Humor in the Midst of Intensity by C. Kevin Thompson

C. Kevin Thompson

During this “pandemic” we call the COVID-19 Coronavirus, there have been some funny things that have come across my social media feeds. Some of the ones that made me laugh out loud were:

Three hours into homeschooling: One is suspended for skipping, and the other one has already been expelled.

Day 4 of Homeschooling: All my students passed for the year today.

(Picture of a mother holding a cloth in front of her son’s face): Day 7 of Homeschool Biology: Testing to see if Chloroform has a smell.

(Picture of a man’s belt draped over a doorknob): Just hired an assistant principal for our homeschool.

(Three weeks into the stay-at-home order): Is it okay to shower now, or do I just keep washing my hands?

Our homeschool has raised the bar for our “school”! Now, only the adults can reach it.

(Teacher speaking): I’m so tempted to text my students while they are in class with their parents.

Okay, teachers…well played. We will give you respect and raises now. Just give us the antidote so we can send our kids back to school!

I tried donating blood today…NEVER AGAIN!!! Too many stupid questions. “Whose blood is it?” Where did you get it from?” “Why is it in a bucket?”

(Sign outside a bookstore): Post-Apocalyptic Fiction has now been moved to the Current Affairs section.

If you want to save money at Christmas, now’s the perfect time to tell the kids that Santa didn’t make it through the pandemic.

Saw a picture of the “Corona Lisa” (Mona Lisa) with long hair that has gone gray down the part.

(Caption underneath a photo of a picturesque mountain scene with scrolling words fading into the heavens): Due to less air pollution, we can now see the Star Wars intro again in the night sky.

I’m giving up drinking for a month.
Sorry. Bad punctuation.
I’m giving up. Drinking for a month.

Saw a picture of a woman all dressed up, standing near a beach. Her hands are over her mouth in utter surprise. A man is kneeling before her, in the obvious marriage proposal position. His hands are lifted up, holding a roll of toilet paper. “OMG!” the woman said. “He went to Charmin!”

To protect myself from these new Murderous Hornets, how much toilet paper do I need to buy?

We laugh at these memes because in some capacity, there is a truth in there somewhere. Of course, that’s what makes humor funny. That’s how comedians make a living.

We, as authors, should remember not to abandon a chance to toss some humor in our WIPs when it is a natural and needed place to do so. Even if you write mysteries or thrillers, action-adventure, or dark fantasy, humor is a natural part of life. It comes in many forms. It doesn’t have to occur in dialogue alone. It can be physical comedy. It can be satirical. It can be at another character’s expense. It can be a play on words. It can be an off-the-cuff, comedic response to a serious inquiry. It can even be a specific glance or look. No matter how you insert it into the story, it just needs to be natural and authentic, not forced, like some sign in front of your reader, flashing the words, “Laugh Now!” If you have to tell them to laugh, they won’t like it.

Natural and authentic humor is the kind of humor that gets the most laughs in real life. The same is true for fiction. I bet that if you start thinking about the books and/or movies you like the most, it is the comical moments that left their mark on you. For me, it’s the movie Jaws where Chief Brody sees the shark for the first time and says to Captain Quint in a somewhat PTSD state…

You know the line, don’t you? You just said it, didn’t you?

“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”

Why? Because the humor, embedded with this intense moment of realizing they are going to die, was authentic, not contrived.

Or take this six-minute clip from the movie Star Trek: The Search for Spock. Humor sandwiches this scene with little bits sprinkled in the middle. What makes it work, though, is the comradery amongst the characters. Their friendship and idiosyncrasies make it a fun section in an otherwise suspenseful scene.1

Or take this clip from a comedy show that is dealing with a serious issue of interracial relationships, trying to fit in, and being something you’re not, and using a play on words in a hysterical fashion: Everybody Loves Raymond – Robert Trying to be Black.

