Learning target: We can recognize the incongruities in a piece of comic writing
Comedy is about things being out of balance. It is about incongruities, things that don't line up. Humor comes from expectations NOT coming true in either a good way or bad way. Comedy provides the perspective of an outsider or misfit and these are the most common characters in a comic story. This outsider perspective means that there is a natural distance between the reader and the story, the narrative voice necessary for comic writing is usually more lively and more alive to irony, which can prevent readers from falling into the story. But this isn't a bad thing. The best comic writers make you laugh and care deeply about their characters. They help you find your own comic spirit and leave you uplifted in the midst of challenge, difficulty, and death.
We'll look for these qualities in three pages from Nick Hornby's novel About a Boy before turning you loose to work on your story drafts. I'll also continue with writing conferences.
Homework due Thursday, October 15th
Keep working on your stories
Comedy is about things being out of balance. It is about incongruities, things that don't line up. Humor comes from expectations NOT coming true in either a good way or bad way. Comedy provides the perspective of an outsider or misfit and these are the most common characters in a comic story. This outsider perspective means that there is a natural distance between the reader and the story, the narrative voice necessary for comic writing is usually more lively and more alive to irony, which can prevent readers from falling into the story. But this isn't a bad thing. The best comic writers make you laugh and care deeply about their characters. They help you find your own comic spirit and leave you uplifted in the midst of challenge, difficulty, and death.
We'll look for these qualities in three pages from Nick Hornby's novel About a Boy before turning you loose to work on your story drafts. I'll also continue with writing conferences.
Homework due Thursday, October 15th
Keep working on your stories