A to Z Challenge asks bloggers to post every day except Sundays during the month of April on a thematic topic–nothing else. This year, I’ll be covering writing genres.
Today’s genre:
Definition
A comic novel is usually a work of fiction in which the writer seeks to amuse the reader, sometimes with subtlety and as part of a carefully woven narrative, sometimes above all other considerations.
Tips
- Words with K and G are the funniest. Start using names like Kristy and George, or doing stuff that starts with K and G (klutzy, gyroscoping)
- Establish a pattern and misdirect readers with the last one:
I wish you happiness, wealth, and that you can get the lid off the mayo jar the next time you make a sandwich.
- Rather than scattering jokes around like confetti, use them strategically.
- Don’t worry about what others think. Use your voice and deliver the joke. It’ll work.
- Let readers know it’s OK to laugh at you (or with you).
- Start with a well-known cliche, but change the ending, i.e., “You can lead a horse to water… but a pencil must be lead.”
- Use funny anecdotes or stories.
- Use comparisons:
- like saying Noah was a shipbuilder
- like the difference between being thrown from the 15th and 16th floor–they both kill you
- as stupid as a chocolate teapot
- Avoid sarcasm. It’s as likely to annoy people as entertain.
- Rework an old cliche; you might start with the standard, but change the ending.
A bird in hand is in danger of being crushed
Popular Books
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
- Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern
- The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
- The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson
- Three Men in a Boat by Jerome Jerome
- Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
- Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth
- Without Feathers by Woody Allen
More H Genres
Click for complete list of genres
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy, and the thriller, To Hunt a Sub. She is also the author/editor of over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, adjunct professor of technology in education, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for TeachHUB, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. You can find her books at her publisher’s website, Structured Learning. The sequel to To Hunt a Sub, Twenty-four Days, is scheduled for May 2017. Click to follow its progress.
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I’m hosting a reading challenge on humor this year.
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Great tips! I liked the bit about the stupid chocolate teapot! 🙂
With Love,
Mandy
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Can you just imagine that? Thanks, Mandy!
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Brilliant! This made me laugh! I love those tips and ideas. Humor doesn’t come natural to me, but those are definitely techniques I can try. Thanks Jacqui!
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Me either. I try to plug in my husband’s constant quips, but it doesn’t work as well as I wish it would. Sigh.
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Great tips here Jacqui. The best is to get the audience to laugh with you. 🙂
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I like that, at least keep it light. I’m not into the dark genres.
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🙂
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*heavy sigh* But I love sarcasm. It’s like its own art form.
Okay, it’s probably best delivered live. As far as humor goes, my favorite is probably It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It, by Robert Fulgum, although those could also be classified as inspirational. 🙂
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That is a great title, Cathleen. I need to look it up.
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He’s the same guy who wrote All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. Great comfort reads. Nice humor that pokes fun at himself as much as anything. The description of the nativity scene with live animals in church is worth the price of the book by itself.
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As a sometimes Kindergarten teacher, I live by that book. Thanks for pointing that out.
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This is a wonderful genre to read when the book is excellent. I’d add A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, a work published after his death because his mother was determined to see her son’s work in print.
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Ha! I didn’t know that backstory. Yes, a good addition.
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Reblogged this on KCJones.
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Thanks for the reblog!
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Thanks again for a great blog
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Cant believe this “Words with K and G are the funniest” Is it true?
Lots of food for thought. Hope I don’t put on weight.
Where does satire fit in? Is it more sarcasm?
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I was hoping someone would weigh in on that. I’ve never heard it before, nor have I tested the theory.
I wonder if satire is another genre. I’ll have to Google that.
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I’ve read that there are two kinds of successful comedians. The best of the best are naturally funny, had a difficult childhood and use humor to compensate. The other comedians have to work at being funny. Of all the students I’ve taught, the one who was the funniest in class had had a terrible life. He’s now a police officer. I would think his sense of humor comes in handy on his job.
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Good story, Rich. It makes sense–compensate for a lousy family with humor. Much better than many alternatives I can think of.
