There is an interesting trend in writing today. I've noticed it in the contests we host here, in the practices, in many of the books I read, and even, if I'm honest, in my own writing.
Our stories are all very serious and dark.
If you take a look at the last four stories that won our writing contest, you'll notice all but one of them deal with painful, even horrific subjects: dissatisfaction in marriage, aging and illness in parents, abusive spouses, and a murder / suicide.
Do we think that dark, serious stories are better, more “literary,” than funny, romantic stories? Do we think sadness is a sign of mature writing, whereas comedy is for teenagers and the undereducated?
If so, then we have a problem. While I often write sad, dark, complicated stories myself, when I want to watch a movie, I reach for the romantic comedy instead of the dark, complicated film that won Sundance. Those dark stories may win awards, but they certainly don't sell.
Stormy weather. Get it? Photo by JD Hancock.
Do You Have to Choose Between Literary and Humor?
It seems that many have this idea that literary writing is dark and complicated and only crass, pop fiction can be funny, and I actually agree to some extent. However, some of the best writers throughout history have found that they can be both funny and serious.
For example, here are three writers in the literary cannon who were really really funny:
1. Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
Chaucer lived in the 14th century and was the first writer to put the English language on the literary map. We take it for granted that English is the lingua franca of the day, but in Chaucer's era, it was the pond scum of the languages, and nobody important was writing in it.
I read Canterbury Tales in high school, and while I didn't understand half of it, I'll never forget “The Miller's Tale,” a bawdy story about a woman who gets three men to fall in love with her (one of them is her husband). The highlight is when she gets one of them to kiss her… well, it's funny.
2. Miguel Cervantes' Don Quixote
In 2002, 100 authors from fifty-four countries convened to call Cervantes' epic novel the best book of all time. And yet, Cervantes' book is really just a parody, like one of those films with Leslie Nielsen (Naked Gun) or Mike Meyers (Austin Powers) or Mel Brooks (Blazing Saddles) that satirize all the other movies that take themselves more seriously. Cervantes was basically the Weird Al Yankovic of his time, and yet, he's gone down in history as one of the greatest authors who ever lived.
3. Shakespeare
While Emily Drevets rightly pointed out the other day that Shakespeare is boring and hard to understand, in his day, he was hilarious. We mostly think of him as stodgy and serious, but he employed every type of humor you can imagine including sexual innuendo, slapstick, puns, sarcasm, practical jokes, and clever banter.
I didn't name a particular play because Shakespeare finds a way to be funny in almost all of his plays, whether they're tragedies or comedies.
Write Really Good, Really Funny Stories
I've named three authors who are among the most well-respected authors of all time, and all of them made their audiences laugh with some of the lowest humor available. If that's not enough to convince you to try your hand at humor writing, consider the following
To go back to my point above, not many are doing this kind of writing. There is an opportunity to seize, and I'm going to make a somewhat ambitious claim:
The author who can write books that are both funny and “literary” will, in this market, be a bestseller.
I could be wrong, but history argues that smart, funny writing will always be in fashion.
Back to Humor Writing 101.
PRACTICE
In honor of Don Quixote, let's try our hand at parody today. Write a short story involving one of Western literature's most enduring symbol, Moby Dick, Captain Ahab's white whale.
To parody it, turn it upside down from how it appears in Moby Dick: formidable, uncatchable, and a killer. make it look ridiculous or cute. Give it a cold. Do something to turn the table on the classic.
Write for fifteen minutes. When you're finished, post your practice in the comments section.
And if you post, make sure to help a few other Practitioners out by giving them feedback.
The interesting thing about these three examples is that none of them were considered “literary” in their day. I think literature that lasts is literature that has something important, even subversive, to say about the powers of its time and about human nature at all times–and parody, satire, humor is often the best way to do that.
Another example of this is Jonathan Swift. He, Alexander Pope and others in their group were on a literary quest, but it was a deliberately satirical and political one. Swift published pamphlets for popular distribution, not the ivory tower.
Interesting point, Rachelle. Although, while Shakespeare wasn’t literature (did they have literature back then?) he and his company were sponsored by the King. If Barack Obama put his stamp of approval on my book, I think it would go a long way toward getting it into the canon. 🙂
It drives me bonkers up the wall when ‘funny’ is lumped in with irresponsible/flippant/uncultured/etc. It takes as much (if not more!) understanding of a situation to write something funny about it as it does to write something ‘serious.’ It’s a fascinating commentary on our tendency to dwell on the negative, that we don’t value humour or happiness in the same way as hardship, suffering, pain. I guess what I’m trying to say is I’m all for a humour revolution, whether literary or otherwise. TAKE OUR FUNNY SERIOUSLY. Ummm.
Yeah I know what you mean Ainslie. I find I have more admiration for a writer who can inject some funny. It inspires a genuine awe….
Great post, Joe. And I was so glad when I saw Cervantes on that list! I was hoping you’d mention him. I’ve been in a Don Quijote (Quixote, for the Americans 🙂 class since January and am continually astounded at Cervantes ability to be, well, simply hilarious. Quijote transcends simple humor into the realm of brilliant satire. I’ll respect any author who can write 1500+ pages satirizing an entire genre of literature. And Quijote is so well-written, too.
