writing
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Tips for Writing the RomCom Video
Here’s a short video of my talk with tips for writing the RomCom (romantic comedy) from the Chicklit & Prosecco writer festival. It’s about 11 minutes long, but it certainly felt like longer when I was talking 🙂
I hope you enjoy this Tips for Writing the RomCom video! Also, check out this post with tips.
Video talk on Tips for Writing the Romantic Comedy Let’s Talk
I hope things are going well wherever you are. New York City is starting to feel like its old self again, especially with all the restaurants sheds in the street for open air dining.
NYC: Restaurant sheds in the street for open air dining It feels like a party walking down the street at night because there are so many people sitting in the restaurants.
It is so hot in New York right now, and the sky is starting to darken like a thunderstorm is going to hit.
I am working on my third novel and watching romantic comedies at nights for inspiration (and tips). I’m also still working on my first two novels. I’ve also continued my workout regime of bicycling while watching a Korean drama, and that’s definitely working for me, although it’s slow progress. And if you do like Korean dramas, I recommend checking out this dramabeans site for summaries and comments (which also give tips for writing romcoms). But they’re so addictive that I definitely get on the bicycle every day to watch my next episode!
What are your plans for the summer?
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The Triangle Trope
Some people love the triangle trope in romantic comedies and some hate it.
Use the Triangle Trope to Show which Suitor is “The One”
As discussed before, Billy Mernit notes that the triangle is a technique to show how, “the Bellamy,” named after the actor Ralph Bellamy who often played this character, is the wrong guy for the Protagonist and how the romantic lead is the right one. ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE is one great example of this technique in use.
So, in the classic movie HIS GIRL FRIDAY, Ralph Bellamy is too staid and slow, compared to clever trickster Cary Grant, Cary Grant wants Rosalind Russell back as a wife and as a reporter. And he “seduces” her with the thrill of covering a great newspaper story.
But the triangle can also be tricky. As Sandy Barker points out in her blog, readers might view the protagonist as cheating.
Bridget Jones’s Diary In BRIDGET JONES’S DIARY, I think the triangle is well done. I can see the appeal of bad boy Daniel Cleaver. He’s fun and funny. I love the scene with the underpants (“Hello Mummy”) and the boating scene. But he also loses his appeal–he lies and cheats and isn’t offering much. “If I can’t make it with you, I can’t make it with anyone” is not a declaration of love–it’s more of an insult.
Ironically, Mark Darcy is the stuffy, work-oriented guy; however, you can see his longing to play in the rowboat scene. He stares enviously at Daniel Cleaver and Bridget Jones reciting bad poetry, ignoring his law partner who wants to work. As would I. The boating scene also shows you the appeal of Bridget for Mark Darcy and why they will make it as a couple.
A Triangle with Two Appealing Prospects Increases the Tension
Boys before Flowers poster Meanwhile, in the Korean drama BOYS BEFORE FLOWERS, if I had been the protagonist Jan-Di, I would have chosen the guy she didn’t. I was quite heartbroken that he didn’t get his girl. In that drama, both suitors were appealing and that definitely increased the tension: who was she going to choose? I understood why Jan-Di chose the man she did, but still… My friend says it is the K-Drama second lead syndrome: when the other guy is so appealing, it breaks your heart. I told her I wasn’t sure I was strong enough for these dramas. 🙂 So, although having two appealing suitors increases tension, I’d recommend at least giving the second lead a new love too.
In another K-drama, PLAYFUL KISS, the second lead Joon-gu is so in love with Ha-ni, that when Ha-Ni gives a love letter to her crush Seung-jo, and Seung-jo dismisses it as poorly-written, the second lead Joon-gu defends her, telling Seung-jo to apologize to Ha-ni and to pay attention to the emotion in her letter. How’s that for supporting the woman you love at all costs? But thankfully, that drama gave him his own romance at the end.
I’ve become addicted to Korean dramas after watching CRASH LANDING ON YOU. It’s my new workout regime. I bicycle on a stationary bike for ten miles a day while watching a K-drama. They’re addictive enough to get me on the bike every day! I’ll let you know if I actually lose weight. My Korean has definitely improved. Fighting!
