Do Your Best Writing But Remember To Frolic

Oh, I know you want to shake the foundations and rattle the bones, but maybe it is time to stop taking yourself so seriously. Humor doesn't win awards but the right touch imbues your work with humanity.  Heck, it imbues you with humanity. Open your soul to frolicking. 

It's the beginning of the new year. You are probably making plans. You are dreaming dreams. Here's a thought. What would be fun? I mean since when has creative work had to be a drag? You are a dreamer at heart if you want to write. Writing is about making other enter a waking dream. Whimsy is part of every dream I've ever had. So paint the town. Go on a spree. 

Even the best horror is helped by a bit a comedy. This willingness to create a world of shaded values will make your work stand out. Go to your WIP and stare at it.  Ask your main character what would make the good times roll. Let the character tell you this in his or her own voice. Be a diligent scribe and write all the nonsense down. Whoop it up!

Adding humor to work is a little like grabbing ahold of the rope swing at the swimming hole. The rope burns as you swing out over the reflective water and then let go. For a few seconds, you are airborne until you plunge into the shockingly cold pool. This water floods your ears and shoots up your nose. You know you are alive. You break the water's surface with shouts of laughter.

Perhaps that is the best part of adding humor to the mix. It makes the everyday boring moments of life bearable. It makes your writing breathe. 

Finally, don't just add humor to your fiction. Add it to your life. I hope as you plan for your new year, you make room for fun. Insert time to laugh. Take time to cultivate grins. If your schedule leaves no margins for doodling, dancing, and dreaming, you are missing the mark. Stop being so uptight.

Do your best work this year, but remember to have a good time. Laissez les bon temps rouler. Please take this to heart. 

Here is a doodle for you.

Here is a quote for your pocket:

Everyone needs a fantasy. Andy Warhol

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Rattle Readers -- Make'em laugh.

Hi folks, I'm continuing my series called Rattle Readers. I'm exploring the emotional landscape of books, and this week I'm going to chat about making readers laugh.

First off, laughter isn't far from tears. If you can pull off both in the same book, you are drawing close to revealing life as it truly is. Laughter is about the utterly or obviously senseless. It hits what is illogical and contrary to all reason.  Laughter bubbles up when common sense flaps in the wind. We laugh at the foolish, irrational, and disorderly, especially in the light of close relationships. We laugh at the meaningless. I think it's the slant that's important. In dark places, the author heals our heart by pointing out the humor in the situation.

I love to laugh when reading. Plenty of authors have made me laugh and I love them for it. A few come to mind: Douglas Adams' THE HITCHHIKERS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY is one great laugh-my-head-off memories. I'm sure I laughed so hard I fell off my bed more than once. Another book was Louis Sachar's SIDEWAYS STORIES FROM WAYSIDE SCHOOL; this one snuck up on me. I was like ho-hum for like eight chapters, but by chapter 30, I was laughing so hard I spit. Another book that made me laugh so much I slipped out my chair was THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie.  I get the life of poverty, the ridiculous stuff you put up with when you are one the outcasts of society. Sometimes, if you don't figure out a way to laugh, your heart won't function anymore.

I believe that books make me laugh when the author reveals the impossible truth. This takes a sense of humor; an author who can ease the confrontation in the world has a real gift. You might offend people; a good laugh doesn't sugar coat life. You must write what you think is ridiculous in the everyday. Uncover the absurd about life. Reframe tragedy. The best humorous books will make readers laugh and cry. Think about this: Trade mourning for joy. Laughter may be the only thing that gives your characters the strength to endure and will be the gift that is passed on to your reader to alleviate tension in their lives. A secret, you  get to fall out of chair laughing before your readers.

Laughter is powerful and leading and must be used with care. I don't laugh at belittling others. Laughter for me is about uncovering joy in the darkness. Your story will give your readers an island of happy, a place to escape to.  Laughter  helps us dream or dream again. It is a way to reframe all the stupid circumstances the universe has given us. Laughter is relief that danger is over and the promise that good things are to come.  I think laughter is about bonding with each other about the human condition. We are not alone. No.

I hope that you will consider making readers laugh as you write. I'll be back next week with a new series called: SOUL INSPIRATION. Meanwhile, seize the day!


Here is this week's doodle. I call this:  "Woman 2."

Here's a quote for your pocket.

If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane. Robert Frost

Day 10 of the Golden Coffee Cup: Trudi Truet -- Humor

Yes, we are at day 10 of the Golden Coffee Cup. Hopefully you are ahead with your goals and deserve some holy snappin'. Snap! Snap! Snap! If not, don't panic. We still have two thirds of the Golden Coffee Cup to go. Ramp up your efforts or consider revising your goals. The GCC is about keeping it real.

No clue what a Golden Coffee Cup is? Click here.

