Humor

[jans_intentions]

I like to read humor in stories. Like an unexpected crash of percussion, suddenly you are laughing.

So how do you create it?

You know, I think it's a mystery to me. I asked someone not so long ago if she'd do a piece here on how she writes her superlative action scenes. She said that she could not, since she's not sure how she does it. They just

Comments

[galedreamer]

lady_jane really gives good satire! I do think it's all in the voices: tone, inflection, vocabulary - characterization being key. Subtlety is also nice.

In the qaf fandom, myrna1_2_3's stories, while dramatic as opposed to satirical, infused such amazing humor I can still laugh out loud reading them. I doubt there's a qaf fanfic reader who hasn't read her work, but if somehow someone stumbles upon this comment and hasn't, her stories are best found here: http://www.queereyes.net/b_j_fanfic.html#m. The link brings you to a bunch of stories written by authors with a last name starting with "M." Just scroll down for Myrna. If You Needed Me is her tour de force (in four parts).

Similarly, I always remember a snippet from mmmorpheusq' Nightmare on Elm Street, Chapter 5 of her 2003 series Fast Forward http://morpheusqaf.com/NightmareOnElmStreet.html. It was written after S2, during "the hiatus from hell" before S3. While I totally enjoyed the whole series, the final 2 POVS of that particular chapter, one by Justin, the final by Brian, still kill me. I guess for me, irony is an essential component of great humor.

[jans_intentions]

Thanks, GD. They are both great recs. I think understanding of character and then an ability to see irony or appreciate humor in some writers leads to some superlative writing.