Let’s Talk
Cherry blossoms in Central Park It’s finally spring in New York City and the cherry blossoms are out. In my latest novel, I’ve set a scene where not-yet-a-couple picnic among the cherry blossoms on Cherry Hill in Central Park.
And my children may return to school five days a week soon. I may be spontaneously dancing around my house.
In other exciting news, my friend Giulia Skye’s book Her Outback Driver just placed in the RWA Vivian Contest for Best First Published Book! Congratulations Giulia!
What have you been reading or watching? Do you like the triangle trope or do you hate it? And have you watched any Korean dramas? If you have, which ones do you recommend?
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CRASH LANDING ON YOU and Doing for Each Other
Movie Poster for Crash Landing on You Definitely my favorite movie of the pandemic is CRASH LANDING ON YOU, but I also think it epitomizes how to show romance by each giving, doing for each other, and taking care of the other. The romance is so good, as is the comedy and the drama. It’s written by female screenwriter Park Ji-Eun.
I am taking a Gotham Screenwriters Course with Doug Katz, and he gave some great advice on my scene sequence (which is a romantic comedy, of course):
- What do they each do for the other? As an example, he said, look at how Katharine Hepburn takes out the splinters from Humphrey Bogart’s foot in THE AFRICAN QUEEN.
- What does he need that she can do for him? What does she need that he can do for her?
- Give them conflict as to what each like to do (i.e., he likes eating sushi, she doesn’t).
As in all romantic comedies, how will they change each other unexpectedly? As Billy Mernit writes in Writing the Romantic Comedy,
“Create two incompletes who complete each other, seeming opposites who unite in a belief that love comes first–that’s the key to crafting a chemical equation that will set off sparks.”
Writing the Romantic Comedy by Billly Mernit at p. 155Park Ji-Eun definitely achieves that with Yoon Se-ri (played by Son Ye-jin) and Jeong-hyeok (played by Hyun Bin). Happy sigh.
CRASH LANDING ON YOU and Doing for Each Other
In the first scene where we see Yoon Se-ri and Captain Ri Jeong-hyeok meet, Yoon Se-ri lands on North Korean Captain Ri. She tells him that she was paragliding and there was a storm and she landed here in North Korea by accident. Eventually, he tells Se-ri how to get back to South Korea. But can she trust him? He also gives her advice on how to avoid the landmines.
What does she do for him? She makes him smile. He has resolved not to be happy and not to care about anyone again since the death of his brother. But, as he overhears her on her walkie-talkie trying to reach her employees to be rescued (promising them bonuses), he smiles.
In their next scene together, he whisks her inside his yard, saving her from being spotted by the State Security Department.
While he tries to remain closed and aloof, she chats to him and keeps asking questions.
How do they complete each other?
Both teach each other to love and to care about each other—to open up to another person and not to remain closed off emotionally or socially. I particularly love the lyrics of the Flower song: “So, I am worried about you,” but the whole soundtrack is amazing.
Giving and Conflict
In another early scene, Captain Ri carefully prepares noodles for Yoon Se-ri from scratch. So, we could have a scene without any conflict where she happily eats the noodles. But what happens instead? Se-ri is worried that the food is poisoned and wants him to try it first. “But in the South, this is what we do. When you are eating at someone else’s house, the guest usually offers the first bite to the host.” He gets offended that she thinks the food is poisoned. This follows Doug’s third point about how to create conflict even when they are giving to each other. She tries to negotiate with him, saying she will repay any kindness. Eventually, he takes away the food, saying he won’t show her any kindness.
Let’s Talk
Image of Women laughing while sharing food Anyway, I highly recommend CRASH LANDING ON YOU, but I must warn you that it’s highly addictive. It feels like every scene ends on a cliffhanger. It’s directed in such a way that we revisit scenes and get more information, almost as if from a different POV in that scene. Close friends have now recommended THE DESCENDANTS and BOYS OVER FLOWERS. But I also need to write :), so I’m actually worried about starting another K-drama.
Have you seen CRASH LANDING ON YOU? If so, what is your favorite part? And if not, what movies or books do you recommend?
