My name is Mylan. I stutter and I wrote a book about it. I started writing almost two years ago. When I was a teenager, I was very ashamed about my stutter. I didn’t talk much. The less I spoke the less I stuttered, so I didn’t say more than needed. My thoughts about my stutter was something I never talked about. Not to my friends and not to my parents. I didn’t feel comfortable about it.
Then I already knew it could be easier to handle my stutter just by sharing my story. But talking about it then was a no go. So I decided to write it on paper. I shared my story with my paper. Like the way you write a diary, I wrote my paper. It started with just one peace of paper, it ended with more than 52.000 words.
When I started writing I already knew I didn’t want it to keep for myself. I wanted to share my story with others. Maybe it could be helpful to other people who stutter of my age. I know a book like I made could have helped me a lot when I was a young teenager. In the book I wrote about situations where my stutter plays a big part in my life. Me doing a presentation or just asking about a sandwich at the bakery. I wrote down moments when it just did not go well with speaking.
The most important thing in my book is: me changing my mindset about my stutter. I did not want to write a very depressing story and feel sorry about myself. In the book you can see a big change. In the beginning I was a very insecure boy who was very shy and didn’t say every word he wanted to say. In the end, wow, my mindset has changed completely. I say every word I want to say and I don’t shame myself for stuttering anymore.
Now I want to share my story. I hope I can help other people who stutter to accept who they are. Nothing is more beautiful than to be happy with the person you see in the mirror. When I started writing I hoped one day it would become a real book. Now it has become a real book. What’s next? Who knows, I’m excited for the future.
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The book is available in Dutch only, contact us for more information.
Mylan ter Vrugt, Stotterende stappen gaan ook vooruit; In het hoofd van een stotteraar, 2020.
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