Monday, August 8, 2011

Easily Amused vs. Genuinely Funny

I describe myself as both funny and easily amused - almost anything can make me laugh. (This is why my sister calls me Dr. Hibbert, after the character on The Simpsons who giggles even at the most inappropriate moments. That I love administering shots to unwary children and am not nearly as likable as Dr. Nick have NOTHING to do with it.)

But I sometimes wonder if I'm actually as funny as I think I am. Off and on, I've been dabbling with writing a novel, and I'm having a hard time finding my voice. Right now, it's very "straight" while I feel like my characters are lacking some liveliness that they would have if I allowed myself to be a bit more of a comedian in my approach. Not that I'd want to make it a laugh riot; I actually want the overall feel of the book to be more sincere than that. Still, it's hard to know what to do. What if I put in what I think is amusing and I'm the only one laughing?


Yes, I know I'll have plenty of time to revise and remove anything that doesn't fly in future drafts, and that part of the novel writing process is just getting that first draft done... especially when it's your first novel. I'm just not sure if I trust myself enough to discern what's genuinely funny and will amuse my potential readers, and what's just pandering to my own nature.

Is it too much to ask that the stuff I find funny leave everyone else in this sort of state?



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