Here’s hoping that spring is just around the corner as I sit here typing, the sun streaming in my window.
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2021 Favorite Black Authors
Here’s some 2021 recommendations of favorite Black authors from my reading this past year, but don’t forget to check out my prior post.
Book Stack #colorfulspinechallenge Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert A favorite Black author from 2020, I also love this next one in the series. This book is really funny. Zafir Ansari is such a total sweetheart–a great book boyfriend. It has the fake dating trope between “I’m just in it for the sex” woman with a romantic man. What I especially love is when they tease each other. The banter just sparkles off the page:
“I was thinking we should just have lunch together,” he went on, ” and try to . . . you know. Flirt.”
“Try to flirt? Because we’re so out of practice.”
She could almost hear his blush through the phone. “We don’t flirt.”
“If that’s what you think, I really need to brush up on my skills.”
Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia HibbertNote: steamy, open door sex scenes.
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
My favorite non-romcom book was Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams. It does get very dark and I had to put it down a few times because I was like “noooo!” But it has a happy ending and I was strongly rooting for the character of Queenie. And the voice is very funny. (It is quite explicit with sexual assault and very graphic sex scenes.)
It won the British Book Awards, among others.
Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon
Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon When a live tweet of a date reveals that Samiah has been catfished by a three-timing jerk of a boyfriend, she and the two other women form a pact: no men and no dating. But the timing is terrible, as the deliciously sexy Daniel Collins has just started working where she works. And if his penchant for always grabbing coffee when she does is any indication, he’s interested in her. Daniel Collins is another sweetheart of a book boyfriend.
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett My favorite women’s fiction book was The Vanishing Half. This is a great book for a book club discussion because there are so many layers to discuss. This book is about two twin Black sisters, one of whom abandons the other to pass as a white woman. Their daughters’ lives then intersect. There are also some beautiful relationships, of love and support, between Early and Desiree, and between Reese and Jude.
The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson
The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson Another great book for a book club discussion is The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson. The Kindest Lie is about secrets, family, race, class and the broken promises of the American dream. Nancy Johnson does htis really well wtih the contrast between the upper middle-class settings of Chicago and a working class small town in Indiana, and with the two flawed POV characters, Ruth (a Black Ivy-educated engineer) and Midnight (a motherless white boy whose best friend is Black). Ruth is consumed by guilt over her secret–that she gave up her baby at 17 to go to Yale. The story really takes off when she goes to confront her family. The complex and realistic characters are all sympathetically drawn, but still flawed–which leads to great book club discussions. This was my first ever ARC received(!)–as part of an Instagram giveaway.
Mr. Tony Explores Space by Tony Gaskin
Mr Tony Explores Space by Tony Gaskin And my friend Mr. Tony published his book. My eight-year old said he was on page two and had already learned some new facts! He said it was great for learning about space and the space station (which he has been studying in school in third and fourth grade). He is also selling merchandise.
Let’s Talk
What books have you enjoyed reading this past year? What favorite Black authors have you found in 2021?
We’ve just returned from skiing in Colorado with family. It was a great break, but I’m happy to be home and catching up, even if we are in quarantine for ten days under New York rules.
I have been watching CRASH LANDING ON YOU (Netflix), and it’s utterly addictive. I LOVE LOVE it! Highly recommend it if you haven’t seen it already. But I’m afraid to start any more Korean dramas because I totally binged this one, and if they all end on hooks every scene, I will never get any work done!
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The Walking Wounded of MUSIC AND LYRICS
Music and Lyrics Movie Poster Alex (Hugh Grant) and Sophie (Drew Barrymore) in the movie MUSIC AND LYRICS are both walking wounded and show how backstory can create wounds or “ghosts” that then haunt the protagonists. SPOILER Alert. Go watch it if you haven’t already. (I love 80’s pop). It has so many funny lines. For more examples of backstory, check out my earlier post Baby Got Backstory. Backstory is what drives the internal conflict preventing two people from getting together.
