Serious Vs Humour

truelyana · Nov 12, 2007

Is everyone's NaNo novel within a particurlar context? Are you guys serious about maintaining it down one set route? Or you just going with the flow, and letting your imagination lead any way you want to, in this challenge?

My one started out pretty serious, and I find out that now I'm flowing more in humour then actual seriousness content. I guess I want to keep the theme going as a historical more then anything, though the following line that I have just written, sounds like it's swaying from it's original feel.

Beth was hand stitching in the pantry when she heard a high pitch voice, coming from one of the rooms. The noise sounded almost like a fire engine squinting through an hourglass, a treacherous noise indeed, she thought.

Can you find any genuine seriousness in these sentences?

Sage · Nov 12, 2007

I had a lot of humor in my first NaNo novel, due to the fact that I used, like, 30 dares in it. I went in with no plot (except that it would start with the MC falling out of a tree and that somehow that was important), so I used the dares to give my novel a direction, and a lot of times they seemed really silly as dares, but actually had serious context. But sometimes not.

Last year I was more serious, having a plot and lots of drama ready going in, and my MC's narration was occasionally humorous, but overall it was serious. This year is even more serious in some ways (one character has no sense of humor, so his POV is very straightforward), but in other ways has bits of ridiculousness.

truelyana · Nov 12, 2007

Sage said:
I had a lot of humor in my first NaNo novel, due to the fact that I used, like, 30 dares in it. I went in with no plot (except that it would start with the MC falling out of a tree and that somehow that was important), so I used the dares to give my novel a direction, and a lot of times they seemed really silly as dares, but actually had serious context. But sometimes not.

Last year I was more serious, having a plot and lots of drama ready going in, and my MC's narration was occasionally humorous, but overall it was serious. This year is even more serious in some ways (one character has no sense of humor, so his POV is very straightforward), but in other ways has bits of ridiculousness.

So would you say it be okay, to have a bit of ridculousness in the novel?

I don't think I'm happy with using dares, or any form of humour to add something to the novel. If something decides to flow, then I'd rather it be incorporated part of, instead of slightly swaying away from it. This is my first ever novel attempt, and I guess I also ask this, as a general question more then a direct NaNo one.

edgyllama · Nov 12, 2007

I have a lot of inside jokes, movie lines and riffs of more famous works in mine. It is a serious work but what the heck, its just a first draft, might as well throw in lines like:

"Thorkettle knew he had to get to an inn soon; there was a bad moon on the rise."

"The night was moist, yet dry. It was sultry."

truelyana · Nov 12, 2007

edgyllama said:
I have a lot of inside jokes, movie lines and riffs of more famous works in mine. It is a serious work but what the heck, its just a first draft, might as well throw in lines like:

"Thorkettle knew he had to get to an inn soon; there was a bad moon on the rise."

"The night was moist, yet dry. It was sultry."

I like that.

I think mabye I'm taking the humour of it too seriously, for my own seriousness piece of writing.

truelyana · Nov 12, 2007

I've decided. I'm keeping that sentence.

Denryu · Nov 12, 2007

I think every serious piece has to have a degree of silliness and comic relief (I may have a serious plot, but I can't help but throw in a few ridiculous conversations.). Humor is actually a plot device that goes WAY back--look at Hamlet, for example (not a novel, but still illustrates my point)--the grave diggers were put in that play for the sole and express purpose of making the audience laugh and taking them away for a moment from the morbidly serious drama of it all. Readers need a laugh every now and again or they'll get bored (there are always exceptions, of course), so I would say if you have some unintentional humor in there, there's no reason to stress over it too much. Yes, you have a plot, and yes, it may be serious, and yes, there are certain points you may have to hit before the end, but there's nothing wrong with your characters making a silly little detour in between if that's what they want to do. The sillinesses develop your characters as much as their serious side does. That's just human nature: sometimes you're serious, sometimes your sweet, and sometimes you do the most ridiculous things. All of these aspects make your characters real and entire. My opinion is pretty much always going to be just go with it.

AnnieColleen · Nov 12, 2007

Serious, but with humorous moments, and I'm trying to play that up (because when I summarize the premise, it sounds like it ought to be funny, and I think that suits my characters better anyhow).

I just had an inadvertently ridiculous moment -- I'd set up the scene as being outside a rural so-called inn, with a rubbish heap and discarded tools and things lying around the yard, for a confrontation between soldiers and a suspected rebel. The only reason for that was so the guy could grab a shovel to use as a weapon -- that being from a dare on the NaNo boards (the Traveling Shovel of Death). Then one of the soldiers slipped and landed in the rubbish heap. The only reason a banana peel wasn't involved is that these folks don't have bananas. :e2smack:

And, more scary, I think I can find a way to work in the pink fluffy bunny of doom. Sheesh.

truelyana · Nov 12, 2007

AnnieColleen said:
Serious, but with humorous moments, and I'm trying to play that up (because when I summarize the premise, it sounds like it ought to be funny, and I think that suits my characters better anyhow).

