 Drama: September 28, 2016 Issue [#7887] |
  Drama
This week: Using Comedy Elements in Drama Edited by: NaNoKit  
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Mixing comedy and drama may seem like an odd idea, but it isn't. Using comedy elements in your drama stories can offer relief and heighten the impact of emotional scenes.
This week's Drama Newsletter, then, is all about the laughter and the tears.
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The tears of the clown are a well-known theme in novels. Whilst clowns are meant to make people laugh (and terrify them, in some cases), deep down, the clown can be a truly tragic figure.
Laughter and drama may be a strange combination, but if done well, it works. It can be highly effective. A smile brought to your lips right in the middle of tears can heighten the emotions experienced. A chuckle during a tense time can bring relief, and assist the reader or viewer through the tension.
Laughter adds an extra dimension to the humanity of your characters. It helps the reader connect with them. Most people love to laugh, seek to laugh, especially when times are bad, because it’s healing.
The use of comedy in fiction can be on the heavy side in novels such as the Shopoholic series by Sophie Kinsella. Her main character, Rebecca, has some serious problems and a rather messy life. Rather than weigh the reader down with her struggles, Kinsella treats Rebecca’s flaws with a good dose of humour, and it’s so sympathetically done that you cannot help but feel for her and want her to succeed in life.
Sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels used to be rich in comedy, but in his later work the balance between drama and comedy shifted further and further towards the drama. There are still plenty of smiles to be had, however, which is a good thing because those books deal with serious subjects such as racism, persecution, war, death, loss, grief... themes that would normally be very difficult to read about.
A very light touch of humour can be found even in hard-hitting novels like the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin. Anyone who has read that series will know that the moments of comedy are very necessary in there, whether it be in the form of Tyrion’s quips or the Queen of Thorns. Is it any wonder that those characters are popular?
If you are writing a drama novel or story it might, then, be an idea to add a touch of comedy to it. How much of it you should use, and what form these comedy elements should take, is down to you and down to the piece you are writing. If it is a short story and you want for it to have a hard-hitting emotional impact, it might well be that it’s best to go for straightforward drama. If it’s a longer piece that offers more room for character development, some lighter notes should not be too difficult to insert.
Dialogue is always a good place to add a humourous note. Just the way something is phrased can be endearing and make the reader smile, even laugh. You could also go down the Pratchett route inserting clever, subtle humour in the way you construct your sentences. Of course, you run the risk there that not everyone will pick up on the subtleties, but those who do, and who enjoy such techniques, will appreciate it, and you.
As with any writing, blending comedy and drama is a fine balancing act. You will need to ensure that you are achieving what you want to achieve, create the impact that you want to create, stir the right emotions. This will mean some experimenting, but that’s half the fun, isn’t it?
Even if you don’t hit the right note straight away, enjoy yourself. Writing shouldn’t be all serious and dramatic. If it doesn’t make you smile once in a while... well, that’s not good, and may mean it’s time to try something new.
NaNoKit
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Wishing you a week filled with inspiration,
The Drama Newsletter Team
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