In MUSIC AND LYRICS, Alex is a has-been popstar from the 1980’s who has the chance to write a song for the top rock star currently, Cora. Only he can’t write lyrics. He writes melodies. Enter Sophie, who spouts lyrics while watering his plants.
Sophie’s Wound
Sophie reveals her “wound” when she thinks she sees her ex-professor and hides. She then sees his book prominently displayed in a bookstore. The protagonist in his book is based on her. And she’s “haunted” by the words he wrote about her: “she was a brilliant mimic . . . but stripped of someone else’s literary clothes, she was a vacant, empty imitation of a writer.”
Later, Cora agrees to do their song and they are at a restaurant celebrating when Sophie’s ex walks in. Sophie flees. Alex joins her in the bathroom and says, “People wait their whole lives to see an ex when things are going really well. It never happens. You could make relationship history.”
Sophie confronts her ex-professor.
And she can’t speak.
As Alex says, “the few syllables you got out were absolutely devastating.”
Alex says that the guy is a complete jerk, and she shouldn’t allow him to have this hold on her.
Alex’s Wound
What’s Alex’s wound? His childhood friend left their band and chose business over their friendship. And Alex has been stuck in the past ever since.
When Cora commercializes their song, Sophie argues that they should tell her that it undermines the whole meaning of the song. Alex says, “it’s just business. And I wish everything was that clear.”
Sophie, hurt that their relationship doesn’t mean more, turns away.
The Black Moment: The Walking Wounded Emerge
Their black moment is when they both throw harsh truths at each other. Sophie tells him he’s not willing to fight for what he believes in. He tells her that she is like the woman in the book, she can’t work when she’s not inspired, but life is not a fairytale, and sometimes you just have to slog through. Sophie walks out.
The Grand Gesture
She submits the lyrics (“I need inspiration, not just another negotiation.”) He sings a solo he wrote for her, saying he’s sorry and asking her to give him another chance. And he persuades Cora to sing the song he and Sophie write, without the orgasmic sex scene introduction.
How do they Conquer their Wounds?
Sophie manages to write her hit single lyrics even when upset, and Alex writes a new song for her and stands up for the right approach for their song.
Let’s Talk
Illustration by Stroianadina on Fiverr I hope you are doing well. Have you seen MUSIC & LYRICS? What are your favorite lines? What romcoms do you recommend watching?
My favorite lines are:
“Love lost, love found, love lost again.”
“This is starting to sound a little bit like luggage, but good.”
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“My god, I’ve suffered for my art.”
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And of course their exchange about music and lyrics, ending with:
“But then, as you get to know the person, that’s the lyrics. Their story. Who they are underneath. It’s the combination of the two that makes it magical.”
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Zoom Party Ideas
Our Christmas Tree My son just had his birthday party via zoom, so here are some zoom party ideas as we continue in quarantine. I’ve also had some adult zoom cocktail parties.
- play Mafia over zoom
- scavenger hunt
- Netflix watch party (no further explanation needed)
Mafia
Have you ever heard of the game Mafia? We used to play it late at night when we were staying over with a group of friends at a country house. Back when we did that.
Here are the instructions. I put the names of the guests on paper slips in one bowl and the various roles (mafia or murderer, villager, doctor, detective) in the other bowl. Then I matched every guest with a role and direct-messaged them via zoom. I was the narrator, but actually the boys all really wanted to be the narrator so they could create different scenarios of how people died. I thought the boys would probably prefer to play Among Us (which seems to be the online game equivalent), but not all the boys were allowed to play it, so I did it the zoom way. It worked. We added in other characters inspired by Among Us: the Angel (can tell the narrator one person to protect — if the murderer picks them to kill, they don’t die; the clown (pretends to be the murderer).
Scavenger Hunt
So this game was inspired by my son’s gym teacher. He has them do a scavenger hunt for household items, which makes the kids run around the house like mad.
I decided to add a riddle component. So I used some of these riddles for toothbrush and book (items they’d be sure to have around the house) and also came up with my own.
I am soft. This item is not a hat. I don’t go on your hand. I slip over your foot. What am I?
Answer: Sock
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I roll, but I’m not a ball.
I’m paper, but you don’t write on me
What am I?