Humor at the right moment can be such a great linchpin. It ties the reader into your story, sometimes in no better way. It makes for memorable moments and memorable characters. Ones that resonate with readers, possibly, for the rest of their lives.

___________________________________________

1I have to admit, I’ve used Scotty’s line about stopping up the drain multiple times in real life. Comes in really handy as an educator. We’ve been overhauling the plumbing of public education for decades now.

Humor at the right moment can be such a great linchpin. It ties the reader into your story, sometimes in no better way. #seriouslywrite #encouragementforwriters via @CKevinThompson

We, as authors, should remember not to abandon a chance to toss some humor in our WIPs when it is a natural and needed place to do so. #seriouslywrite #encouragementforwriters via @CKevinThompson

The Letters

The Letters

THE WORLD IS A CRAZY PLACE
WHEN THE LIVING ARE DEAD
AND THE DEAD ARE ALIVE.

Rachel Hamar—a Manhattan bank teller—lives nothing close to a Manhattan lifestyle. Residing in Washington Heights, NY, the only thing keeping her in The Big Apple is her mother—a long-time patient in a local psychiatric hospital. It’s December 2014, and the twentieth anniversary of her high school sweetheart’s tragic death. She’s not sure how much more heartache she can endure, especially after being told earlier in the day she no longer has a job at the bank. A casualty of downsizing.

In the midst of spiraling depression, Rachel receives a mysterious letter in the mail. When she opens it, she becomes cautious and skeptical of its contents and discards it as a mistake, concluding it’s simply addressed incorrectly or a postal worker’s faux pas in the midst of a busy Christmas season. But another letter arrives the next day. And another the day after that. Before long, she is in possession of several letters. Each one more puzzling than the last.

Thinking that someone may be playing a cruel game, she contacts the police, and this propels Rachel and the two detectives into one of the most bizarre cases they’ve ever encountered. Is it a friend’s cruel joke? Is it some stalker’s perverse idea of manipulation? Or is it something more?



C. KEVIN THOMPSON is a husband, a father, a grandfather, and a kid at heart. Often referred to as “crazy” by his grandchildren, it’s only because he is. He’s a writer. Need he say more?

The second edition of his award-winning debut novel, The Serpent’s Grasp, is now available! The first four books of his Blake Meyer Thriller series are now available: Book 1, 30 Days Hath Revenge, Book 2, Triple Time, Book 3, The Tide of Times, and Book 4, When the Clock Strikes Fourteen! Book 5, A Pulse of Time, is coming Summer 2020! And, his newest standalone novel, The Letters, is now available in both e-book and paperback!

Kevin is a huge fan of the TV series 24, The Blacklist, Blue Bloods, NCIS, Criminal Minds, BBC shows Broadchurch, Shetland, Hinterland, and Wallander, loves anything to do with Star Trek, and is a Sherlock Holmes fanatic too. But you will never catch him wearing a deerstalker. Ever.

Website: www.ckevinthompson.com/
Kevin’s Writer’s Blog: www.ckevinthompson.blogspot.com/
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Finding Our Funny Bone by JoAnn Durgin

Finding Our Funny Bone

I’ve often heard that humor is one of the most difficult types of writing to conquer, but that hasn’t stopped me—and it shouldn’t stop you (if you’re so inclined)! My philosophy is that we need humor in our lives. Life is tough enough. Whether it’s subtle (eliciting a smile or a low chuckle) or overt (prompting robust laughter), even the slightest touch of humor can be cathartic for both the author and the reader. Sure, we need pathos and drama in our writing to create conflict and reflect real life, but humor can likewise reach hearts and impact lives—yes, for Christ! I’m convinced our Lord has a wonderful sense of humor.

The funny bits I insert into my fiction tend to be more of the “everyday” variety, derived from situations familiar to everyone. Remember the TV sitcom, Seinfeld? The show became wildly popular and won multiple awards for being “a show about nothing.” Every episode focused on the humor to be found in the daily lives of the characters. In the process, the show created a sense of fellowship, happiness, and well-being.

