Today I wanted to take a moment to talk about Comedy.
Anyone whose read my work for more than a few days can pick up on a very obvious theme. I tend to like the dark. I like horror and suspense and things that go bump in the night. I'm most comfortable when my characters have their hearts racing or when there's some kind of drama going on. Overall, the comfort zone for my writing is just in the serious and spooky.
That said, easily my weakest link in my writing has to do with comedy. Sure, it's easy to throw in snark and sass; hell, I have plenty of life experience to pull from on that one. When it comes to experience, I've dealt with enough roguish devils with a sideways smile and a sharp tongue to make me want to beat them all to death with a lute. Yet, I don't have anything to draw upon for making a character legitimately funny.
With that said, I've been starting to look around. A chain is only as strong as the weakest link afterall and, while I can certainly keep my head in the dark and broody forever, I'd like to be a bit more well-rounded as an author. I've been reading pieces about writing comedy to little effect so far. I've been considering sitting down and trying to really watch and break down comedy movies and books to identify what makes funny...well...funny.
But here is where you come in. Obviously I can research all the livelong day (and have been), but it's always much more enjoyable to engage in a dialogue and build off the of the knowledge and the experience of all of the wonderful readers that we have. We have plenty of talented and amazing writers in our readers, so I wanted to ask for today's Open Book Discussion:
Do any of you have issues writing comedy? Yes? No? Likewise, what has helped you improve?
Comeday? A step too far for me. Snark I can manage. Clever snark I enjoy.
ReplyDeleteAnd it is such a subjective topic too.
We tend to find much the same things sad, but comedy is a whole new ball game. My partner for example thoroughly enjoys the Marx brothers. I would rather watch paint dry.
Hi Robert - I can happily engage with some quips ... but I do note that things I as a Brit find funny - other nationalities don't. Or as EC mentions - we have 'aversions' to some forms of comedy - I love the Marx Brothers. It is subjective ... but good luck with yours.
ReplyDeleteCheers Hilary
as someone who translates bestsellers, I can tell you most of today's popular writers have problem with being funny, especially the YA ones.... they all have a tumour in their humour.
ReplyDeleteI think I'd have a hard time writing funny fiction. That would be tricky to weave into a piece without seeming trite.
ReplyDeleteFunny I can do without issue at my sea. It just pops in, not sure where it comes from but away I go. I find today most go for the easy way out, swearing is all they do over and over again, that's meh. But funny is subjective too.
ReplyDeleteI have heard frequently that I am funny even though I rarely do it consciously. I tend to be fairly dark in my writing, too, but I guess my sense of humor creeps in.
ReplyDeleteI can do snark, but not outright comedy. My stories are more light and adventure, so I've not had to worry about being funny.
ReplyDeleteI did do a short story for Geekdom House magazine and it was all about being funny. And it worked. (Was a modern day setting as opposed to science fiction, so maybe that was the difference?)
I'm more sarcastic than funny in person and I think that comes through when I'm writing something down as well. I love when I read humor in a book but I'm not good as writing it myself.
ReplyDeleteOh, I wish I could write funny. It doesn't quite come across, though. What I've learned is that for something to be funny, it has to be surprising (as in, I didn't see that coming) and true. It's a lot like horror, in a way. Instead of the jump scare, it's like a random thought that comes out of nowhere.
ReplyDeleteInteresting question. Although my writing can be rather silly and light-hearted at times, I'm not sure that it would qualify as true comedy. I like your idea of watching some comedy films and reading comedy books to try to really dissect what makes things funny.
ReplyDeleteI think comedy can be tough because it is so subjective. What one person finds funny- might not be interpreted in the same way be someone else. I do enjoy reading funny! :)
ReplyDelete~Jess