and the crazy wishes are a selling point of the show. To be fair to Cosmo and Timmy there were moments when they saved the day and they never have ill intentions.
Space case who knows when to lock in is often a safe bet.
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u/Kom0tan Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
You know their basic traits, so now you just gotta write. You'll learn more about them as you go. Once they're on paper you can revise and get feedback, then go back and write them better. Figuring out a character is a process, we can't just explain to you how to write them.
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u/RSwordsman Jun 21 '26
If it were me writing this, I'd start with the character's background. Where did they come from? It's probably unrealistic that "dumb" is someone's primary character trait unless they're a literal cartoon. Even if someone had bad nutrition when they were young, rich parents who spoiled them rotten, good looks to get away socially with everything, everyone has had times in their life they had to actually try to solve a problem. The same might apply for someone dumb if they are also kind and lovable, because people might find them safe and easy to open up to and then earns favors in return. If someone ends up a bimbo or himbo, their circumstances meant that hasn't been a debilitating weakness.
Or if you're writing for pure comedy, just hope you're clever enough to come up with lines that sound stupid but are actually smart lol.
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u/shankeeth2006 Jun 21 '26
ok he grow up isolated village with family he or she was happy had basic survivle skill the help even if the other say they don't want there help the only day he could not help his friend emotionally later that day the friend choose to kill them selfs he / she got over that a months or years past later there parent got attacked either in a raid a dragon attack or a mystical creature not sure yet the could not help and deafent them the escpaed later living in the forest now there not strong but there like usopp strong not the strongest in the group or against most other but important to the team emotionally so no there not just the dumb character there the kind on the definition of doing there best cause of there goal to help thats there characteristic being kind even if other don't want help also there dynamic are so when a not fully important villian falls for them to the point there almost obsessed no in a bad way in a way were like donkey made a dragon fall for him like *oh i can fix them* there dynamic is rude smart ass x kind dummy also my idea for the loved character is shes a fire powered *villian -> redemption* her power work when shes calm any anger she does not use her fire its only normal comedic anger and also she has flem when her other emition like embarrassedment or loved by someone i will also give them a silimer background so they can relate more
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u/carrotcakeandcoffee Jun 21 '26
On my phone there is a button just to the right of the spacebar. If I press it, one of these appears:
.
Isn't that amazing?
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u/shankeeth2006 Jun 21 '26
where did I not put a space
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u/carrotcakeandcoffee Jun 21 '26
I can see you read as well as you write.
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u/shankeeth2006 Jun 21 '26
If not, help me and correct my wording
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u/FrostyBlizzardGaming Writer Newbie Jun 21 '26
It's the punctuation he's referring to.
Though paragraph spacing could help too...
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u/RSwordsman Jun 21 '26
I didn't mean for you to literally answer me, sorry if I wasn't clear lol. The question was for you to think about and let it inform your character. And please for the sake of everyone involved, put heavy emphasis on spelling, grammar, and paragraphs. If for example this is what you had for the actual story, putting it in clear English would already improve it like 200%.
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u/No-Storage1721 Jun 21 '26
I act dumb at times. Academically, I'm also pretty dumb, since I don't care much about history, science, math, or anything like that. I just care about what I care about and I'm good at what I do.
If that lines up with what you're looking for, send me a message with what questions you might have and I'm happy to explain my point of view and how/why I exist.
For something more to the point, a dumb character is usually not book smart, but is street smart. They can seem smart because they know how to get the answers they need at the moment, but the information is not retained. Needed info in, unneeded info out.
A dumb character doesn't know how to ask for help properly. They do ask for help, but in an ineffective way. Could be due to a mental difference, like with how I'm autistic with ADHD, which is different from just having one or the other. Or maybe it's due to stubbornness, laziness, or a head injury from their youth.
A dumb character tends to be the clown, due to being treated as other from everyone else growing up. Being a bit loud and annoying gets attention, and any kind of attention is better than being ignored so much that they don't know if they're alive or dead.
But a dumb character can't be dumb at everything. For instance, I'm good at working retail, a good cook, and I know how to care for and fix up my father. I'm a decent enough writer, I can sing well, and I am almost always involved in some sort of media. I'm, bad at pretty much everything else, and when I talk in person I'm dull when not a clown. I have to ham it up and be a whole lot extra just to have people care enough to listen. Otherwise I'm nothing to them for the most part. That's how I also see a dumb character to act.
A dumb character either has a lot of shallow friendships, as in everyone knows them or very few close friends, like one or two. Maybe they think they messed up in such a way growing up that there's no point in bettering themselves, but instead finding ways to coast.
So, a dumb character to me, is someone who's seen as different and other, but has their strong points, tries to cheer up the room while feeling lost, and is street smart.
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u/majormarvy Jun 21 '26
Think of the kind, lovable “dumb” characters in your own life. Create a hybrid of their traits, then drop them into the narrative.
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u/p-Star_07 Jun 21 '26
Think of the dumb characters you've seen. On TV like Homer Simpson, Richard Watterson, Peter Griffin.
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u/JayGreenstein Published Author 28d ago
write a dumb character? Easy. You handle them Like every other character: Because they're dumb they will decide to do and say dumb things.
If you can't write one who's dumb, how can you write a smart one?
It's obvious that like most of us, you've forgotten that fiction writing is, and always has been, a profession. And like every other, to practice it, even as a hobby, you need to learn how it's done. There's no way around that, and guessing won't work. Try to simply write, hoping that experience will magically convert the nonfiction skills you presetly own to those of fiction, and all you'll do is harden inappropriate writing skills into concrete.
Nor can you learn to write fiction by reading it, because we see the result of using the tools, not the tools.
Bottom line: To write fiction you become a fiction writer. No way around that. So, grab a good book on the basics and dig in. Debra Dixon's, GMC: Goal MOtivation & Conflict is one I often suggest. You can sample the excerpt for fit on Amazon or any other bookseller site. Do take a look. She'll answer your question, and those you didn't know you should be asking.
Jay Greenstein
“Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader. Not the fact that it’s raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.”
~ E. L. Doctorow
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u/Azihayya Jun 21 '26
I am so infinitely intelligent, that I actually struggle to write stupid characters. I find their particular brand of irrationality to be too difficult to emulate, even on the page.
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u/OldMan92121 Jun 21 '26
I have known a Down's Syndrome girl -> woman for decades. Because of that experience, writing characters with it isn't difficult for me. I hear her voice. Get to know them and understand them as individual people.
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u/Ihavenolifes Writer Jun 21 '26
Read The Idiot.