If you’ve never attempted to write humor, where do you begin? Well, let’s start with the basics.

What is humor? By definition, humor is “that quality which appeals to a sense of the ludicrous or absurdly incongruous” or “a funny or amusing quality.”

What is the value of humor in our writing? Any genre can benefit from humor. Adding humor to your work can stretch you as an author in the following ways:

*Forces you to step outside your comfort zone.
*Helps to avoid monotony in your writing.
*Helps you to develop pacing, word choice, characters.
*Ramps up the tension in the novel or provides needed relief.
*Lightens/balances the mood when underlying themes are serious.
*Transforms the way a reader views your novel.

How can humor be incorporated into your manuscript? Humorous dialogue, funny plot lines, literary devices, wordplay, and silly scenarios can all add creativity and interest. These can all be accomplished through the use of:

Satire: The purposeful use of mockery that exposes individuals or society to their foolishness, corruption, or inappropriate behavior. This is often done in a lighthearted manner so as not to offend readers. Satire can magnify or distort behavior so that it seems outlandish.

Irony: The use of words to express the opposite of their literal meaning (can be associated with both tragedy and humor).

Similes/Metaphors: Crazy/absurd comparisons that support important messages and themes. You can parallel two objects, ideas, or characters in unusual and amusing ways that appeal to the reader’s emotions.

Unexpected Twists: Humorous/ridiculous and unexpected plot twists provide mystery and suspense while retaining an overall lighthearted tone/mood. They give readers an opportunity to laugh at circumstances and situations that might otherwise seem sad or overwhelming.


Here are some nuggets of wisdom for writing humor I’ve picked up along my writing journey:

Know your genre. Study the conventions, clichés, and tropes. Then turn at least one of them on its head in a humorous way. But it still has to feel real. Think through the details of the world you’ve created and how your characters relate to each other. That’s where you’ll find the humor.

Surprise your readers. Throw in something completely unexpected—it can be an action, a sentence, a scene/chapter ending, or even a single word or phrase.

Make your humor meaningful. Suggest a deeper meaning to make your work entertaining but also relevant and valuable.

Write to make yourself laugh. Comedy is subjective. There’s no formula or surefire way to predict what readers will find funny. Hint: if you write something and laugh every time you read it, then readers probably will, too. But you still might want to test it out on a few beta readers!

If you don’t normally inject humor into your writing, why not give it a try? You might discover a hidden talent!

Until His Nets Are Full,
JoAnn

Adding humor to your work can stretch you as an author. #seriouslywrite #tipsforwriters via @Gr8tReads

Author JoAnn Durgin shares tips on how to incorporate humor into your manuscript. #seriouslywrite #tipsforwriters via @Gr8tReads

Only a Heartbeat Away

Only a Heartbeat Away

Before the release of Georgia Adler’s debut novel, a top literary critic reviews it as a “contemporary masterpiece of epic proportions.” When her agent sends out a press kit, magazine editors and talk show promoters across the country clamor for her attention. Why did things have to get so complicated?

Grayson Chambers walks into a tempest when he visits his friend Nick in Manhattan. He’d only planned on lunch, but a new female novelist who’s taking the literary world by storm is being interviewed, and Nick’s in desperate need of an immediate replacement for the ailing male model. Swallowing his misgivings, he agrees to work with a demanding, beautiful diva for a few hours since it’ll give him the opportunity to publicize his foundation.

After Georgia meets Grayson, she begins to question the very crux of her novel, and Grayson wonders if the basis for his foundation is misguided. Is this a “chance” meeting between them or a way for God to reveal His plans for their lives?

JoAnn Durgin (Julianna Desmond)

Only A Heartbeat Away was the first release from author Julianna Desmond, the pen name for USA Today Bestselling Author JoAnn Durgin. Since then, other releases have included Only A Breath Away and Only A Whisper Away. Stay tuned for more! Each standalone story features a heroine with an unusual or interesting occupation and a faithful hero who can’t help falling in love with her. Overflowing with faith, humor, hope, and romance, these novels are a lively escape for those seeking an uplifting and lively read!

