37
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Mixing humour with horror in fiction
Horror works on building tension. Humour breaks it. On the face of it, you've got two cardinally opposed directions here. How do you mix the two?
First, there's gallows humour. Gallows humour doesn't ...
35
votes
Accepted
Is there a name for the technique in songs/poems, where the rhyming pattern primes the listener for a certain line, which never comes?
I believe it would just be called a teasing rhyme, or more widely a mind rhyme. As in the link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_rhyme:
Mind rhyme is the suggestion of a rhyme which is left unsaid ...
- 436
23
votes
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How can I write humor as character trait?
You prevent writing a comic-relief character by making them essential to the mission. And not shallow or dumb.
Give him a skill (besides punning) that the others value, or even a trait: Perhaps he ...
- 100k
18
votes
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Does having too many humorous scenes make the readers unable to take the plot seriously?
In a novel-length work, there is almost always room for some humour. I'd say the trick is to choose the right type, and in the right places.
Be the right kind of funny
If you've seen it, think of ...
- 1,192
18
votes
How to do reference jokes right?
When telling a subtle joke, always provide your reader with enough details to research your allusion if they want to...
"Watch your step, there could be even more of these."
"More?" ████ was still ...
- 10.8k
17
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Sense of humor in your sci-fi stories
There's a long history of humour in sci-fi, ranging from wry observation and irony through parody to blue humour and even slapstick. Authors such as Philip K. Dick, Alfred Bester, Michael Moorcock, ...
13
votes
Mixing humour with horror in fiction
There's nothing fundamentally wrong with mixing genres. But like many things in writing, the issue is, do you do it well or poorly.
Of course I haven't read the story you wrote for your creative ...
- 25.5k
12
votes
Mixing humour with horror in fiction
There's a difference between what might be acceptable in an academic program, to the specific requirements of the teacher, and what might do well on the open market. The plain fact is that the comedy-...
- 56.5k
11
votes
Mixing humour with horror in fiction
The Novel is the author's world and only the author's
Personally I don't see a problem in mixing genres like that. I think, that most genres could handle a bit of mixing with other genres. What is so ...
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10
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How can I write humor as character trait?
To give two examples to @Amadeus' excellent answer, take a look at the characters of Marco from Animorphs and Sokka from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Both were comic relief characters on their face, ...
- 13.5k
8
votes
Accepted
How to make innocent jokes
Many writers have a weakness for wordplay and puns, which are typically inoffensive (although they don't have to be). Whether or not these are tiring is very individual to the reader.
A higher ...
- 56.5k
8
votes
How do I contrast the thought processes of different characters in one scene?
I should think that alternating paragraphs should be enough, as long as the tone/ voice that each character uses has been sufficiently different.
It's not too dissimilar to two different people having ...
- 5,250
8
votes
Mixing humour with horror in fiction
I would start with the same premise that Galastel mentions in a previous answer - that horror and humor are both about tension. However, I don't think they are opposed. In fact, both horror and ...
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8
votes
Mixing humour with horror in fiction
There should be no problem with mixing genres. Genres are merely a publishing convention. That being said, some readers will dislike it, especially horror and humor.
However, one of my favorite ...
- 1,559
8
votes
How can I write humor as character trait?
For me, the annoying thing about "funny" characters is where that the humour gets injected artificially, and for some reason they decide they have to tell a joke out of nowhere. That's great for a ...
- 2,294
8
votes
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Is it possible to write a serious story without any humour?
Yes, but it would be highly unrealistic. The reason humor exists is it's a coping mechanism... people make jokes to deal with uncomfortable topics or get through fears. It's not that it detracts ...
- 13.5k
7
votes
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Is it ok to make fun of gender stereotypes?
Including some light sexist banter is acceptable if it serves your story. Including some heavier sexist, racist, homophobic or any other hate-derived dialog would also be acceptable as long as it ...
- 10.8k
7
votes
How to do reference jokes right?
This is a basic problem with any allusion, the audience needs to understand the reference to get the full impact. If you have a narrowly targeted audience, and you aren't worried about your piece ...
- 56.5k
7
votes
How much humour is effective in technical documentation?
Humor implies an intimacy and casualness that's typically not appropriate for technical communications. Whether it's a tense bug-fix or something-broke-on-me situation like Mark Baker describes, an ...
- 181
7
votes
How much humour is effective in technical documentation?
The general rule in tech comm is to avoid humor, and I think the main points of consideration are: audience, context, and localization - if you're considering this at all.
Speaking specifically ...
- 416
7
votes
Is this easter egg too obvious?
I think this depends on the time period of your story; if somebody recognizes those names as Nirvana but your story is set in medieval times or a fantasy world, this could jerk them out of any ...
- 100k
7
votes
How do you prevent whiplash when transitioning between comedy and tragedy?
Whiplash is a physical injury caused by your body moving in one direction then very suddenly switching to another. To a degree that can only come from something like a severe car accident.
The ...
- 32.4k
7
votes
Sense of humor in your sci-fi stories
There isn't a general answer to your question. Humor in story stories and novels, regardless of genre, is a function of the author's sense of humor, and the traits of the characters in their stories. ...
- 11.2k
6
votes
Writing witty/funny characters with deadpan humor
I am not 100% sure of what deadpan humor is. I think it is part sarcasm, and part serious. The sort of thing that could be missed especially if written. So, you need tags.
Try making it part of ...
- 23.8k
6
votes
Is it possible to write a serious story without any humour?
Probably not.
You can certainly write a story without any intentional humour, but you can never rule out the possibility of your audience finding comedy in something that wasn't intended to be comedic,...
- 10.8k
5
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Mixing humour with horror in fiction
The problem is that you are mixing two fundamentally different genres. If I want to read a funny story I am not in the mood for horror - I want jokes and the problem of not laughing out while on the ...
- 5,736
5
votes
Mixing humour with horror in fiction
The problem with combining comedy with horror is that it is very difficult to combine both elements in the same entity. Fear and laughter are emotions which cancel each other out. When you make ...
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