How do I write a drunk character speech?

[ShidoDraws]

Are you writing a novel? If yes you can try conveying it by describing their actions and maybe describing their scent too if possible.

And If you're writing a comic then drawing them with blushing face could help, their expression should also look a little tired too.

[Lucky_Foot]

3... 2... 1... Coffee!

Ah, I see. Well, portraying a drunken character can be a tricky balance between making it clear they're drunk while still keeping the dialogue coherent enough for the reader to understand. Here are a few tips that might help:

Firstly, consider adding some physical cues that show the character is intoxicated. Perhaps they're slurring their words, swaying unsteadily, or have a flushed complexion. These types of details can help create a clear picture of the character's state.

Secondly, you might want to play with the character's speech patterns. Drunk people often repeat themselves, speak more slowly or with a thick tongue, or use more expletives than usual. You could also add in some nonsensical tangents or rambling sentences that don't quite make sense.

Another technique you could try is to have other characters react to the drunken character in a way that emphasizes their intoxication. Perhaps they're struggling to understand what the character is saying, or they're rolling their eyes at their slurred speech. These types of reactions can help to reinforce the fact that the character is drunk.

Overall, the key is to strike a balance between making it clear that the character is drunk while still keeping the dialogue engaging and coherent. Good luck!

[TheDoublekey]

Well, a good example of "drunk character speech" can be found in s1 e1 of Rick and Morty. Rick suddenly enters Morty's room while completely drunk and asks Morty to follow him.

As Lucky Foot already said, the first thing is adding some visual cues. Have them stagger a bit when walking, act confused or have their mood suddenly swinging. You can also make the character burp a little (that's what drunk characters like Rick or Barney from The Simpsons usually do) and color their cheeks red.

When it comes to speech you can have the character repeat themselves (again, watch the first episode of Rick and Morty as an example) or say things that don't make sense. You could also have their tone of voice shift from low (as if the character is almost falling asleep) to high (suddenly waking up).

Again, there are lots of ways to portray this type of characters and the way they speak. My advice is to look up lots of examples and references and learn from that. With that said, I wish you the best for your comic!

[BlairFujin]

Quick google gave me this post https://writeworld-blog.tumblr.com/post/24476282104/writing-drunk-characters - it has some examples of drunken speech

[Lensing]

"Whaaat ya mean, ya can'tsh write like how a drunk person talkshh?"

[abigaillmartin]

I guess I have an example in my comic Cracking Eggs.

Eric Stanford has too many beers before Winston’s arrival in the first episode and he’s a little aggressive more than usual and he making jump the gun irrational decisions.

Mines probably not the prime example but Mister Fine later in the series also gets drunk at a party and he starts yelling at Jack for being late and being all aggressive about it.

Dunno if this is a personal bias because I see drinking as making someone act so stupid and losing their senses and brain which is exactly what happens. So yeah just communicate in their body language and dialogue that they have one brain cell left. 🤣

I hope this helps.

Also don’t forget nasty hangovers!

[abigaillmartin]

🤣 good one love it!

[Legendofgenii]

@Lensing

"-well, s'not n'easy thing ter (hic!) do when yer inebrie... ineebie... intox (hic!) cated... (giggle-snort)."

[bronte448]

Hiccups always help sell it for me, but that might be a personal thing Also a tiny bit of green blush between the eyes to make them look sick. Is it realistic? No. Does it help sell the point? Yes.

[Headypigeon4180]

I second this :D. Hiccups do a great job. So does the sentence 'Hey with an added pronoun' ^^; Admitedly Tom is a Milkshake addict and he didn't drink actual alcohol but this page here sells it pretty well.

[Flug]

With 6 cans of beer and a good friend?

[margodraws]

Have a few drinks, then take notes?

I know hiccups are like a standard old-fashioned way to show drunkenness in dialogue, but I've never observed that in real life.

[Kelheor]

@margodraws this! Never witnessed it, doesn't matter if the person can handle their liquor or not.
Weird pauses between words, incohesive speech, swallowing parts of words, "mmmmmh", elongated vowels, changing words order aka "I am not as think as you drunk I am". Also trying to get their thoughts together (which will feel like it's taking too much time to any other person) and maybe not being able to. Their mood will be more pronounced, which doesn't necessarily mean they will become aggressive, they can become more loud, playful or get sad and moody.

[abigaillmartin]

What if drinking is against your religion/and or you don’t plan to drink?

[BlairFujin]

for standard slurred drunk speech, just try speaking while keeping your tongue at the bottom of your mouth
for notes on general drunken behaviour - just observe people drinking (though I guess how much of a chance for it you have depends on a culture you're living in...)

[BlairFujin]

As someone coming from a very drinking culture (too much of a drinking culture to be honest) I've never actually seen anyone get hiccups from drinking. Among my family and friends it's mostly getting louder, being more likely to laugh at weak jokes, having troubles walking straight (if they're really drunk), getting sentimental or just starting to speak nonsense.
One funny and kinda unique thing I noticed is that my dad when drunk starts to move his moustache around like a rabbit... 'xD

[dbeirigo]

is this good?

[abigaillmartin]

Yeah that’s pretty accurate I’d say

[BlairFujin]

"xsh" looks kinda off to me, I'd change it maybe to "ksh"
unless you spread out "I.."s into separate bubbles, to me it looks like he speeds ups his speach, so after that I wouldn't prolonge the whad, instead fuse the last sentence together
either
I...
I...
I... know
whaad I'm doin'

or
I..I..I know
whadaimdoin

at least that's what sounds more natural to me
but in general, that's the gist of it

[margodraws]

Well obviously only do what you're comfortable with, but if you do have experience with the thing (this goes for anything, not just alcohol), you're much more likely to be able to represent it accurately. If you don't drink, pay attention to your friends the next time you're at a party or a bar.