I’m a sucker for descriptions that help me smell, taste, feel, or otherwise visualize a location. William Kent Kreuger does it better than anyone in his novel This Tender Land, and I tried to capture some of that in my own novel Suddenly Rural Girl. Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson do it well throughout theirContinue reading “Good Descriptions and Figurative Language (Peter and the Star Catchers)”
Tag Archives: #Wisconsin
A Touch of Humor. (Peter and the Star Catchers)
Let’s take a look at a few more passages from Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson in their Peter and the Star Catchers series. These are a few that made me chuckle. The Pearson/Barry combination expertly sneaks humor into passages throughout the novels. I’ll post a few of my favorite quotes from the book here andContinue reading “A Touch of Humor. (Peter and the Star Catchers)”
Physicality in Peter and the Star Catchers
Peter and the Star Catchers, and the subsequent novels by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson are treats, especially for those who fell in love with the story of Peter Pan years ago. It’s the first of their prequel novels, and the Pearson/Barry combination expertly weaves all of the magic and playfulness into a story thatContinue reading “Physicality in Peter and the Star Catchers”
Writing Funny: Rewrite your Joke
I’m nearly done with my comic thriller, The Worst Thing About Sam, I wanted to re-post some of these “Writing Funny” tips I pulled together along the way: Your clever line may be hilarious–but if you tweak it (or twerk it, depending on your audience), it could be funnier. First, and always, consider your audience.Continue reading “Writing Funny: Rewrite your Joke”
Writing Funny: It’s all about the…
… timing. Got a few more of these “Writing Funny” tips that stood out: Truly, I think this this is what makes writing funny more difficult than performing funny. In a performance, you can hold for a split-second to be sure the audience is following before hitting them with the punchline. Then, you can stop,Continue reading “Writing Funny: It’s all about the…”
The Scent of a Good Story (Peter and the Star Catchers)
Peter and the Star Catchers, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson is a treat, especially for those who fell in love with the story of Peter Pan years ago. It’s the first of their prequal novels, and the Pearson/Barry combination expertly weave all of the magic and playfulness into a story that explains the magicContinue reading “The Scent of a Good Story (Peter and the Star Catchers)”
Writing Funny: Horror Stories are Easy
I’m nearly done with my comic thriller, The Worst Thing About Sam, so I wanted to re-post some of these “Writing Funny” tips I pulled together along the way: Sad and scary things are universal. Evolution and Emotion have teamed up to make the dark-and-unknown scary and death-and-dying sad. Things that make us laugh isContinue reading “Writing Funny: Horror Stories are Easy”
Writing Funny: Surprise People
I’m nearly done with my comic thriller, The Worst Thing About Sam, so I wanted to re-post some of these “Writing Funny” tips I pulled together along the way: Twists and Reversals are great ways to get laughs–and to scare the daylights out of folks. For the grin, let the underdog overcome the Goliath orContinue reading “Writing Funny: Surprise People”
Writing Funny: Comfort & Affliction
I’m nearly done with my comic thriller, The Worst Thing About Sam, so I wanted to re-post some of these “Writing Funny” tips I pulled together along the way: No one wants to see the innocent child beaten down, but most of us do like too see the tables turned on the bully, so s/heContinue reading “Writing Funny: Comfort & Affliction”
Writing Funny: Traits of Comedic Characters
I’m nearly done with my comic thriller, The Worst Thing About Sam, so I wanted to re-post some of these “Writing Funny” tips I pulled together along the way: Stereotypes are real. We all carry them and we represent that remark. If we’re wise or well-disciplined, we don’t take action on them–moving from stereotyping toContinue reading “Writing Funny: Traits of Comedic Characters”
Lunatics: Two Authors & A Ludicrous Story
Dave Barry and Alan Zweibel tag-teamed in 2012 for this novel, and it was a fun one . . . if you can suspend your disbelief again and again and again. I can. I enjoyed the repeated and unbelievable twists and turns. As I outlined in some previous posts, writing funny involves exaggeration, grotesqueness, shock,Continue reading “Lunatics: Two Authors & A Ludicrous Story”
Writing Funny: Startled into laughter.
You’ve probably stood behind a corner, smiling, waiting to jump out and scare the daylights out of your wife, friend, or maybe your dog. That anticipation, the quiet-laugh-while-you-wait for something to happen is one of the “causes of laughter.” It’s because you anticipate the shock they’ll experience (knowing it won’t REALLY hurt them). Shock canContinue reading “Writing Funny: Startled into laughter.”