Funny Ha Ha, Or Funny Genre?

I keep coming back to a central question, when thinking about writing comedy. I’m no expert. I’m not a big planner, and I don’t always color inside the lines. As a result, I enjoy writing through several different genres, incorporating aspects of each as I go.

So, the central question for me is this: just how much comedy should we inject into other genres? Some people may even ask why we should use comedy at all in a serious piece. (These people, of course, have no sense of humor, but the question is valid.)

I like to picture stories as movies, which isn’t much of a stone’s throw, I admit. Writers are essential to both, of course. Both require we employ similar sensory organs – eyeballs, you gutter rats -- to enjoy the experience. Both have a rhythm, an ebb and flow. Without this rhythm, the low-intensity versus high-intensity moments, the story would feel flat. We need the valleys to appreciate the mountains. Sure, we can enjoy the full-blast octane-rich action and gore that is “300”, but on how many levels do we experience the story? Right. One. (Unless you count that love scene. Hubba Hubba.)

“Silence of the Lambs”, a story few could argue as comedy, certainly has its comedic moments, and as a result delivers a richer experience. Take the following exchange:

Clarice Starling: "If you didn't kill him, then who did, sir?"
Hannibal Lecter: "Who can say. Best thing for him, really. His therapy was going nowhere."
(Courtesy of http://www.IMDB.com)

Lecter’s line is funny. Lecter’s line is even funnier if you know he’s a psychiatrist. He is, of course, a sociopathic cannibal psychiatrist, but even so. He is the consummate professional.

Humor also adds dimension to characters, brings them closer to resembling people we know, or would like to. We’re complicated, us humans, and sometimes smell not so great. We don’t always have the ‘appropriate’ reaction when dealing with a serious situation. The break in tension, the moment of surprise, that engaging new layer to our favorite character -- these are the benefits of adding comedy to your mystery, drama, and horror fiction. Science fiction, of course, is hopeless.

The next question, then, is how to decide when and how much to incorporate into the mix. There is no formula, unfortunately -- although Acme may be able to figure one out, with her big brain – but we can use our judgment as observers of real-life interactions and as arbiters of good taste to guide us. And to be totally honest, good taste is optional.

So, first rule: use your observational skills as writers to create comedy true to the tone of your story. Grit, slapstick, sap, lunacy: these and many more are all viable options, depending on what mood you’re trying to evoke through your characters. Don’t allow your inner editor to speak up. Throw it down, worry about success and propriety later. (Just don’t show it to your Mom, unless she’s especially relaxed and groovy.)

Second rule: do more following of rule #1.

Third rule: do some editing. (Clearly, I don’t follow this one much, myself.)

Allrighty, then. My work here is done. Thanks for reading and, please, send me your stories! I’d love to read them, cannibals or no. Actually, do throw a cannibal in there for me, won’t you?