SlapStik Comedy Written by: Astrid Coste
Pencils at the ready!
Okay, I may not be a stand-up comedian, or an author, or a screenwriter, but that is beside the point. I’m an avid reader. I’m bored in class? Book. With my parents? Book. On a date? Hasn’t happened yet but most likely it will include a book. My point is that being a reader has given me exposure to different styles of writing, including the use of humor, within plot structures and character development. Humor is an effective way an author can break the tension in a dramatic scene or fill it with laughter over an embarrassing situation. When an author does it right, readers will laugh out loud. So, if you see me laughing in public, I promise I’m not crazy.
Like in stand-up comedy, there are good jokes and there are bad jokes. How you determine their effectiveness is based on your own personal sense of humor; however, we can all agree that jokes generally have appropriate timing, structure and understanding of context to be a success. It’s the same when writing them in books.
The timing of a joke is everything. Good jokes set up expectations, and then they surprise you. If you can already guess what the punchline is going to be, the joke doesn’t work. You’re practically pointing a spotlight for the reader. OVER HERE! THIS IS THE JOKE! PLEASE LAUGH. It’s just not fun. A joke within a story is subtle in terms of placement. A well-timed joke can make even the most gut-wrenching scenes bearable for the reader.
Like an onion, jokes have layers. A knock-knock joke may work for a four-year-old but when reading a book, it just doesn’t hit the same. There needs to be structure. Whether you’re playing off of a reference, poking fun at a cliché or playing around with the rule of three’s, a well-written joke within a scene can make you laugh on multiple levels. Each time you read the line again, you find something new to laugh at. My onion joke? I can assure you that anyone who grew up watching a giant green ogre and a talking donkey lets out a small smile every time they see that metaphor.
When writing your book, make sure you have a clear understanding of the genre. This will allow you to play around with it. Genres have tropes, cliches, and common perceptions about their storylines and characters. In fantasy, it’s the names: Rothalin, Gwendsor, and a random Carl or Greg. In sci-fi, it’s the one person in the entire universe who can somehow save the entire universe. In horror, it’s everyone making the dumbest decisions possible at the worst time. “Just get in the damn car and run that bitch over!”
Sorry, got ahead of myself there. As I was saying, genres shouldn’t restrict you from using humor. A joke can elevate a scene or endear a character to the reader.
Speaking of characters, let’s discuss a more personalized form of humor: sarcasm. In literature, sarcasm works best when the reader assumes the point of view of the character. That way it’s much easier to understand their discontent and gain a better understanding of their personality. If sarcasm is being used to describe the environment, historical context, or other properties of the story, it could be confusing for the reader to perceive. We can’t read the character’s mind. We can assume but nothing conclusive. Think of the time you sent a sarcastic text to your partner. They got mad at you, didn’t they? That’s because sarcasm is hard to interpret if you can’t hear the tone of the words. Be mindful of sarcasm. Being sarcastic can be really funny (or really annoying) in real life but in writing, it becomes tricky to get right.
A hot debate occurring in the book world is the use of pop culture references. Yes, we book nerds have our community. We meet every Friday at the Barnes and Noble basement. Most of us will tell you that pop culture references are just plain cringe. It dates the book in the worst way possible and reminds people of their own reality. Readers often times read for an escape. We don’t want to be reminded that social media influencers and Ed Sheeran exist. Others will say that pop culture references are great. Dating the book to the present helps with relating to the characters better and understanding their cultural context because the reader is living in it with them. This is more based on your taste. If you would like Justin Timberlake to pop out of cake for birthday party, by all means write your heart out. Just be aware that pop culture references aren’t for everyone and may limit your audience.
My last piece of advice is humor works when it’s scarce. Not only does timing help a joke, but it’s also a delightful surprise to the reader when a joke presents itself at an opportune moment. If you want to write a whole comedy book, there has got to be an actual storyline that goes behind it. Something that creates tension and stakes for the characters to overcome. Think of the last comedy show you went to. It was probably 45 minutes. Now imagine dedicating five hours or more to listening to that same comedian. No breaks. No distractions. You’d probably rip your hair out. So would the comedian. That is how a reader would feel if you were constantly throwing jokes, with no substance, page after page after page. Be strategic with humor.
Humor can come in many different forms. When writing it in a book, remember that you have a plot and characters before the jokes. Make them impactful so the jokes can carry an even bigger punch for the reader. So, pencils down! No, wait, you have to write a book. Pencils up, again. Go ahead and write that book. Make sure to make us laugh along the way.
About The Author
