[From the Archive] Make ‘Em Laugh
Make ’em…
Make ’em laugh
Don’t you know everyone wants to laugh
These are key words in one of my favorite Singing in the Rain songs done by Donald O’Connor. And it’s true with writing as well. Humor is one of the perennial favorites in literature. It’s also one of the hardest genres to write well and sell.
Dying’s easy. Comedy’s hard. For the simple reason — humor is completely subjective. What’s funny to one person isn’t to another. There are different types of humor – some forms more subtle than others and each type speaks to different people. Puns and plays on words may work for some people while others like broader forms of humor. Bioengineered dinosaurs who must sing Elvis karaoke may not grab the interest of one person, but tickle the funny bone of someone else. Which means if you’re writing humor you have to know exactly who your audience is going to be and how they’re going to react to it. That’s where timing is going to come into play.
Timing is everything. This applies to both the writing and the selling. Even if you write the funniest, wittiest thing since Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett , you still have to hit the right editor on the right day in the right frame of mind. Even if you’re the love child of Carol Burnett and Robin Williams, if you submit something on the day your editor’s favorite pet dies, that’s going to be one tough sale.
In crafting, timing’s also important in the writing and pacing of your story. The worst thing you can do as a writer is interrupt the flow of your story in order to put in a joke for a joke’s sake. Forced humor is not humor at all. Humor has to flow through the story like water, blending and weaving into the story.
Reading your story aloud or vetting it through other readers can help you judge if your story works well and if your humor is “natural”. Bear in mind that you will always be dealing with individuals. It still comes down to that individual’s taste and experience.
Humor is not for the weak of heart or the thin of skin. It takes a special kind of writer to delve into humor, but if you have the strength to do it, it’s completely worth it. During tough and dark times of life, audiences crave things that will take them out of their current situation. Laughter is the quickest escape, if done well. But only if you’re up to the challenge.