Answer: Toilet paper
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You rest your head on me
Answer: Pillow
One child unfortunately couldn’t go into the bathroom because someone is his family was using it, which was tough, given that I gave riddles for toothbrush and toilet paper as items they’d be sure to have around the house. 🙁
Zoom Party Ideas Summary
Several parents emailed to thank me and say their children really enjoyed the party. I think the bar is low at the moment and I just occupied their children for two hours.
Happy Holidays!
Happy Holidays whatever you celebrate! I hope you had a wonderful Hannukah and have a wonderful Christmas!
We are busy making Christmas cookies. My favorite Christmas cookie recipe is gingerbread people (reduced fat!) from the Joy of Cooking. I have yet to find a sugar cookie recipe I really love, so if you have one, please share!
The cookies are quickly disappearing. In other exciting news, my first MS Partner Pursuit was the winner of the Hudson County RWA 25-4-25 contest, and the first twenty pages of my second MS Is This for Real? just placed third in the RWA Windy City Four Seasons contest.
Let’s Talk
Do you have any good zoom party ideas? What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?
Happy Holidays!
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Never Have I Ever RomCom Tips
I highly recommend Mindy Kaling’s Never Have I Ever and here are some takeaway romcom tips. If you haven’t watched it, watch it before you read below. It will make you laugh, cry, swoon and feel good at the end. Spoilers alert.
The Flawed Protagonist
One of the most brilliant things about Mindy Kaling’s Never Have I Ever is the character of Devi Vishwakumar, who is definitely flawed, but so appealing that you’re immediately rooting for her. She has a temper, which is why John McEnroe is her narrator (brilliant casting). She storms out on her friend Eleanor when she finds out Eleonor is dating someone and didn’t tell her, and then angrily throws a book out the window, breaking the window, admits that she’s jealous of her beautiful cousin Kamala. . . and this is all in the pilot episode. As she admits, she does not take the high road. She’s also refreshingly honest.
She’s also vulnerable and hurting because she idolized her father and he just died. And their scenes together always bring me near tears.
She’s also incredibly determined. Joining the hot boys lunch table takes guts.
And I love the whole Indian-American cultural aspect, especially the mom’s comments about America. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is an amazingly talented actress.
The Love Triangle
First Kiss Never Have I Ever has a well-done romantic triangle. There’s the hot, but sensitive jock (Paxton Yoshida) vs. the nerdy smart guy (Ben Gross). And normally I would be all for the nerdy smart guy, but he was so awful in the beginning that I couldn’t get over that, especially because of his UN comment and how mean he is when he’s doing the school project with her friends.
Paxton is also very sweet. And I like that he doesn’t drink at parties during swim season. I liked how he apologized and was there for her on multiple occasions.
- when he comes over to her house to apologize that he wrongly freaked out about her meeting his sister. (He is very protective of his sister.) And he gives that glance back after they part.
- when she gets bitten by the coyote and he rushes out to pick her up and take her to hospital. (And then her mom is so mean to him.)
- When he tells her “you do you.” Which is kind of like Colin Firth’s statement “I like you just the way you are” in Bridget Jones.
- and the kiss in the car (which he even tells his sister about).
So, I will admit that I am Team Paxton and not Team Ben.
I was so disappointed when it switched to Ben Gross’s POV so that we would develop sympathy for him. But it did work, so that definitely gives tips for how to make someone likable again:
- have his parents completely abandon him. As he says, he’s Kevin in Home Alone, except his parents decide to stay in Paris.
- have his self-centered girlfriend ditch him
- show him being lonely
- make him cry when someone is nice to him
- have them work together as a team
And Ben’s behavior improves, especially when he offers her a place to stay when she has a falling out with her mom. And that car drive! So, I definitely saw his appeal. And I was less impressed with Paxton when they did the homework assignment together and his slogan wasn’t very good. And of course, Paxton often ignored Devi.
BUT I am still Team Paxton. And I can’t wait for Season 2 when presumably the love triangle tension will continue.
Or maybe I am just Team Devi.
The Antagonist
In many ways, Devi is her own worst enemy, but she’s a brilliantly developed character. And her fraught relationship with her mother, masterfully revealed, propels the plot.
