Jemini
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2019
- Messages
- 1,909
- Points
- 153
These are just some thoughts I have had about comedy in writing. I often notice that novels that have the "comedy" tag tend to really not do well, and I think a lot of this is because a lot of authors really don't understand what it takes for a work of writing to be funny.
Comedy is a rather deceptively complex subject. It is difficult to quantify or make rules for what makes people laugh. It is something that is simply understood by most people, even though only a few who have closely studied the subject actually understand the complex intellectual workings behind it.
There is one thing, however, that is very well understood about comedy. Timing is very important. The delivery very often needs to be presented with the words spaced at just the right speed and the tone exactly right in order for the joke to land. For this reason, comedy is actually very poorly suited for a written format, and things that would cause rolling-on-the-floor laughter in an audio-visual format will just fall flat when you see it in writing.
For this reason, almost all webnovels actually labeled with the "comedy" tag tend to actually do poorly as attempts a forcing in jokes fail more often than not. Meanwhile, it is often long-run action-adventure series that make people laugh the most. The reason for this is simple. There IS exactly 1 form of comedy that does as good if not better in the written format, and that is witty banter.
What is banter? Here's an example from a chapter of "He who Fights with Monsters" that I just read today. (I decided to use this as an example because it was one of the first ones I found where I think the jokes really might land even if you don't know the characters, and what running gags are referenced here can still be roughly understood even if you don't understand the call-back.)
Banter is simply the characters talking with one another in a light-hearted tone, and ribbing at each other with a slew of "in-jokes." Due to the fact that banter tends to be comprised almost entirely of "in-jokes," you need to have been following the characters for a long time in order to fully grasp most of the jokes. None of these jokes come completely out of left-field. They are just comedic re-framing of things that you already know about the characters being used in the context of the characters just talking to one another.
Banter often does tend to work best in action-themed stories as the team dynamics built up tend to be closer as everyone watches one another's backs, and it naturally makes sense that they would need to keep such a light-hearted tone on occasion in order to better deal with the otherwise serious stuff always happening around them. As such, it becomes a way to show that combat-comradere building up in your characters.
Another form of comedy that tends to work rather well in written form is quipping.
Spider Man is famous for quipping, and you can see examples of it in most of the Spider Man adaptations. Quipping is sort of like banter in monologue, and almost always of the "ribbing" or "mild insult" variety. It is often delivered by a protagonist toward the villains as a sort of mild insult by more free-spirited or comedically-themed characters.
Quipping and banter are 2 forms of comedy that tend to do very well in written format. Something that tends to really not do so well is physical comedy. That being, the loony-toons style of getting hit with hammers or falling flat on your face. Those do not translate well at all to written format, and instead just come across as painful. If it happens to a protagonist, they just feel sad. If it happens to a villain, they just feel like they are reading a combat scene. It does not come across as funny at all.
Bizaro comedy, such as the grand ultimate weapon that will save the universe turning out to be a toy squeaky hammer, also does not tend to do well in general. However, there are some especially skilled authors, such as the author of "The Fruit of Evolution," who actually can make bizaro comedy work. In order to make bizaro comedy work, the entire tone of your novel needs or really be built around it. It cannot be randomly inserted as a one-off gag.
Honestly, works that actually have the "comedy" tag really are better off going the bizaro route. However, that route takes full commitment and a fairly good understanding of how that form of comedy works.
Situational comedy, comedy made from the protagonist being thrust into socially embarrassing situations of various sorts, are a form of comedy that generally tends to not really be funny in written format. However, just because it's not funny, it doesn't mean it's going to completely fall flat either. Quite often, the reader will still feel sympathetically embarrassed for the character, and that emotional swing will still allow them to be drawn into the scene. Situational comedy is a fairly safe middle-ground for a writer to go with.
Those are just my thoughts on the issue based on the things I have seen out there. If you are really pushing to make your audience laugh and have a light-hearted comedic tone, it wouldn't hurt to actually do some serious research into understanding comedy and what makes the jokes land. Comedy is not just a "get-out-of-jail-free" card that allows you to fudge the lines on your world-building and need to pay attention to physics in your novel. It actually is a fairly high-intensity skill in it's own right that requires a lot of practice and dedication to get right.
Comedy is a rather deceptively complex subject. It is difficult to quantify or make rules for what makes people laugh. It is something that is simply understood by most people, even though only a few who have closely studied the subject actually understand the complex intellectual workings behind it.
There is one thing, however, that is very well understood about comedy. Timing is very important. The delivery very often needs to be presented with the words spaced at just the right speed and the tone exactly right in order for the joke to land. For this reason, comedy is actually very poorly suited for a written format, and things that would cause rolling-on-the-floor laughter in an audio-visual format will just fall flat when you see it in writing.
For this reason, almost all webnovels actually labeled with the "comedy" tag tend to actually do poorly as attempts a forcing in jokes fail more often than not. Meanwhile, it is often long-run action-adventure series that make people laugh the most. The reason for this is simple. There IS exactly 1 form of comedy that does as good if not better in the written format, and that is witty banter.
What is banter? Here's an example from a chapter of "He who Fights with Monsters" that I just read today. (I decided to use this as an example because it was one of the first ones I found where I think the jokes really might land even if you don't know the characters, and what running gags are referenced here can still be roughly understood even if you don't understand the call-back.)
“Alright, get your heads into a fight space,” Humphrey ordered. “We’ve been told the constructs have been congregating mostly in the central areas but keep an eye out for surprises. Jason, you’re our stealth scout so you move out ahead. Sophie, you’re our speed scout so you take the rear and flanks. Neil, you’re our healer so try not to get stabbed.”
