February 2008 Newsletter

HUMOR

Man, am I setting myself up with this topic. There is nothing less funny than writing about humor. I was a standup comic for years, and every once in a while after a show, some dude would come up to me wanting to discuss my act. Smiling through clenched teeth I would cringe while listening to this numbskull intellectualize the utterly mysterious process of getting laughs.

And now I will attempt to do the same. I’ll be brief.

Of course, humor is not relegated to stories that are supposed to be funny. Humor is an aspect of humanity, and in writing, it is the sign of a curious and insightful writer. I don’t mean one-liners. I’m talking about having a feeling sense of your story, of appreciating the madness of life and approaching it with a certain detachment. If the story is grim and the voice is entirely grim, playing the same haunting note, we are unlikely to be moved. We need air. Humor connects us and ironically allows us to plunge deeper into the drama. Shakespeare was vitally aware of this. (Look, I’m telling you what Shakespeare was thinking – I’m such a name-dropper!) Humor opens our hearts and draws us in so that we can truly be affected by the story.