Another takeaway is to give your character hard choices so that you test your character. I thought it was a tough choice when she has to choose between doing a favor for Paxton by modeling clothes for Paxton’s sister and being there for Eleanor. The right thing to do was to be there for Eleanor, but that’s not what she wanted to do.
Let’s Talk
Have you seen Never Have I Ever? I also love all the subplots (the mom’s, Kamala’s, Fabiola’s and Eleanor’s). What are your favorite scenes? Are you Team Paxton or Ben? And what romcom tips did you take away?
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RomCom Tips from Sweet Home Alabama
Sweet Home Alabama Movie Poster Here are my RomCom tips from SWEET HOME ALABAMA. A friend recommended SWEET HOME ALABAMA; I think I didn’t see it because I was afraid it would idealize the South/Civil War, and it does in parts.
The Love Triangle
Patrick Dempsey is perfect as the Other Guy. Except maybe for his mother. BUT, he loves her and is over-the-top about it: honestly a room full of roses (“one for every time I thought of you”), the proposal at Tiffany’s (ok, actually, I thought that was weird to propose publicly in front of all these store employees, but the thought was good), supports her career, willing to stand up to his mother for her (or is that part of her appeal that she doesn’t appeal to his mother?). But as opposed to the Bellamy of previous posts, he’s the Other Guy with a twist because he could be a viable mate for Reese Witherspoon. As Billy Mernit advises,
“The most effective Bellamy is the one who poses a genuine threat to your central romance, meaning: for maximum triangle tension, design a Mr. or Ms. Wrong who we can believe can actually be a viable mate for your protagonist.”
Writing the Romantic Comedy by Billy Mernit at p. 134.And that adds to the tension. Is she really going to give up Mr. Perfect?
The Character Arc
The character arc of Melanie was also well-done. She’s run from her past and she has to come to terms with it. She has rejected Alabama and chosen New York, but as Jake says, why can’t she have both? And that’s her arc as she comes to realize that she doesn’t have to reject her past to succeed in her future. The scene at the bar where she insults everyone is also well-done because she is flawed and not very likable. And the next few scenes are her making up for those mistakes. And growing.
The Chemistry
The movie succeeds in large part because of the chemistry between Reese Witherspoon and Josh Lucas. Smoking. But the initial scenes also show their tempers and suggest why they have the history they do.
This is one of my favorite scenes–when they have their heart-to-heart talk. And kiss.
Sweet Home Alabama – the scene where they talk honestly She does not have the same chemistry with Andrew. And the fact that she hasn’t told him any of her past is a big red flag. (As it should have been for him.)
The Antagonists
Melanie is probably her own worst antagonist. The conflict between Melanie and Jake is the main driver of the plot. There are also the mothers: her own mother who wants her to stay in New York and marry Andrew, and Andrew’s mother who doesn’t want her son to marry Melanie.
Let’s Talk RomCom Tips
Have you seen SWEET HOME ALABAMA? What are your romcom tips from SWEET HOME ALABAMA? What’s your favorite scene? What did you like about the movie? And did you feel bad for Patrick Dempsey at the end (I did) even though I wanted her to go back to Jake?
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Define Your Comic Character
My mom’s cat Meow Meow — who does not want to be bothered to be a blog star Remember to define your comic character’s wants, needs and fears.
“Once you introduce the comic premise, you need to trust that the characters–their wants, needs and fears–will create more than enough action and plot to keep the narrative rolling along.”
The Comic Hero’s Journey by Steve Kaplan at p. 68.Define Your Character Clearly such that the Reader/Viewer Knows the Character’s Reaction
I attended a great family zoom presentation by Jonathan Aibel (Screenwriter, TROLLS, KUNG FU PANDA) and I asked him his advice for making a script funnier. He said (and I’m paraphrasing because my notes are messy) that usually it’s a matter of knowing your character and defining the character more clearly. And so, the comedy comes from knowing the character’s reaction.