JoAnn Durgin is the author of more than thirty novels, including the Lewis Legacy Series, Prelude, the Starlight Christmas Series, Catching Serenity, Hearts Design, Gentle Like the Rain, Whisper to My Heart, the Serendipity Christmas Series, the Treasured Vow Series, the Wondrous Love Series, If You Believe, Echoes of Edinburgh, Portrait, and The Valentine Verse. Her most recent release is Love on Assignment in Millcreek, Book 1 of The Millcreek Christmas Series.

A former estate administration paralegal, JoAnn writes contemporary Christian romance full-time and lives with her family in her native southern Indiana.

Feel free to connect with her at https://www.facebook.com/authorjoanndurgin or via her website at https://joanndurgin.com.

The Story Behind "Life in Chapel Springs"

People ask me what prompted this story. Why Lacey? Why the accident and reconstruction? To be honest, the answer is the character herself.

Ane Mulligan

I’m a visual writer, so I need photos. When I start out, I find photos of people who look like the character I’m imagining. I find most of my characters in magazines and keep files of faces I’ve torn out of them. While looking for Lacey, I came across two photos looking like a before and after of the same woman.

The resemblance was striking and sparked the “what if” that became Lacey’s story. Many women have life-altering surgery, whether elective, emergency, or life-saving. Often—more often than not—they have a difficult time with the results. A high percentage dislikes the “new” self. It doesn’t match the image we women tend to carry inside us.

My research and interviews included a plastic surgeon and a psychologist, so I could be sure I had the psyche right and the surgery results correct. I still had one problem. The character Lacey was a shy quiet young woman, so shy and quiet, she wasn’t even talking to me! I had to sit on her story for three years.

Finally, after two more Chapel Springs series books, Lacey “talked” to me. I understood her and could write her story. Maybe she was ready to tell it, but what we both hope women will take away from her story in Life in Chapel Springs is that each of us is uniquely made by God, and as Great Aunt Lola used to say, “God don’t make no junk.”

About the Author

While a large, floppy straw hat is her favorite, award-winning author Ane Mulligan has worn many: hairdresser, legislative affairs director (that's a fancy name for a lobbyist), CEO of a Community Theatre group, playwright, humor columnist, and novelist. She firmly believes coffee and chocolate are two of the four major food groups. Ane resides in Sugar Hill, GA, with her artist husband. You can find her on her website, Amazon Author page, Novel Rocket, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Google+.

Life in Chapel Springs
by Ane Mulligan

Life in Chapel Springs
Life in Chapel Springs has turned upside down and inside out.

Shy Lacey Dawson was happily writing murder mysteries for the community theater with her eye on Broadway. Then, a freak accident results in traumatic injuries requiring facial reconstruction. When the bandages come off, Lacey’s world is turned inside out. Will Chapel Springs rally behind its own … or will life unravel?

Is it a midlife pregnancy or … cancer? Claire will keep her secret until she’s sure—but it isn’t easy. Neither is trying to buy a home pregnancy test without anyone finding out. Between her twins’ double wedding, the canceling, a looming nationwide art tour and her health, Claire’s life is upside down.

Gold has been discovered in Chapel Springs and the ensuing fever is rising. Then Mayor Riley discovers someone has bought the mineral rights to his land. A stranger and his nefarious investors set out to buy all the homes in Chapel Springs and mine the gold. Will life in Chapel Springs become the tailings of a gold mine?

Make 'em Laugh by Charlotte Carter

I can’t help myself. Humor slips into my books. It’s just there even in my most emotional stories. So can I teach you to write humor? Assuming you have a sense of humor, I can give you some tools that will help you give your readers a smile and maybe a laugh.

Humor starts with a Premise ~  you add surprise and exaggeration and keep asking yourself how you can make it funnier.