“I’ll be fine, thank you,” Neil said as Sophie moved off in a blur and Jason vanished into the shadows.
“Belinda, keep an eye on Neil,” Humphrey said. “Make sure he doesn’t get stabbed.”
“I’m not going to get stabbed!”
“Don’t worry, Neil,” Belinda told him. “Third priority. Number two is keeping the snacks safe.”
“Very funny,” Neil said. “Also, doesn’t Jason have the snacks?”
“Scout is a dangerous position,” Belinda explained. “I’ve got the backup snacks.”
“I’m not feeling deeply valued,” Neil said.
“Fine,” Belinda complained. “I’ll prioritise you over the backup snacks. What did you even put in that box anyway, Jason?”
“Cake sandwiches,” Jason answered through team chat.
“As team leader,” Humphrey said, “I'm going to have to overrule you, Belinda. If it's cake sandwiches, you absolutely must prioritise them over stopping Neil from getting stabbed. He has to take some responsibility for himself.”
“You all realise that a lot of teams are looking for a good healer, right?” Neil asked. “Why don't you ever talk about Clive getting stabbed?”
“Who would stab Clive?” Sophie asked through team chat. “Everyone loves Clive.”
“Yeah.”
“Agreed.”
“Definitely.”
“Except his wife.”
“Dammit, Jason!”
“I’ll be fine, thank you,” Neil said as Sophie moved off in a blur and Jason vanished into the shadows.
“Belinda, keep an eye on Neil,” Humphrey said. “Make sure he doesn’t get stabbed.”
“I’m not going to get stabbed!”
“Don’t worry, Neil,” Belinda told him. “Third priority. Number two is keeping the snacks safe.”
“Very funny,” Neil said. “Also, doesn’t Jason have the snacks?”
“Scout is a dangerous position,” Belinda explained. “I’ve got the backup snacks.”
“I’m not feeling deeply valued,” Neil said.
“Fine,” Belinda complained. “I’ll prioritise you over the backup snacks. What did you even put in that box anyway, Jason?”
“Cake sandwiches,” Jason answered through team chat.
“As team leader,” Humphrey said, “I'm going to have to overrule you, Belinda. If it's cake sandwiches, you absolutely must prioritise them over stopping Neil from getting stabbed. He has to take some responsibility for himself.”
“You all realise that a lot of teams are looking for a good healer, right?” Neil asked. “Why don't you ever talk about Clive getting stabbed?”
“Who would stab Clive?” Sophie asked through team chat. “Everyone loves Clive.”
“Yeah.”
“Agreed.”
“Definitely.”
“Except his wife.”
“Dammit, Jason!”
Banter is simply the characters talking with one another in a light-hearted tone, and ribbing at each other with a slew of "in-jokes." Due to the fact that banter tends to be comprised almost entirely of "in-jokes," you need to have been following the characters for a long time in order to fully grasp most of the jokes. None of these jokes come completely out of left-field. They are just comedic re-framing of things that you already know about the characters being used in the context of the characters just talking to one another.
Banter often does tend to work best in action-themed stories as the team dynamics built up tend to be closer as everyone watches one another's backs, and it naturally makes sense that they would need to keep such a light-hearted tone on occasion in order to better deal with the otherwise serious stuff always happening around them. As such, it becomes a way to show that combat-comradere building up in your characters.
Another form of comedy that tends to work rather well in written form is quipping.
Spider Man is famous for quipping, and you can see examples of it in most of the Spider Man adaptations. Quipping is sort of like banter in monologue, and almost always of the "ribbing" or "mild insult" variety. It is often delivered by a protagonist toward the villains as a sort of mild insult by more free-spirited or comedically-themed characters.
Quipping and banter are 2 forms of comedy that tend to do very well in written format. Something that tends to really not do so well is physical comedy. That being, the loony-toons style of getting hit with hammers or falling flat on your face. Those do not translate well at all to written format, and instead just come across as painful. If it happens to a protagonist, they just feel sad. If it happens to a villain, they just feel like they are reading a combat scene. It does not come across as funny at all.
Bizaro comedy, such as the grand ultimate weapon that will save the universe turning out to be a toy squeaky hammer, also does not tend to do well in general. However, there are some especially skilled authors, such as the author of "The Fruit of Evolution," who actually can make bizaro comedy work. In order to make bizaro comedy work, the entire tone of your novel needs or really be built around it. It cannot be randomly inserted as a one-off gag.
Honestly, works that actually have the "comedy" tag really are better off going the bizaro route. However, that route takes full commitment and a fairly good understanding of how that form of comedy works.
Situational comedy, comedy made from the protagonist being thrust into socially embarrassing situations of various sorts, are a form of comedy that generally tends to not really be funny in written format. However, just because it's not funny, it doesn't mean it's going to completely fall flat either. Quite often, the reader will still feel sympathetically embarrassed for the character, and that emotional swing will still allow them to be drawn into the scene. Situational comedy is a fairly safe middle-ground for a writer to go with.
Those are just my thoughts on the issue based on the things I have seen out there. If you are really pushing to make your audience laugh and have a light-hearted comedic tone, it wouldn't hurt to actually do some serious research into understanding comedy and what makes the jokes land. Comedy is not just a "get-out-of-jail-free" card that allows you to fudge the lines on your world-building and need to pay attention to physics in your novel. It actually is a fairly high-intensity skill in it's own right that requires a lot of practice and dedication to get right.
Last edited: