Writing Humor - One Layer at a Time (a.k.a. eat your broccoli)

The process of writing something funny happens differently for every creator. Here's how it goes for me:

I get an idea. There are funny bits or at least one weird slant or detail that propels me. I decide to write a story/book/post.

The idea flutters about in my mind. Perhaps a few more funny bits emerge. I should've started writing some of this down but I don't.

I resist the drafting stage. Why? 

The rough drafts that flow from my head through my fingers and onto the screen are not funny. 

They form the foundation of the humorous thing to come, but do not look or read like the idea in my mind. I liken it to having to eat my broccoli before I can have dessert.  Rough drafts are like steamed broccoli.

The idea swirls through my head at 4 a.m. in the morning. More funny bits emerge although I've forgotten some of the funny bits I'd previously thought of. Nothing is written at this point. 

I add an appointment in my calendar to begin writing the first broccoli because relying on my "love of writing" is not working. 

It's the day and time to write the broccoli draft. I make a pot of milk oolong tea and settle into my ergonomic desk chair.

I review my Todoist to-do list and see that I haven't written a blog post for a while. I open Blogger and begin writing about writing. I assure myself this is a warm up exercise for the drafting work to be done.

I post on my blog and then share the post on Facebook. I look around for another thing to do.

Argh! 

OK, I say to myself, I'll start drafting this story. 

Once I get the boring broccoli out of my head, I begin layering funny bits and weird details. Some are the same as those I've envisioned for days/weeks, but most are different because I failed to write the initial funny bits down.

Note to self: figure out how to write more funny bits down when they occur to me.

And that's how I write humor. One layer at a time and after dozens of self-imposed delay tactics designed to avoid the broccoli.

New Book Launch! Far From Ordinary

I’m delighted to announce that Far From Ordinary: Predicaments, Misadventures, and Illuminations is now available from Amazon in print and e-book formats. Find it at Amazon here. I hope you'll pick up a copy and that you enjoy it. 

Here’s a brief description:

 

Far From Ordinary: Predicaments, Misadventures, and Illuminations is my quirky collection of essays, poems, and short stories about unpredictable adventures and misadventures. Readers of my work will recognize my passion for juxtaposing well-researched, fascinating facts and eccentric tales about awkward experiences that went seriously sideways. 

 

Adventures provide the fuel for a fulfilling life while misadventures are life's tax for playing full out. To embrace one, we must wrestle the other. Like relishing breathtaking landscapes while on a 9,400-mile solo motorcycle trip around the country and then driving at 70 mph into a screaming, horny, miles-long swarm of fat cicadas on a Chicago highway. 

 

That really happened! Imagine cicada DNA on every surface and in all orifices. 

 

Far From Ordinary is a unique book and I’m super proud of it. If you walk into a bookshop, you’ll find essay collections, poetry chapbooks, and short story collections in separate sections of the store. I know this and have blissfully ignored conventions to offer what I believe is a refreshing and entertaining reading experience. 

I know what you're thinking, dear readers. Ignoring dumb rules is par for my bratty course. Thanks for supporting my work! I hope you enjoy Far From Ordinary. 

How to Write Humor: Learning from Funny Novelists Hiaasen, Evanovich, Moore, Leonard

I will be teaching a two hour workshop on writing humor in May. It will be delivered in person in ABQ and also online - more details coming in case you'd like to register. During the workshop, I'll lead a discussion about the comedic "secret sauces" that four of my favorite writers use to write clever and unique humorous novels. As you might imagine, their approaches and results are different. And ingenious! That's four secret sauces, and I can't wait to delve into them further.

To prepare, I'll need to re-read books by each author and then select the emblematic and secret-sauce-worthy passages I will share during the workshop. 

Poor, poor, me. :-)

What is Autofiction?

I've been seeing more classes and articles pop up that mention autofiction. It's a relatively new term that describes a very old writing practice. Short for autobiographical fiction, autofiction blends fictional and autobiographical story elements.

You might ask: Isn't most fiction a wee bit autobiographical? And isn't it common that nonfiction is sometimes embellished or dramatized?

Yes and yes. But autofiction is a wee bit more specific than this.

According to Brooke Warner in this Publisher's Weekly article, autofiction is not a genre or subgenre. It describes stories that are fueled by the truth. 

Masterclass.com describes autofiction this way, "Autofiction, short for autobiographical fiction, is a genre of literature that combines elements of autobiography and fiction."

I'm quite keen on this quote from storaenso.com: "As well as autofiction being an intriguing concept for the reader – “When you see that this is a novel but that the protagonist's name is the same as the author, you understand that something a little different is happening here,” says Koivisto – it can give authors something special, too."

And this post by Adele Annesi on the Jane Friedman blog is very good. "The writer then melds these realities with fictional plot elements, characters and events in a way that often reads like memoir or autobiography."

This notion that the author is a fictional or quasi-fictional protagonist is quite appealing to me.

I've written several autofiction pieces...well...depending on the definition. But one thing is for sure, it can be fun and freeing to include fictional elements in our autobiographical works. What's important, of course, is that we clarify whether it's truth, autofiction, or fiction. This is something I've done in my upcoming collection, Far From Ordinary. Each piece is labeled so there's no trickery. 

I'm thinking about making my next novel autofiction. Would be a blast to try! Will keep you updated. 

And if you're interested in reading some autofiction - other than mine - the storaenso.com piece linked above has a good list of autofiction novels. Also, a search on Amazon yields and interesting and eclectic list.

For writers: If you're a Lexington, KY based writer, the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning is offering a class on autofiction. And there are others online for those of us who live elsewhere.

