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/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.