Comedy: January 24, 2007 Issue [#1511] |
Comedy
This week: Edited by: Diane More Newsletters By This Editor
1. About this Newsletter 2. A Word from our Sponsor 3. Letter from the Editor 4. Editor's Picks 5. A Word from Writing.Com 6. Ask & Answer 7. Removal instructions
Welcome to this week's edition of the Comedy newsletter. Each edition highlights items in the comedy genre in hopes of giving you a laugh and perhaps some inspiration to write your own hilarious tale.
~~ Diane ~~
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ASIN: B085272J6B |
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Situational Comedy
Situational comedy takes a cast of characters and places them in unusual circumstances to produce a comedic effect. This is most often seen in television shows since the thirty minute timeslot is perfect for the characters to get involved in a predicament to make the audience laugh. The people involved in the situation must be slightly quirky to entertain us so the writers have to do a good job of making them appeal to a widespread audience. We must be able to identify with the character on some level to become involved in their story.
Whether writing for a television series or writing a novel, comedy writers have to be careful when creating their characters. They need to be generic enough to appear in many situations, but have a uniqueness that the audience can identify and look for in any given situation. For example, take George from the sitcom, Seinfeld. He was ordinary in appearance, the sort of guy that would disappear into a crowd on the street. George was the every guy that people could identify with when watching the show. He wasn't rich, famous, or handsome. He was just George, an extremely neurotic man with committment issues that kept us laughing week after week.
Creating a character like George isn't easy. The writers had to balance his neurotic nature, making his behavior funny, but not so annoying that the audience would change the channel. As with many comedic characters, the writers used people in their own life in creating George Costanza. They identified a character flaw and magnified it for comedic effect. You can do this with your own characters. Use yourself as a start. What makes you slightly quirky or different? What trait could you magnify to create a funny scene for a reader? Put your character in a situation and stretch this trait to the point that it makes you laugh.
Good luck with your comedic attempts! Write On!
Until Next Time,
Diane
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I've selected some stories and poems for your enjoyment. Please remember to send the author a review.
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Featured Contests:
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter! https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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The editors work hard to make sure the newsletters are informative and enjoyable. We appreciate your responses.
Since I'm a guest editor, I don't have any feedback. Instead I'll ask you to share a link to the funniest item you've read on Writing.Com with the comedy editors. |
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