Bitter Choices for Better Plots

I love this post called Add a Luke Skywalker Moment: Give Your Main Character a Bitter Choice by Janet Fox on the Jane Friedman blog. In it, Janet shares a learning experience she had that helped her improve her novel by amping up the decisions her protagonist. 

If you're a writer, please head over and read the entire post. I love this quote from it: 

"A bitter choice creates a balance edge, tipping the character and audience one way or the other."

Adding more nuance to the defining moments in our story can make it a more satisfying read.  Here's my interpretation of what a bitter decision is:

• There are two or more choices. 
• All choices have significant downsizes.  
• The bitter decision challenges the character and reveals their major flaw. 

As I think about the novels I've written and am considering, there are usually five or six key decisions my protagonist needs to wrestle. Not all can be bitter choices, but it's helpful to ensure all of these plot points are satisfying and complex.

Do they run the background check on their new love because there's something not quite right about their story?

Do they set up a sting that no one else knows about and risk failing with no help in sight if it goes sideways?

Do they gamble on their partner's life to safe another?

And I will challenge myself that if I don't have half a dozen questions like this my plot might not be there yet.

Our History Informs Our Nature - Writing Multidimensional Characters

I love this blog post by Linda Rodriguez over at the Writers Who Kill blog about the importance of tapping into our history as writers and, I've interpreted, telling the readers about our characters' histories and the culture(s) within which the story exists. Here's the money quote from Linda's post:

"Everyone comes from somewhere. Perhaps from an urban slum, perhaps from a pristine upscale suburb, perhaps from an up-and-down series of foster homes, perhaps from great wealth or poverty or anything in between. Everyone comes from some place, some culture, some family. Somewhere where people talk and think a certain way and hold certain expectations. Too many otherwise good manuscripts, however, exist in limbo, in a cultural vacuum."

I could not agree more and it's worth reading the entire post here.

If I'm honest, this is a weakness for me. Perhaps because I don't have a strong grasp of my own history and culture. I was born in Canada and that's where my extended family still lives. But I moved with my parents and siblings to Florida when I was five years old. I've not met most of my cousins and I don't remember much about those who I did know. I don't feel connected to my hometown. Sure, even that history informs my writing, and I certainly could have done more to learn about and get connected to my roots.

But this is not an excuse, and I'll work on tapping into where I come from and adding the depth of character and culture good stories need in my next project. 

Everyday Potential Material for the Next Murder Mystery

One of the cool things about being a murder mystery writer is that I can contemplate people's demise without getting arrested or being outcast. In fact, many of my pals are delighted with how quickly the plot can come together once we banter about for a few minutes. 

Case in point. Last night I was at a small dinner gathering in my neighborhood. The topic turned to the banging noises one neighbor heard in the middle of the night. Other neighbors have posted in our FB Group about similar 2 a.m. noises over the last several months. 

Theories expressed ranged from noises ricocheting off the petroglyph escarpment that encircles the community, to teenagers (it's a 55+ community), to wildlife activity, to bad actors of some kind.

I think one of our neighbors is to blame. Someone who doesn't sleep well and has a seriously rambunctious side. They're messing with us because they find it fun. 

Well... It doesn't take a lot of imagination to see how this is a perfect set up for a murder mystery. Naughty neighbor, I'll call them Stacy, pulls one too many pranks and pays the ultimate price. Their body is found draped over the trash can by the mail boxes along Crater Lane, also known as Rattlesnake Alley due to its proximity to the natural areas and rattlesnake dens.

It's a closed set - like many of Agatha Christie's mysteries - because the community is gated and the murder happens during the holidays when most are not home. Conclusion: one of the neighbors killed Stacy. Who did it?

Conversations like this happen every week. Most of them occur between me and myself, but it is not uncommon that someone will complain about some weird situation or person in a way that kicks off a fictional murder scenario.

When I decided to write murder mysteries I had no idea how it would change my everyday processing of information. I imagine this is true for most mystery writers and is perhaps one reason they can write one or two books each year. The possibilities are endless! We need to ensure our murderous thoughts remain literary and fictional, goes without saying. But aside from this caution, I like imagining my neighbors' untimely endings. 

Did I just write that? Oh golly, now I'm envisioning the bad outcome for the local writer who couldn't stop killing off her neighbors in her stories. I better go walk the dog and clear my head...

My Writing Zone #1

Hat tip to author Julia Cameron for distinguishing that we should have several writing zones that we use for different types of writing or situations. In our wee fake adobe home in Albuquerque, my writing zone #1 is my She-Den. I've got a comfy sit/stand desk and ergonomic chair and I've surrounded myself with color. Here are a few pictures. Many of you would find this vivid a room unsettling, but it's perfect for me. It's relaxing, in fact. It's a tiny room, just 9X10, and does not have a closet. So I've configured it to maximize use of space.

My favorite part of the design is my eclectic art collection. A few pieces are fine art created by talented, professional artists like Natasha Isenhour. Other pieces are second-hand art market finds or - gasp - my own attempts. I love them all and how they play together.

Hello! Thanks for your interest in my writing!

I created this combination blog and website to make my life easier so I can focus on adventuring, writing, and wellness. 

Mission: To catalyze adventure through writing.

I write fiction and nonfiction books, articles, short stories, poems, and other posts. The core messages of each work is different, obviously, but I create them from the same starting belief.

I want my work to be catalytic and to reverberate.

Sparking curiosity.

Increasing engagement.

Provoking new thoughts or questions.

Perhaps even blowing my mind. Or yours!

I might not always succeed, but I endeavor to write through the filter of this belief everyday.