Make 'Em Laugh!

 Last weekend, I gave a workshop on integrating humor into your writing at the Southern Breeze/SCBWI fall conference.

I opened my talk by reading funny lines from bestselling books. “Can you identify where they came from?” I asked. The lines that stumped the most people included:

“I have been dropped like a hot Pop-Tart on a cold kitchen floor."

“Student divided by confusion equals algebra."

            Nobody guessed that these amusing observations came from one of the darkest and most painful YA books in recent history:  SPEAK, by Laurie Halse Anderson.

             My point was, that even in the most serious books, humor both relieves tension and makes you feel closer to the character. I suggested they start “listening” for the humor in everything they read, including the darkest books.

             I also pointed out that humor doesn’t necessarily require a funny line—it could be a funny premise.  We brainstormed premises that lent themselves to humor in either main characters or sidekicks, such as:

(Example)“Mom doesn’t understand daughter…finds herself stuck in daughter’s body.”

“A teen obsessed with getting her first kiss...(gets braces for the first time?

Has her jaw wired shut?).

“A kid who is afraid of heights…(has a pilot for a parent? 

Has a girlfriend who likes to hang-glide?)"

As with most things, you have to be prepared to “throw out” the first several ideas since those are usually the most obvious ones. You really want to dig deeper to surprise your reader.

I also talked about all the different ways you could play with words to create humor, including using sound-alike words, idioms, and puns. Word play may seem “old and tired” to us, but they’re often new and fresh to younger readers.

“And remember,” I told the group. “Even as people groan at your puns, watch their faces. Despite themselves, they are smiling. They can’t help it!”

The workshop went by quickly, so I didn’t get a chance to read from one of my favorite books—David Lubar’s young mid-grade novel, PUN-ISHED, about a boisterous boy in a library who is put under a spell that forces him to talk in puns, driving everyone around him crazy. I dare anyone to get through this book without smiling and chuckling—or even whistling at Lubar’s impressive mastery of language.

Finally, I reminded everybody that humor can be risky—not everyone will “like it” or “get it.” I found, for example, that some “old guard” reviewers are occasionally discomfited by my approach in CLEOPATRA RULES! and ALEXANDER THE GREAT ROCKS THE WORLD—primarily because they’re not used to seeing  “funny or fun” writing combined with “classical history” (a reminder that an unexpected pairing can—in and of itself—be amusing).

Nevertheless, feedback from teachers and kids has been overwhelmingly positive.  So, it’s been well worth the risk since it is connecting well with my intended audience.  Plus, I just found out CLEOPATRA RULES! is going into its second printing—yay!

I’m hoping to do this workshop at other SCBWI conferences, so feel free to pass on this post to RAs in your region.

And, in honor of Lubar’s last pun in PUNISHED—tell them that my workshop is perfect for those of us who have never groan up!

Would you like a copy of the handout listing the types of word plays

we discussed in my workshop? Leave a comment WITH YOUR EMAIL
ADDRESS (sorry to yell, but I'm feeling bad about the folks that have
made the requests that I can't fulfill!) or better yet, email me at valvear@comcast.net.

and I’ll send it out to you as an attachment!