Writing humour even if you don't want to http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856 Etterbeek Whenever I try to write fiction, humour comes out. Even when I was kid and would try to write an adventure story it would end up being lighthearted and silly. Anyone else have this problem? This is my first NaNoWriMo and my strategy is to go with the flow, so if humour comes out then that's fine. But I'm secretly hoping that it all pours out of me so that I can eventually write something serious. Wed, 02 Nov 2011 09:41:09 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_383835 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_383835 ILoveMyNye Absolutely. Last year I wanted to write a gripping, bloody murder story. Instead, it degenerated into a farce. Like you, this has been a recurring pattern, even whilst writing school assignments. But you know what? It was hilarious, and my own words made me laugh as I was writing them. This year, I've completely given in; I can't help but write a sequel in the same style. I'd rather be unable to write straight fiction than unable to write comedy, to be honest. (Although my criteria for success is 1. Do I like it? 2. Am I constantly smiling as I write it? and not 1. Do other people like it? 2. Will it sell? so you may not want to listen to me.) Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:03:06 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_385073 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_385073 Mutive I have similar problems. I start with this dark, deep plot and before long everyone's off doing zany things. This doesn't always happen - some of my stuff stays serious. And a lot of what I write zig zags between silly and serious. But, yeah...I've written more than a few stories that were meant to be 100% serious just to watch them get goofy. But, you know, that's okay. I think people prefer them when they're silly, and I'm content with them being that way. Wed, 02 Nov 2011 20:43:09 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_400683 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_400683 Arden.Hallow I was going to write serious fiction this year. I was. Then at midnight I panicked and my dirty, dirty, sense of humor came out and now my story is apparently hilarious. Which, I suppose is good, because usually when I write it's so depressing. Still, I wanted Adrian (main character) to actually struggle with his powers... instead he is drawing bits of the male anatomy on the Mona Lisa. Thu, 03 Nov 2011 03:09:39 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_414488 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_414488 DTgringo I found that happening to me a lot as well. So, I just decided to embrace it. I like to find humor just about everywhere, so of course it must find its way into my stories. Thu, 03 Nov 2011 05:50:57 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_419097 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_419097 GrammarNazi Always happens to me. I have to consciously reign myself in to write serious fiction and that, obviously, takes longer and requires more concentration. So this year I said 'fuck it' and decided to write about a mad scientist. ;) Thu, 03 Nov 2011 17:40:15 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_431751 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_431751 scottish-shotgun-sweetie I wanted to write something normal for once but my brain obviously didn't listen as when I read it back I was surprised to find that I had blown up a science lab and wirtten every teacher as a raging drunk or a total perv. This was suposed to be my serious "what a world we live in!" story too! Damn... ;) Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:54:19 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_433745 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_433745 Todasmile For some reason, I'm having the opposite problem. I prepped myself by reading such gold as Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, and Jasper Fforde to get myself into the mindset. I had the concept in my head for over a week. You take a racist-towards-vampires man, and force them into being a dentist-for-vampires. And then I sit down and I start writing, and I cannot for the life of me get a quip or joke or anything humorous in there. It's reverse writinghumourevenifyoudon'twanttoitis Fri, 04 Nov 2011 06:13:51 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_453876 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_453876 Etterbeek That's seems like a good attitude to have about this. Thanks. Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:30:54 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_456228 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_456228 knaffhauser Interesting point... I had no intention of writing satire when I started this 3 days ago, but it just started rolling yesterday, and it made the writing itself so much more enjoyable ... Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:33:41 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_460444 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_460444 phobiandarkmoon Me too! Or more accurately about the sapient insect creations of a mad scientist! Sat, 05 Nov 2011 09:59:32 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_486887 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_486887 madmaiden I started to write horror this year. Ended up scrapping it for humour. Also all my stories seem to have some light element to them. Apparently that's just the fiction I'm drawn to. Sat, 05 Nov 2011 18:13:36 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_494880 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_494880 xxCoFxx A novel can be humorous with some seriousness mixed in! That's how mine is coming along. It's amusing because the two talking ferrets add a lot of comedic relief, but serious at the same time as my MMC is an alcoholic and currently going through a divorce. Sun, 06 Nov 2011 02:14:10 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_508298 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_508298 Etterbeek I like the zig zag concept. I've intentionally shifted my story back into serious mode and maybe it will shift out again later. I think if I do it right it could actually be enjoyable for the reader (which will just be me). Mon, 07 Nov 2011 08:55:04 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_545492 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_545492 Etterbeek Hey, maybe you've come up with a solution to my problem. Next time I'll try hard to write humour and something else will come out. Mon, 07 Nov 2011 08:59:28 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_545532 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_545532 H My story is a pretty serious story, which is why I populate it with random funny moments and WAY too many running gags, just to ruin the serious atmosphere. That's just the way I write: serious plot, ridiculous characters and lines. Sun, 13 Nov 2011 22:41:48 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_680089 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_680089 CarolynElliott I'm feeling it. I set out to write a serious work of visionary / metaphysical fiction ala The Alchemist or the Celestine Prophecy and now it feels like I'm writing a parody of paranormal romance. ;) Sigh. Tue, 15 Nov 2011 02:40:08 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_701128 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_701128 writergirl31 This happens to me all the time! My stories are very realistic, meaning the plot is often on the slightly darker, grittier side of things. Yet humor always sneaks in. I've learned to embrace it, though, and find a balance between seriousness and humor. It's what makes me different as a writer, and that's not a bad thing :) I can't force comedy, though. If I try to be funny, it never works, I just have to write what feels natural. Tue, 15 Nov 2011 08:53:57 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_705683 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_705683 stetigst God same here. Here's something that works for me: Most times I just go with the flow but when I really can't use the lighthearted and silly part of a scene I didn't want to be lighthearted and silly I set out to write the same scene multiple times. Sat, 19 Nov 2011 09:51:26 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_764119 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/satire-humor-parody/threads/19856?page=1#forum_thread_comment_764119