# How long did it take me to get the speech I wanted?

By [Craig Coffee](/craig-coffee)

A long time. I have described ten years of working things out after the glimpse of fluency I had while [studying in Spain](/stuttering-in-different-languages). I had already been stuttering and trying to find help for years before that.

[The breakthrough was temporary](/why-stuttering-changes). I came home wondering what had happened and how I could have that freedom in the rest of my life.

## What filled those years?

I studied self-help. Then I applied it: going out on dates, applying for jobs, standing in front of colleagues, making calls at work. Those were chances to test what worked and what didn't.

I could try an idea, fail with it, work on it and go back out. I failed a lot more often than I found success. Slowly I built on what worked.

That is what sits behind a simple-looking piece of advice. Asking a question and responding without pre-scripting it took me a lot of practice. Sometimes I blocked. Sometimes I wasn't quick enough.

## I wanted someone to explain how

I had met people who said they used to stutter. I asked what happened and how they did it. They couldn't explain it in a way that gave me a direction. I had to figure out my own path.

The shit I share came from those years of trying. I'm giving the explanation I would have loved to have had while I was struggling.

I still [bring what I learned into the next conversation](/keeping-my-speaking-practice-going). Most of the time it is subconscious now because I have done it for so many years.

## Related answers

- [How did I start working on my stuttering?](/how-to-stop-stuttering)
- [How did I practice while I was still stuttering?](/practicing-while-you-still-stutter)

[Find your question](/questions)