 Comedy: May 11, 2011 Issue [#4389] |
  Comedy
This week: Funny Smells, Funny Sounds Edited by: Ben Langhinrichs  
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Greetings! I am a guest editor for the Comedy Newsletter, and I hope to share some of my thoughts on writing comedy. I suggest you treat these not as pearls of wisdom dropped from on high, but rather musings of a fellow writer, written to inspire, provoke or stimulate your personal muse. I welcome your thoughts, feedback and suggestions.
~ Ben Langhinrichs |
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Funny Smells, Funny Sounds
Have you ever watched a funny movie filled with physical comedy and jokes? At first glance, you might think that all of the humor is visible, and certainly there plenty of room for pratfalls and expressions. But if you watch carefully, you'll notice that sounds play a big role as well. Farting noises, the banging of a bed against the wall in the next room, even a dog urinating on the carpet. All are communicated more effectively by being "unseen".
In writing comedy, be sure to pull the reader into the scene, but try to do it the way a movie does. In a good comedy, the non-visual senses are often implied, which makes the viewer stop for a second to figure out what is going on. Then, when they get it, they laugh more loudly.
Don't say Grandma Rose farted; show the people in the family trying not to react.
Don't say the dog urinated; have a character try to figure out what the noise is, and rush into the next room, followed by a screech and thud and "Bad dog!"
Don't tell us that your MC accidentally put salt instead of sugar into the cookies; show her start to chew and stop, glancing over at the jar in horror.
In any writing, the closer the reader is to the action, the more they feel involved. In comedy, writers sometimes forget and try to describe the humor, which is like explaining a joke rather than telling it. Trust the reader to get the joke by setting the scene. Part of that is the noises, the smells, the tastes, and all can be funny.
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As a guest editor, I have no previous feedback to share, but would welcome your comments and thoughts.
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