I just had an inadvertently ridiculous moment -- I'd set up the scene as being outside a rural so-called inn, with a rubbish heap and discarded tools and things, lying around the yard, for a confrontation between soldiers and a suspected rebel. The only reason for that was so the guy could grab a shovel to use as a weapon -- that being from a dare on the NaNo boards (the Traveling Shovel of Death). Then one of the soldiers slipped and landed in the rubbish heap. The only reason a banana peel wasn't involved is that these folks don't have bananas.

And, more scary, I think I can find a way to work in the pink fluffy bunny of doom. Sheesh.

Haahaa that sounds like a classic!

Denryu · Nov 12, 2007

AnnieColleen said:
And, more scary, I think I can find a way to work in the pink fluffy bunny of doom. Sheesh.

hahaha! I think I've accidentally started something I may have to own up to later.

benbradley · Nov 12, 2007

truelyana said:
Is everyone's NaNo novel within a particurlar context? Are you guys serious about maintaining it down one set route? Or you just going with the flow, and letting your imagination lead any way you want to, in this challenge?

My one started out pretty serious, and I find out that now I'm flowing more in humour then actual seriousness content. I guess I want to keep the theme going as a historical more then anything, though the following line that I have just written, sounds like it's swaying from it's original feel.

Beth was hand stitching in the pantry when she heard a high pitch voice, coming from one of the rooms. The noise sounded almost like a fire engine squinting through an hourglass, a treacherous noise indeed, she thought.

Click to expand...

Can you find any genuine seriousness in these sentences?

Personally, I better (start) going with the flow, I'm hugely behind. But whatever...

I was thinking, you mentioned historical - hourglasses have been around for a long time, but is your novel set in a time before fire engines? Hmm, perhaps you could leave in anachronisms likst that as "Easter eggs" for readers to find. Just to emphasise the point, you might have a character actually speak a line like that, and another say "My dear, you talk strangely. What on Earth is a fire engine?"

And one could even answer nonsensically (except for anyone who's been exposed to pop culture since circa 1980): "A fire engine is a big building with sick people and doctors in it, and the doctors help the people get well. But that's not important now..."

Okay, so I really am getting silly. Sorry.

truelyana · Nov 13, 2007

benbradley said:
Personally, I better (start) going with the flow, I'm hugely behind. But whatever...

I was thinking, you mentioned historical - hourglasses have been around for a long time, but is your novel set in a time before fire engines? Hmm, perhaps you could leave in anachronisms likst that as "Easter eggs" for readers to find. Just to emphasise the point, you might have a character actually speak a line like that, and another say "My dear, you talk strangely. What on Earth is a fire engine?"

And one could even answer nonsensically (except for anyone who's been exposed to pop culture since circa 1980): "A fire engine is a big building with sick people and doctors in it, and the doctors help the people get well. But that's not important now..."

Okay, so I really am getting silly. Sorry.

I understand your point, thanks for highlighting this.

You know, I actually dreamt of that bad humour, and wasn't too keen on leaving it in the novel. I've taken it out now, as something wasn't quite right and it just wouldn't flow. Especially in regards to how Beth felt about Dorothy.

Sassee · Nov 13, 2007

Humor and silliness in narration, especially with first person PoV, creates personality.

Readers like personality

truelyana · Nov 13, 2007

Anyone picky with their humour? Or their seriousness?

Enraptured · Nov 25, 2007

My novels are both serious, but that's because that's what I like to write. There are a few funny lines, but that's about it as far as humor goes. I just don't like writing silly stuff, so it would be silly for me to write it

whistlelock · Nov 26, 2007

Just roll with what you've got. maybe it's a bit of authorial subtext coming you, it's a serious situation but you deal with seriiousness by joking?

Serious Vs Humour

truelyana

Set yourself free

Sage

Supreme Guessinator

truelyana

Set yourself free

edgyllama

truelyana

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truelyana

Set yourself free

Denryu

The Inevitable Crash

AnnieColleen

Invisible Writer

truelyana

Set yourself free

Denryu

The Inevitable Crash

benbradley

It's a doggy dog world

truelyana

Set yourself free

Sassee

Momma Wolf

truelyana

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Enraptured

Narrator

whistlelock

Whiskey Rebel