Session 5 Wrap-Up

To everyone who attended or watched Session 5, thank you! As usual, I answer questions from the previous session in an email. I’ve decided to post the wrap-up this year as well.

Question: What if you’re not funny? (posted by Allison Merrill—thank you)

I kind of passed over this, but it’s a really valid question. Instinctively I’m a bad cook, but most nights with the effort of looking up recipes, shopping, and preparing, I have dinner on the table. Heather is a more instinct cook, more interested in cooking, and makes it seem effortless. At the end of the day, however, my dinner compares decently Heather’s and is certainly tastier than a blank table.

Humor is the same. Don’t worry about “being funny.” Worry about producing something funny. To make humor, brainstorm ideas, open-write, start with something absurd or unsafe, meander your way through an unnecessary scene, try different voices, watch funny stuff to get in the mood (as per James Duckett’s suggestion—I do that also), edit a ton, throw out what doesn’t work, ask friends to brainstorm, be silly, put yourself out there, fail, try again, all that.

On a personal note, I view play-backs of these webinars and can get physically ill watching my mistakes. If I’m too boring in one, I’m trying too hard in the next, etc. Rather than think I’m just not very good, I try to improve. I treat my humor in the same way.

Someone else may make the production of funny material seem effortless, but 1) it might be more effort than you think, and 2) who cares? You have produced something worthwhile that keeps your scene or sentence from earning a “blank” in the humor category. You and your readers win!

Question: Does humor slow or speed pacing: (posted by Jana King—thank you)

Great question!!!  James says it slows it down. I need to hit you up, James, for your take on that. The way I think of it, humor speeds pacing, but takes more actual words because it requires play-by-play “video shots” of the scene. In other words, humor reads fast, but actually takes many pages/sentences. I had to simplify the entire plot of my current manuscript, as compared to my last one, because the funny scenes take up serious room. You don’t want to make your reader drink from the plot-fire hose, nor do you want to squeeze in the funny. So a simple plot (or scene outline) is best.

On that note, James Duckett is so knowledgeable about humor, and so good at helping us answer questions live, that we really want to thank him and give a big shout to him. I wish I’d thought to put him up there with us using a Google Hangout. We will ponder on the feasibility of that for next time.

Side note about James Duckett: He’s been talking about releasing 50 Shades of Gravy—It’s SAUCY! for a year. #BeliveItWhenYouSeeIt

Hey, Michael Wright: Word play during the word play section? Niiiice.

Bookiemonster2: WHO ARE YOU?

See you next week at Session 6.