Humor comes from the sense of reality, exaggerated and distorted. Humor begins with what if . . . .

In my book Courting Cupid, (a Love & Laughter written as Charlotte Maclay) a female apprentice Cupid accidentally shoots an arrow into her own foot. Instead of her “target” falling in love with the intended woman, he falls in love with her.

Humor keys into something we can all relate to ~ the heroine who desperately wants the hero to notice her and makes a mess of things trying to get his attention; the unease of being in an unfamiliar situation and making a fool of yourself; the agony of having our children misbehave at the absolute worst possible time.

There are 3 basic types of humor:

·       Character

·       Situational

·       Physical

In a humorous story that is character driven, the protagonist has a strong comic perspective. This is the ‘dumb blonde’ in Susan Elizabeth’s book who knows darn well she’s as smart as any of the men, but she’s going to let them figure that out for themselves.

Please note: while the character is funny to the reader, she is totally serious about her goals.

Situational comedy relies on a bizarre circumstance, often the familiar ‘fish-out-of-water’ situation.

Physical comedy is pretty obvious ~ it’s the pie in the face, Pratt fall or the guy that walks around a banana peel and drops down manhole.

Chances are good, however, you don’t want to write a funny book. You simply want to add some humor.

Try setting up you story with Contrasting Characters 

·       The hero who never smiles vs. the effervescent heroine

·       The playboy hero vs. the prim heroine

·       The tough guy vs. the naive heroine

·       The sexually experienced male vs. the innocent heroine

Or let your Secondary Characters carry the humor. 

We don’t want to risk our lead characters looking foolish by having them do really dumb things. To avoid this you can add humor (and insight) via a secondary character. Siblings, best friends, grocery store clerk, in-laws, parents, and ne’re-do-well relatives. Because I most often write family stories, my favorite source of humor is children. They can be so much fun....and thoroughly embarrass their parents.

Dialogue can create humor by the use of 

·       Rapid fire speech

·       Clever one liners

·       Unusual curses

·       Witty dialogue

Dialogue in contrast to thoughts 

Often it’s what the characters are thinking, not what they say, that adds humor. Here is where you can use deep Point of View to reveal character and give your readers a laugh or a smile.

Julie Lessman identifies some of the ways she brings humor to her stories. 

·       Analogy/Metaphor/Simile

·       Facial Features

·       Sibling Rivalry

·       Sarcasm (use care here not to make your character too snarky)

If you’d like more details and examples about writing humor, check out the Articles at my Website www.CharlotteCarter.com

Purchase Link

Happy writing......Char

Books that leave you smiling . . .

Home to Montana, Love Inspired, 3/2012

Montana Wrangler, Love Inspired, 7/2012

Dora here. Now it’s your turn.

Do you enjoy reading books that make you laugh?

How do you inject humor into your writing?

Charlotte Carter has authored more than 50 romance and cozy mysteries for various Harlequin lines, Dorchester and Guideposts Books. She is currently writing for the Harlequin Love Inspired romance line. Her books have won the National Readers’ Choice Award, the Orange Rose Contest and various awards from Romantic Times.

An active member of Orange County and Faith, Hope and Love chapters of Romance Writers of America, she is a frequent speaker for community groups and workshop presented for writers’ organizations.

Charlotte lives in Southern California with her husband of 50 years; they have two married daughters and five grandchildren. In her spare time, Charlotte performs standup comedy.

Writing Humor by Janice Hannah Thompson

Welcome to another Writer's Journey Wednesday! (Dawn here.) I admire people who are gifted with writing humorous material. What a blessing they are! They bring much needed laughter into our world. We're honored today to have author Janice Thompson share her tips on writing humor.

Writing Humor

Humor writing comes naturally to some authors. Others have to work hard to be funny. (Sounds funny, doesn’t it . . . working hard to be funny?) I’m one of those who came into the world with an overactive funny bone. Oh, it occasionally gives me trouble. Life’s woes kick in and my funny bone gets arthritic. It locks up. Whenever that happens, I trip myself on purpose, just to loosen it back up again. (Hey, a girl can only go so long without laughter!)

