Thoughts on humor in writing.

Writing humor into a manuscript is an art. I continually read humorous pieces with an eye to “how I can transmit the concept into my own writing style.”

One thing I’ve come to terms with is, some people have a knack and others really have to work at it. Second, slapstick comes across too contrived for me to enjoy, unless the whole piece is comical on a Three Stooges level. Case in point: Janet Evanovich.

I know she has a great following and comes highly recommended by many of my friends. I do a testing process. When my family travels across the country (when I have a captive audience that can’t escape), I read to the masses. Then I ask questions about what they liked or didn’t.

Considering my husband is older than me, and I have children (male and female) of different ages, all with different reading tastes, I think we are a good cross-section to poll.

While Janet’s Stephanie Plum character was fun to read, we voted the plotting unbelievable hands down. A girl, now bounty hunter, who actually gets all her info from a real man bounty hunter and a detective, goes in and breaks the law by breaking and entering, etc. That annoyed me as a woman, even though I liked the character’s personality.

I know this is arrogant to walk through a national best seller and state that I see holes in plausibility. Fiction IS fiction and anything a writer wants to do can be done. Right?

Stephanie’s grandmother is a comic relief character. In one book, she leans over a corpse on display at a neighborhood funeral home, and breaks a finger off. Supposed to be funny that she continually does stuff like this. First, ya can’t just break a finger off a dead body that easy. Second, that is offensive to me that she’s done that to someone’s loved one. Sorry, I can’t suspend my disbelief enough. If that’s national best selling material, I may never get to that list.

On the other hand, I love Erma Bombeck’s writings. They are based on normal life, and twisting truths to a wry perspective. Put that in your story any day and I’ll read everything you put on paper.

I am open to conversation on this subject. Tell me what you love about humor in writing, especially if you’re an Evanovich fan. Explain to me the appeal you find in her stories. And, understand, I’m not saying we didn’t enjoy her tales. We simply picked them apart afterward. In retrospection, they didn’t work for us.

What works for you?

Tie things up!

We’ve all heard of loose ends. TIE THINGS UP!

Nothing is more annoying than getting to the end of the book, finding no more pages, and still wondering, “What the heck happened to this other plot line?” (Unless, of course, there is a promise of a sequel.)

In a short story, it is a nice touch to tie the ending to the opening hook. I mean, if the heroine is lonely at the beginning scene, it’s great to have her in the arms of a lover at the end. That’s a no brainer. Right?

The same thing is true in a mystery. If someone is mysteriously killed at the beginning, that murderer better be revealed by the final page of your story.

I, personally, like multi-plotted tales. I love trying to keep up with ten things at once, and bringing them all together at the end, where it comes to a real climax. There should be clues along the way to let us know why these people or their storylines have something to do with the rest of what’s going on. Sometimes, when I write, I have to go back after the story is all done and put in better clues.

Think of your story as a tapestry. I know this is a lame and overused cliche of a metaphor. Sorry. (Do I need to say, don’t use cliche’s?) Back to the tapestry concept…each plot is woven with many threads, some threads are people, others are details, or actions, and more are emotions. If we don’t care about what’s going on, tell me what’s the point…? That’s why getting into a point of view is important.

In tapestry making, the weaver sometimes has to tie threads off. In a mystery, those are red herrings that don’t go anywhere but seem promising at first glance.

The thing is…if you create a dead end, let us know by the end of the story that it is dead. If you leave it open, you darn well better be writing a sequel that gives us closure!

This is me…

Jennifer DiCamillo   

Welcome to Writer’s Help, a blog by award-winning writer Jennifer DiCamillo FOR ASPIRING WRITERS

I want to help you be successful with your writing. If you have questions about writing processes, or publishing industry issues, please ask. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll ask around.

The publishing industry is filled with a ton of good info, excellent opportunities and bad advice. I, unfortunately, have learned everything the hard way.

The few honest mentors I have had will always receive my respect and this list will grow as time goes on, I’m sure. Let me say this, if you ever have an opportunity to meet any of these people, soak up what they offer you.

Stefanie Kelsey (editor/publisher Mojocastle Press)

Dusty Richards (western writer)

Cait Logan (romance writer)

Regina Cook Williams (Owner/editor Storyteller Magazine)

Susan Kirkpatrick (Owner/editor Ozarks Magazine)