Smiling versus Laughing
The difference between humour and comedy
It’s a shorter newsletter this week since I’m a little completely involved in getting ready for a book launch. In case you missed the announcement, my middle grade debut novel, SHIFT, releases August 29th. The story follows 12-year-old Dax Masters as he experiences some troubling environmental incidents in and around Calgary, leading him to conclude there is a threat to the planet that the world’s leading scientists haven’t yet noticed. The acquiring editor paid me a big compliment, saying “I could not stop reading. You really know how to make people keep turning pages.” 🤗
Last weekend at the writer’s conference, I took a workshop about infusing humour into your writing. I learned the difference between humour and comedy is this:
Humour is a slow realization; comedy catches you by surprise. Humour is driven by characters; comedy is situational. Humour makes us smile; comedy makes us laugh.
I bring this up because this weekend I was camping with hubby and the humour/comedy question was very much on my mind. My current work in progress has elements of both.
I was fortunate enough to witness this difference unfold in real life when Jeff scooped some dip with a chip and it fell off with a splat on the dirt (comedy).
“Oops,” he said.
“Nice job,” I said with sarcastic humour as I dipped my own chip and knocked the entire tub off the table and watched it land upside down (comedy).
When I picked it up, the chip was fully dipped and the whole tub inedible. We laughed for a good five minutes.
The secret to pulling off comedy in a book is planning it so well that is feels completely unexpected to the reader. I’m keenly aware of this as I write about the antics of the women in this adult novel. I have a rule: if it makes me laugh or smile, it stays. So far, I’m doing a lot of smiling, and just enough laughing to keep things interesting.
Have a wonderful week, my friend!
Dana