 Comedy: January 20, 2016 Issue [#7437] |
  Comedy
This week: The Comedy of Drag Edited by: 🦄🏳️🌈Sapph  
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The purpose of this newsletter is to bring some unique (read: stolen from someone funnier than I am) comedic thoughts and ideas for your reading pleasure.
Today's Topic
The Comedy of Drag |
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I'm a huge fan of RuPaul's Drag Race which, if you haven't seen it, is a bunch of men who dress up like women and compete in a competition to win a bunch of money, other prizes, and fame (if they're lucky). Now, drag queens are known for their own brand of comedy which comes from being able to read people and spill the T (Truth). This typically involves being an insult comic and drawing on the right cues that others give on the fly to bring out some true comedic genius.
My absolute favorite queen who is known for this being her speciality is Bianca Del Rio. I had the pleasure of seeing her Rolodex of Hate comedy tour in person, which is where this art form of comedy truly thrives. Bianca was able to draw on the audience and members in front of her, as well as those in the very back, making being insulted feel like a privilege, like you were part of something fun. Everyone would laugh along with it, even if it was them being joked about. Overall, a great comic who really knows insult comedy.
Now how can we translate that over to writing? The biggest part of this, I think, would be character development. A character that is capable of projecting this humor in a no-holds-barred fashion, one that is able to insert themselves into any situation with a cutting remark. This character doesn't have to be a person, it would be hilarious to see a rabbit insulting someone. Are you able to have a character that can read the people around them (other characters) and say what they see in an honest way?
The second most important parts are tone and word choice. This type of insult has a very specific diction that you have to be able to write if you want it to come across the right way. This is created by choosing the correct words to get the insult across. Being direct while adding in something witty is the best way to come across with insult comedy. You don't just want to say "Horizontal stripes? Really?" Go with something more like "Horizontal stripes aren't a good look in your third trimester." This way you're getting the point across, you're being direct, and you're adding in an element to make it funnier but each scenario is different and feeds off of what you have happening in the context of the story. There is no one-size-fits-all guide to writing insult comedy, it just has to tie together with the story and build off of what else has been written.
Now go have some fun insulting your characters, but remember that you can be harsh as long as it's funny. If it's not funny you're just being rude and I don't think your characters would appreciate that. And I recommend if you want to draw some true inspiration, look up Bianca Del Rio, but remember that all of her content is 18+ and should be approached with an open mind. |
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I've never written a Comedy Newsletter before, so this is actually my first question to all of you fine folks! 
My question for you this time: What are your personal experiences with this brand of comedy? Is it something that interests you?
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