Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Comedy in our writing, what is the perfect amount?

I've noticed something in the current fiction book I am reading, there is a threshold for comedy.
Who knew, right? This author is brilliantly funny . . . which I love, but because there is so much of it, the jokes have less punch than they would if there was more space in between punch lines. The zingers are getting lost among joke after joke after joke after joke. Each one of these jokes, independently, would have me on the floor in hoots laughing, nearly peeing my pants. But the sheer volume has made me numb to them. Shoot!

How can this be? I love to laugh when I'm reading. I had no idea you could have too many snappy lines. Dang!

So, how much is too much? How much comedy is just right? What amount for each story is at that perfect equilibrium, that perfect harmony that makes each zinger have zam!

Good question. Hmm, how about trust the handy tips of reading your work out loud and asking your trusted writing partners for a read-through. There is also the completely tangible you'll just know.

Whatever you decide, good luck!

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