I don't know if this is the case or not (I'd have to watch several episodes to make sure), but I always think of Wash's speech patterns as being usually less rustic than that of Mal or Jayne or (especially) Kaylee. He finishes the endings on his words, anyway. He makes me think he grew up someplace civilized rather than not.I can't write snappy, witty lines either, but he wasn't always snappy.

As for Jayne, it's his speech patterns that make him sound dumb. He's a farmboy turned merc. In the official movie magazine, Joss says this. "Originally with Adam, he came in playing The Bad Guy. And was very big. And my direction to him was, 'Play Mal. You're the hero of your story. Play cool. The big will come. Because, guess what -- you're big!' And he made a very conscious and very gorgeous adjustment, and all of a sudden was just riviting, because you got a guy who was saying things as though he was the sly man, the man who sees it all, ans so when he says something stupid, it was absolutely hilarious, and every now and then, when he was right, you listened to him." So, you don't have to dumb him down. Just, maybe, think of him as having a big "I'm the man" attitude about himself while you're writing??

Good luck.

I can offer my services as a beta, if you'd like. Give you some advice as to voices.

If these are your ideas, it deserves to be written by you.

If you want to write them and send them along, I'll read 'em at: wily_one24@yahoo.com.au