Anatomy of Fiction: Reading Group For Writers

Welcome to Anatomy of Fiction: Reading Group for Writers.

Your hosts for the group include Heliotrope, and Devor.

January/February's topic of discussion will be "Writing Funny."

What is Comic Fantasy?​

Probably the lightest of all fantasy sub-genres, Humorous or Comic Fantasy is fun first, fantasy second. Basically, it just presents a fresh and interesting environment that will generate fresh and interesting humor.

A hallmark of this type is the heavy use of puns and parodies of other works. This can take many forms: making fun of the genre itself is probably the easiest target, because most other fantasy takes itself so very seriously. Another technique is to add ridiculous elements to tropes, such as a magic sword that talks, but only when spoken to politely or some such thing. Giving protagonists an exaggerated flaw that introduces some difficulty in achieving or maintaining the expected hero's bearing can be quite funny, but many times the hero himself plays the “straight man” in these stories, while the other characters are made ridiculous.

The action usually takes place in an imaginary world, although medieval settings are ripe for humor as well.

- See more at: Comic Fantasy | Best Fantasy Books

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Could your WIP stand to be a bit more funny? Does it perhaps take itself too seriously? Are you looking for ways to inject a bit of comic relief?

Join our discussion next month on how to write funny!

This theme's reading list includes:

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galexy by Douglas Adams

The Princess Bride by Willian Goldman

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman/ Terry Pratchett

Choose one, choose two, or read them all and join in the conversation starting January 1st.

*(What is this group? https://mythicscribes.com/forums/su...fiction-reading-group-writers.html#post253647 )

 

Me too! I ordered my books on Amazon today!

 

Yeah. So starting in January I'll post some articles or perhaps even podcasts that address the theme of "writing funny," as well as some broad talking points on topics such as:
- Comedic Irony
- Developing comedic characters through using only one or two-dimensional characters
- using the setting in comedic ways
- using satire

You get the idea.

We've limited the reading choices to three books that are different enough in scope that they offer a variety, while still under the umbrella of "comedy."

The point is that if a person chooses to read only one book there will be others in the group who are reading the same book, and if someone chooses to read more than one then they can compare and contrast.

 

All the extra stuff is optional. Not homework. The point is that those who wish to delve more into the "how to's" can, while those who just wish to talk books can do that. No pressure. No assignments.

The point though is to look at specific themes, read how master author's adress those themes (like comedy) and disuss how we can apply those strategies to our own material.

 

I can't think of one in fantasy, specifically, but The Martian may be an example of a strictly funny book, as in not satirical, just using the voice of a funny character? Is this more what you mean?

Probably Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut would be another example.

Many of the Harry Potter books have humourous characters as well.

The reasoning behind the book choices was that if group members were only able to fit in one of the books then they could choose one that fit their interests, but it would be similar enough in theme to the others that the discussion topics would relate. For the next theme, which we will put to a vote by the members, we can maybe talk about if we want to have more diversity in the books.

This time around Devor and I thought it appropriate to choose one well known, classic fantasy (for those interested in such a thing) with A Princess Bride, a, non-fantasy though still well-known novel in Hitchhiker's Guide, and then something still fantasy but far less traditional with Good Omens.

*Edit: I find that Middle Grades has a wide variety of funny fantasy books that are not satirical,

Return to Exile by E.J. Patton comes to mind.

Phineas T. Pimiscule was not what you'd call an "attractive" man. He wasn't "desirable" or "appealing". He didn't like "things" or do "stuff" or "wash" himself. He was not the kind of guy to "put" "quotation" "marks" around "words" or to say things in an unassuming or assuming way.

He was the kind of guy who wore a monocle.

 

PS - Skip, you already have interesting questions and discussion points.... (I had to look up Meta-comedy) and since you have already read all the books it would be great to have you join in the discussions!

And if you feel like maybe you want to help us co-host on the next round that would be great too, Devor and I are just flying by the seat of our pants at this point

 

Ok, anytime then? If anyone has a suggestion for the next theme they can pm me or post it here?

 

If anyone has a book suggestion that matches a theme that would be great too!

For expo heavy done right I might suggest:

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez?

Nobel prize winner
Expo heavy
Magical realism

 

Or Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut? Hmmmmm... Could be an interesting theme...