So, what makes a story funny? Here are a few tips to creating a tale that will tickle the funny bone:

1. Create unique characters: Think of your favorite sitcom. For me, Everybody Love Raymond is near the top of the list. Why did I love that show so much? The characters were (individually) hysterical. Each one had his/her own quirks. And those quirks got them into (and out of) jams. When you set out to write a comedy, create a cast of characters that you absolutely love. Don’t just focus on one or two. Choose at least three characters in your story who really have that extra “zing.” Characters that readers will remember for years to come. In my “Weddings by Bella” series, I created several funny characters (and boy, have I heard from readers about them). These characters include Aunt Rosa, Uncle Laz, Bella and the trio of “sisters” from Splendora Texas. These wacky people will stay with me for the rest of my life! I think some of my readers have adopted them, as well.

2. Exaggeration: If your character is tall, make him really tall. Chubby? Make her exceptionally chubby. Nervous? Make him overly anxious. Claustrophobic? Carry it a bit further than the norm. Does she like to wear lipstick? Make it Pollyanna Pink or Ruby Red. Give that character an exaggerated “sticking point” that readers will remember. And, exaggerate plotline highs and lows, as well. Is she in a valley? Make it a deep one. Is he on the mountaintop? Give him the experience of a lifetime.

3. Situational comedy: Spend time watching for humorous moments in your own life. What “situations” get you giggly? Think about placing your characters in a “situation” that will play out in a humorous way. By way of example, let’s look at I Love Lucy. Did we really find it believable that a housewife would take a job in a chocolate factory and end up shoving candies down her blouse? Um, probably not. Did we laugh like hyenas when the episode aired? You betcha! I Love Lucy was the perfect example of a situational comedy. Week after week we waited to see what “situation” our gal would end up in. We empathized with her (this is very important) and we thought she was a little kooky. In short, we saw a little of ourselves in her.

4. Slapstick: Think of Larry, Mo and Curly. Sure, their antics got a little old after awhile, but you get the idea. “Physical” comedy (tripping over things, physical gags, etc.) has always had its place in humor writing. Use these events sparingly, but don’t rule them out.

5. Pacing: There’s much to be said about the placement of words, phrases and inflections. Pacing is truly everything in comedy. In many respects, it is learned by trial and error. If you aren’t sure something is working, run it by your critique partners. See if they’re tickled by your words.

6. Living the Life: Let humor lead the way! In my own life, I find that being funny on the page is easier when I’m truly walking through life with a joyous attitude. It’s not always easy (and life often intervenes, threatening to remove any hint of humor), but for those who live a life of faith, it is possible. The Bible is loaded with all sorts of great scriptures about joy. Check out this verse: "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones." (Proverbs 17:22) When we transfer our “merry heart” to the page, then we’re sharing the joy with our readers. Is there any greater honor?

Award-winning author Janice Thompson also writes under the pseudonym Janice Hanna. She got her start in the industry writing screenplays and musical comedies for the stage. Janice has published over fifty books for the Christian market, crossing genre lines to write cozy mysteries, historicals, romances, nonfiction books, devotionals, children's books and more. In addition, she enjoys editing, ghost-writing, public speaking, and mentoring young writers. Janice currently serves as Vice-President of CAN (Christian Authors Network) and was named the 2008 Mentor of the year for ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). She is active in her local writing group, where she regularly teaches on the craft of writing. Janice is passionate about her faith and does all she can to share the joy of the Lord with others, which is why she particularly enjoys writing. She lives in Spring, Texas, where she leads a rich life with her family, a host of writing friends, and two mischievous dachshunds. She does her best to keep the Lord at the center of it all.

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www.janiceathompson.com

Email: booksbyjanice@aol.com
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