Mark, I do remember laughing a lot when I read this book…which tends to make one overlook whether it was well-written or not. You’re enjoying the ride too much!
I’d love to hear about that class when you get back, Mark. 🙂
Definitely!!
We writers, we need to eat too, so my bleary editing the last bit of the novel eyes really brightened up I read ” The author who can write books that are both funny and “literary” will, in this market, be a bestseller.” Looks like we’re in for a major re-write ;((((
Seriously though, that’s a good thought. I need to consider it for my next project.
Good going Joe!
Oddznns, I am with you on that one. I know I ‘tried’ to make my characters say things that seemed funny to me at the time…but still within the framework of the story which is … yeah, dark!
Thanks, Audrey. It might have been too ambitious of a claim, but I do think humor is a good way to show the reader your on their side. A friend commented on this post on facebook and said, “I wonder if “dark” stories are written to satisfy a need of the author while funny is written for others?”
I think I was trying to say that on some level in this post, but he said it much better.
I very much agree with this post. You don’t have to be dark or moody to be a best seller. Take Christopher Moore for example (I don’t know about you but I love his books).
I love Christopher more. I haven’t thought about him, “Fluke”, “Lamb”, etc. He is a very odd but very funny writer.
I love Lamb. Haven’t read Fluke yet and now I’ll hunt for it.
I love how he casually just throws funny your way and never stops til the last page.
Moby Dick grabbed one the spears that came flying uselessly towards him. The spear would make a good toothpick. This had to work. He’d been trying to get a black cotton sailor pant leg from between his teeth for the past two hours. He wasn’t sure how the sailor pant came off the leg he swallowed, but it found its way into the gap between his teeth where just about everything he ate got caught.
He tried sucking in huge amounts of water, swishing it around vigorously between his teeth. But when he spewed it out, the pant leg was still there. He tried flossing with seaweed, but it kept breaking up. He tried grabbing it with his tongue doing that sucking in and dragging up motion that usually got giant octopus tentacles out, but the pant leg was not budging. In fact, it wadded up into a tight ball.
So the spear was Moby Dick’s last chance. The gum was getting more irritated by the moment, and on top of that he couldn’t stop burping up the flavor of captain’s leg. He finagled the spear delicately between his teeth and felt the first signs of the wadded pant leg moving. Just a few more twists, another jab, and he’d be home free. And then it happened, on the final push the spear tip broke off, and, for a second, clung in the gap before floating away.
In his frustration Moby Dick breached, leaping high into the air and slamming down into the waves. That did the trick. He felt the wad loosen and he hurried to spit it out. Next time, he thought, only go after pantless sailors.
Poor Mobie Dick, nothing is worse than something caught in your tooth. That could be a child’s story. I can see the illustrations now.
hahah… it did get funny! I like.
Is “finagled” really a word? 🙂
Sorry Joe, I don’t have time left to write about Moby.
However I just wanted to jot a quick note to you about this post. One of my writing tutors, Kate de Goldi, said to me once, ‘try writing the word LIGHT-HEARTED on a card and pasting it above your computer’. Obviously I needed help with this very thing!! Eeks. In fact I kept her words in mind when penning my epic trilogy The Grandfather Diaries. Although overall it has a lot of dark I did my utmost to inject lighter moments but hey, it’s only me, how do I know whether the funny worked or not?
In fact I only just noticed that the book 14 prompts had a ‘free manuscript appraisal’ offer with it. Does that still exist? I failed to download the book when I first subscribed so I’m trying it again today.
I love that your teacher told you to do that. Incredible.
And I don’t have a problem with dark. If you don’t have dark how can you know what light is. Contrast is the most interesting thing in all of art. But, of course, if you don’t have light, how can you know what dark is 🙂
Unfortunately, the manuscript appraisal was a contest for when we first launched the book. But let me know if you’d like us to do a critique for you. We’d be happy to help 🙂
To put in a good word for keeping diaries…one writing tutor I worked with here, Joy Cowley, said that ordinarily people’s first books were all trauma, unless they’d kept a diary. Because if they hadn’t expelled their negative experiences in life via the written word before, then it naturally would come out in their first manuscripts.
Joe, that’s wonderful that you offer manuscript critiques. Thank you for that offer. Unfortunately I just don’t have the funds for that right now.
I’m head down at the mo over the second book in my trilogy and believe me I’m putting to good use the many things I have learnt through your blog. It’s actually transformed the way I write! You and PJ will be right up there in the credits I’m sure once my brilliant career is up and rolling 🙂
I love that, Yvette. I might steel that quote from Ms. Crowley. 🙂
Wow, what praise! I’d be honored to be in the credits, and I’m so glad it’s helping. Thanks for telling me Yvette!
No worries Joe. And just so you get the source right, it’s Mrs. and Cowley without the ‘r’. She’s the second to top children’s writer in New Zealand and famous here.
Wow exciting. Thanks for the correction, Yvette.