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I love a good humorous tale, especially comedic fantasy. Heroics for Beginners by John Moore is one of my favorites. One of these days I need to get back to finishing my own silly fantasy novel. Discarded Darlings – Jean Davis, Speculative Fiction Writer, A to Z: Editing Fiction
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I’ll have to look into Heroics for Beginners. Great title.
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I think humour is one of the hardest genres to write. It takes real talent
@JazzFeathers
The Old Shelter – 1940s Film Noir
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I’m with you. It has to be natural, and connected. Very difficult.
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I’m a fan of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novels, which are very funny and in which there are at least two big laughs in each chapter. Many of the romances Mary reads have her laughing, but I wouldn’t know which ones.Humor is big with us.
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I haven’t read Janet Evanovich. I really need to. Lots of people recommend her. A sense of humor–that might just head me to the library.
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I think she’s up to 23 books in that series. The library will have them for certain. They’re a fast read, and hilarious.
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This is an area where I’m just not that comfortable writing. I actually believe it is one of the harder genres to write. Great tips. 🙂
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Me too. I try it because I like humor on my stories, and end up cutting most of my attempts when I edit.
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Humor done naturally can really endear a reader. Done poorly or excessively, and it will turn them off quickly. It’s quite an art form. I’ve been loving your theme and saving the posts.
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I’ve read a lot of books on adding humor to writing, because I wanted to. I don’t think I have the gene.
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I had a laugh at your examples Jacqui. I reckon humour must be hard to write .. when written well there’s nothing like a spontaneous guffaw.
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I have a few authors I read for that very reason. They may not be great at plotting, but I always leave laughing.
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I know this might be hard to believe, but sometimes I write a bit of humor. I find the trick is to not tell jokes but rather be playful and poke gentle fun at things – especially myself.
oh, and mayo now comes in squeeze bottles so you don’t need to worry about the lids anymore – just sayn’…
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There you go again–being funny, Andrew. I more often than not leave your blog with a smile.
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You demonstrated the technique of writing humor nicely by including subtle humor in your narrative and examples.
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Well, I actually had to copy them. I didn’t want my creativity to fail!
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Some great books on your recommended list! THHGTG, Catch 22 and anything by Bill Bryson are some of my faves.
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Bill Bryson–love that guy. The Short History of Everything–a favorite.
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Indeed—I have the hard cover version. It takes up a lot of shelf space, but completely worth it. 🙂 I have a good chunk of his travelogues now, including “The life and times…” plus his more serious African Diary. I like how his humour spans the divide between American and British… and even Aussie.
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Someone once told me when I wrote romance that I had a humorous voice and my work was “romantic comedy.” I had no idea! I think mine was more “lighthearted tone” than laugh out loud jokes. Either way, category romance publishers blacklisted romantic comedy after chick lit became hugely popular and oversaturated the market, then died! So that’s why I write for children.
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I agree, Stephanie. Your stories always leave me smiling. Piper is fun.
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I THINK there may be hints of humor in some of my flash fiction writing.
Though it wasn’t been my intention to include humor. 🙂
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Sorry about the *typo*
Though it wasn’t my intention…
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Hee–I read it as you meant it. Which is why I’m lousy at editing.
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And that’s the best way to do it. I so wish mine would be that natural.
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Great post, Jacqui. I have the hardest time trying to write comedic scenes. 💙
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Ah, me too. And I think you and I have a lot of company.
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Great stuff, Jacqui! We can all use a little more laughter in the world.
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And I’ll take it where I find it. I’ve always loved that my husband had an irreverent humor about life.
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That’s great!
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The most difficult genre to get right – even within one’s own milieu. Wilde, Jerome and Adams all maestros. Putting the others on my TBR,
Nilanjana
Madly-in-Verse
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Good list. And aren’t you right.
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Hi Jacqui – sometimes I can get completely hooked and laugh myself silly … it’s fun to have a good read. But one needs to be in the zone … getting the voice right is an essential … Also different cultures have different approaches – I was sent a spoof on one of our tv clips – from Germany … totally failed with me being British …similarly with American v British or vice-versa … an art in covering both bases … cheers Hilary
http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/h-is-for-horse.html
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That’s the truth. I’m afraid to add humor online because other cultures may not see it that way. Thanks for adding this thought.
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detailed – great points!!
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Thanks. An excellent genre for the right person.
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