It was a family event, so, afterwards, my daughter said to me, like Monica in FRIENDS being a “neat freak.” As soon as the room is messy, you know Monica wants to clean it and she’s having a hard time controlling herself and not cleaning it. My daughter gave the example of the Friends episode “Ross with the Dirty Girl.” Ross tells Monica about a date he had with a very messy woman, and Monica can’t help herself; she goes over to the woman’s house and offers to clean. In that episode, Ross’s date with the woman is the comic set piece (so funny) and Monica’s coming over afterwards to clean it is the topper.
Or if you think of Becky Bloomwood in Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series, what will Becky do if she’s passing by a 70% sale on scarves, even though she’s late to a meeting?
Create another Character who is the Opposite
As discussed in previous posts, use comic opposites to highlight the differences. If you’ve defined your character, create another character who is the complete opposite. This will immediately introduce conflict. Sophie Kinsella created Becky’s sister, Jess, in Shopaholic & Sister. Jess is the complete opposite with respect to shopping. Jess is thrifty and doesn’t believe in the value of material goods. Sophie Kinsella uses Jess brilliantly again in Christmas Shopaholic to question Christmas commercialism:
“As for presents, no, there is nothing I am ‘hankering after.’ Tom and I will be exchanging non-tangible gifts, in the spirit of creating a minimal footprint on our ravaged earth.
If you can’t shake off the pressure to buy pointless items simply to follow tradition, could I suggest that they are sustainable, non-consumerist, locally sourced presents that reflect the true principles of fellowship rather than the hollow presents of shopping?”
Looking forward to a festive day,
Jess.”
Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella at p.37In SHREK, the donkey is the comic sidekick who wants to befriend Shrek when Shrek thinks he doesn’t need friends. OR think Oscar and Felix in The Odd Couple (to go way back). In TROLLS, it’s dour Harry meets optimistic Sally again.
Let’s Talk
How are you doing? What is your favorite pairing of comic opposites? Do you have any summer beach read recommendations?
Hoping you are doing well.
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Comedy Writing Tip: What Can Go Wrong?
My comedy writing tip is ask the question: What can go wrong? Brainstorm all the possibilities.
Writing guru Jack M. Bickham says:
“He must leave in worse shape than he was when he went in.”
Scene & Structure by Jack M. Bickham at p. 27.And that’s perfect for creating comedy.
The Out-of-Towners Movie Poster What can go wrong?
I just watched THE OUT-OT-TOWNERS (1999), a movie with Goldie Hawn, Steve Martin and John Cleese. HIGHLY recommend. I laughed out loud at several points. John Cleese has some of the best lines.
Goldie Hawn and Steve Martin are flying to New York where the Steve’s character has a job interview. What can go wrong when you are traveling? [SPOILER ALERT]
- Your flight is diverted to another state and there are no other flights in time for your interview
- You miss the train to New York
- The car you rented is defective (or you just can’t figure out how to work it)
- You can’t read the map so you get lost
- A trickster mugs you when you arrive so you have no money
And, all of those things are true-to-life and actual possibilities, but pile them on top of each other, and see how your character reacts. And there you’ve got your comedic plot.
So, if you’re writing a dinner party scene, what can go wrong? Off the top of my head:
- you burn the dinner
- the food is inedible (Bridget Jones Diary, anyone?)
- a drunken guest insults another guest
- hidden history between guests comes out
- a guest is allergic to the food, causing you to have to create another dish on the fly
- the guests get food poisoning
- the napkins bleed, staining something valuable
- your pet throws up (retching noise in the background)
- the neighbors upstairs throw a party, creating a lot of noise, stomping around upstairs.
- fire alarm goes off, such that you all have to evacuate
Some of these are obviously worse than others, but you can see how brainstorming what can go wrong can help build your plot.
Comedy Writing Tip 2: A Flawed Protagonist Makes Bad Decisions
As Evan Smith writes in this brilliant post, “comedy loves bad decisions.” “In many comedies, the lead character is their own worst enemy.” Id. Having the protagonist cause their problems starts their character arc.
Let’s Talk
Can you think of any more bad things that can happen at a dinner party? Or any party? Do you have any comedy writing tips?
Hope you are all doing well and staying safe.