Writing Comedy (or Trying to)

In my writing career, I've been known to write tragic scenes so well that some of my readers cried.

That started with a story I wrote in order to exorcize the trauma caused by my [h]ex. I cried as I typed it, and it was so realistic that a few readers demanded a 'Tissue Alert' the next time I created something of the same kind.

I know I can move people.

I'm not going to belittle that gift.

[Short pause]

I'd LOVE to make my readers laugh.

I'd be delighted if I were able to write a comedy!!

Take my series of novels, Muff&Sherly. My initial plot was to have two characters, totally new to private investigation, who'd be sooo clumsy that the woman training them would always be the one finding the culprit(s), solving the crime, wrapping the case... and the plot bunnies decided to come alive.

Muff and Sherly have discovered things in their past that can help them be reasonably good PIs.

As well, there was a twist in the first story that turned the planned silliness into a potential tragedy.

In the second story, a sub-plot grew to cosmic proportion - and made me soak my keyboard when I typed it.

As I'm thinking about a possible plot for a comedy (à la Feydeau), I've realized where my writing problem is.

As a reader for several publishers and various companies that need me to assess if the stories I'm given to read are any good, I've been forced to take all the story cogs apart and make sure the thing works (from checking that a character isn't making soup with three hands - one on the pan, one adding mushrooms, and the third one holding a spoon - to making sure that there are no spaceships seen anywhere during the American Civil War - if we're dealing with a historical novel, not a Sci-Fi one).

Basically, my work has been invading my poor head, and I can't help trying to be logical and checking for unplausible elements in a story.

But... comedy relies on absurdity, improbable situations, and general nuttiness.

If I want to write comedy, I'll have to train myself to ignore my (probably somehow DNA-imprinted) urges to write tidy, logical, possible things.

Gosh.

I hope I can leave reality in a plot, and I can locate my inner nutcase and she gives me a good, funny, twisted, demented plot for a comedy.

Dear Thalia, please come visit my desk. I'll bake you cookies.