Writers\' Forum - 04.2020

Trudy arrives to tell him he has
fi nally been granted a transfer.

‘Good news, Walter. Your three
months are up and there’s a small
castle ruin available. Not much,
but there’s a bit of shelter. Where’d
you get that?’ she asked, eyeing
the umbrella.
‘Off a friend,’ Walter said.
‘Actually, I think I’ll stay here for
a bit. I’ve got used to the place.’

He remains to haunt the
bridge and becomes a legend in
the area as the ghost known as
Wally with the brolly.

Plot – the vital aspect
Humour works best when it
is enhancing a strong plot.
No matter how funny bits of
the writing might be, if the
storyline isn’t strong enough to
carry the reader’s interest, the
whole will fail in its objective.
My advice to Eileen would
be to fl esh out the plot so that
Walter grows as a character as
the story progresses. He moves
too quickly from Wailing
Walter to Casper the Friendly
Ghost. More needs to happen
between arriving at the bridge
and the end of the story.
Perhaps Walter could try a
series of tricks designed to get
him transferred, all of which
backfi re on him. Trudy could
become a stronger presence in
the story – a foil against which
Walter battles in vain.
His encounter with Gemma
could develop into a series
of meetings which gradually
change him from spiteful
spectre to grateful ghoul.
There is so much under-
utilised potential in the
characters, although Eileen
has shown her ability to use
their dialogue to good eff ect.
I feel certain she could create
a strong plot in which Walter
could grow (or glow).

HUMOUR IN FICTION

Comedy can have a number

of diff erent functions within

a story, whether it is the

dominant mood or a device

that is only used occasionally

for a specifi c purpose.

Humour can disarm the

reader, which can be useful

for a number of reasons. It

may leave the reader off guard

and so not expecting a sudden

injection of tension or fear.

Conversely, it can be used to

bring in an uncomfortable

subject in a palatable way.

Comedy can illuminate

truths about characters – for

example it might highlight

a family’s dysfunctional

interactions more eff ectively

than straight drama. Humour

tells readers a lot about how

a character sees the world.

The situations in which a

character decides to use

humour can also be revealing.

During a tense, serious

or tragic scene, a humorous

moment can give the reader

a respite. Of course, this can

also deepen the underlying

feeling of pathos or

catastrophe.

Techniques for humour

Humour teaches writers

a great deal about pacing

and word choice. Writing

successful humour relies on

timing, vocabulary, tone and

even the length of sentences.

It probably requires more

rewriting than any other type

of writing, but it is essential

that it appears eff ortless and

not contrived to fi t a situation.

If your story is not primarily

comedic, but you want to

inject some comedy, keep

in mind that in real life,

humour arises naturally from

everyday circumstances. As

you are writing, look out for

situations that could give way

to humour. Adding humour

at the right moment is a

matter of understanding your

characters well enough to

know what they would say.

Use situations that could

happen to just about anyone

and draw word pictures so

readers can see events unfold.

Use the rule of three

This is about the rhythm

of your writing. The idea is

to establish a pattern in the

reader’s mind and then throw

in something disconcerting.

Three is used because it is the

smallest number possible to

establish the pattern.

Here’s an example of the

rule of three: As I’m walking

across the moor, I can watch the

heather sway in the breeze and

listen to the birds while dodging

dog droppings. This makes use

of juxtaposition; the reader

expects a third item that is

pleasant and is taken aback

because it isn’t.

Exaggerate from life

True stories can be funny,

but they can be even funnier

if you plump them up with

a touch of exaggeration.

Make notes of the everyday

situations you encounter, and

think about how they might

be tweaked for comic eff ect.

Delivery is everything

Elements such as the set-up,

the word choice and the pay-

off are crucial. Experiment

with diff erent ways of writing

the scene. Would shorter or

longer sentences, or changes

in tone, improve the delivery?

It’s a cliché

Unlike many areas of

creative writing, humour

allows writers to use clichés

every so often. But write

slightly diff erent versions to

make it unique. A character

who speaks in clichés, or

mismatched bits of them,

could be very endearing.

Witticisms are also worth

including if they show a

character as quirky.

Avoid the pitfalls

Try not to overuse humour.

Think of that person you

know who is always cracking

bad jokes and can never be

serious. Are you feeling the

irritation the jokester induces?

You don’t want your readers to

feel the same way, so use the

humour sparingly.

It is important that the

funny aspects of your story

don’t overshadow the plot.

You should also avoid

humour that is sarcastic,

biting or mean, unless you

have made a conscious

decision to have a character

who does so. The reader’s

perception could mean the

character will have a mountain

to climb if he or she is going

to come out at the end as a

likeable person.

Be your own readership

It’s a known fact that if you

write about what scares you,

moves you or makes you

happy, you will reach readers

who feel the same. Do this

with humour as well, but bear

in mind it is one of the most

subjective of writing styles,

and it is not going to work for

every reader. However, if it

makes the writer laugh, it will

probably make others at least

crack a smile.

Types of humour

Satire: this is a form of

humour which is often cruel

and not funny to those who

are targeted. The author

points out the failings of a

character, or a group, and then

uses that as a weapon to mock

or ridicule the victims.

Irony: used to imply the

opposite of what is written

or said. It can be summed

up as the diff erence between

appearance and reality. Often

it’s used when the reader will

understand things of which

the character is unaware.

Exaggeration: overstating

or over-embellishing the

attributes of a person or an

object can be very amusing.

Understatement: this

can be a great humour tool.

It achieves the same as

exaggeration but from the

opposite angle.

Rage and
Retribution, the
latest in the DI
Paolo Sterling
crime series by
Lorraine Mace,
is published by
Accent Press

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