Today we have a hanging in there doodle high five from Trudi Trueit.


Trudi is also pouring out the daily hot java. She's revved up for the Golden Coffee Cup this year and is working on a new middle grade fiction novel.

Trudi writes about her doodle: It sort of sums up why I became a writer - angst, so much angst! It was either be a writer or a comedian and since public speaking makes me throw up I figured everyone's clothes were much safer with me writing. Humor books for kids are some of my favorite books to write, because humor is so vital to life. Laughter helps us get through the hard times, learn about ourselves, and step out of our pain to reach out to others.

So, true, Trudi. Honestly, folks, laughter is the only thing that keeps me sane! Thanks for the affirmation!

Trudi also sends three tibits of inspiration for you:

1) Take the work seriously but not yourself.
2) A writer is not defined by the binding, or lack of one (I was a writer long before I got published).
3) Keep your sense of humor. Who knows? One day you may actually get paid to use it!

Now for the SHOUTOUT! If you want to learn more about Trudi, check out her blog, her website, and her author page at Simon and Schuster, (At this site Trudi says: I have answered a TON of trivial personal questions like, 'if you were a bird, what sound would you make?' Okay, it's not that bad but close.)

Hope you use that sense of humor today. See ya tomorrow for the next hot cup of java to spur you on with your goals.

People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily. Zig Zigler

Day 4 of the Golden Coffee Cup: Make Em Laugh!

Yippee! Another day with no mistakes in it! Keep going Golden Coffee Cuppers! You've made a great start.

No clue what a Golden Coffee Cup is? Click here.

Today's high five comes from the talented and funny Jeff Kinney author of DIARY OF A WIMPY KID and the sequels. He's a genius at making people laugh.


If you've got time check out this awesome interview with Jeff. He chats about real life stuff like how to stop wasting time and focus on what is really important. That's a lesson for all of us. I think that we need to do what we love. Please, please, make room for that today!

I think almost all art can use some humor. Take a lesson from the Road Runner and smash the Wylie Coyote of your story. Pour on the pain. That can be really funny. Hey, add the unexpected too. Destroy the Earth to put in an Intergalactic Highway. That's unexpected. Don't forget to lie your head off. We have a self proclaimed liar among us, Benjamin James Watson. And, ya, he's as funny as spit. Hanging out with funny bones can make you funnier.

A couple of more funny quick tips: Don't forget to be punny. And always search out the scientifcal intrestingness of writingful enterpression.

I hope you find a reason to laugh today, and that that finds its way into your work. :)

See you tomorrow. Molly

A keen sense of humor helps us to overlook the unbecoming, understand the unconventional, tolerated the unpleasant, overcome the unexpected, and outlast the unbearable. Billy Graham

Day 25 of the Golden Coffee Cup: Absurd

Today's friendly high five comes from the spirit of the hilarious Douglas Adams.



Douglas Adams is the first voice I ever heard that looked around and asked some fairly decent questions. "WHAT? WHY! You've got to be kidding me. What the blankety, blank, blank?(You fill in the blanks.)I remember the pure joy of reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It was one of those books that makes you laugh and laugh as you turn the pages. Adams was my literary guide to the absurdity of life.

That's it, folks. There are these absurd moments in life, like yesterday morning when I was reaching for my cup of tea, and my laptop was sitting on an uneven surface. I hit my computer with my elbow. As I turned back from the tea to steady the laptop, I moved too fast and my computer tipped up and smashed against my lip. My lip began to bleed. I didn't know if I should laugh or cry. Another similar kind of moment, I used to love to drive to town. There was the intersection where I would stop and on clear days see a beautiful view of the Olympics. Now I can see the view of "A Contained Storage Facility." I mean, really.

Mr. Adams gave voice to this lack of rationality and order that surrounds us. I think exploring the absurd can bring vim and vigor to our work. You might try that today.

I totally struggled with which video clip to share. I finally settled on this one.



And now some excellent sage advice from a "pretty good" writer:

I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.
Douglas Adams

Last of all, think about attending the Seattle Kid-Lit Drink Night (I'm pretty sure that Douglas Adams would have been all in for an event like this)...

"Did you do Molly Blaisdell’s Golden Coffee Cup Challenge? NANOWRIMO? Did you make any kind of writing and/or illustrating goal in November?

If you hit the jackpot…if you plodded along…even if you didn’t take a single step…come to celebrate and hang out with your peers at our own Kidlit Drink Night! November 30th at Broadway Grill in Seattle (on Broadway in Capitol Hill, across from the QFC – 328-7000) at 5:30pm. Cash bar. Molly will be giving out the Golden Coffee Cup awards (Don't worry if you're from out of town, you don't have to be present to win. "

Street parking is available, or you can park at QFC for a small parking fee (or get your ticket validated by making a purchase).

Questions? Go to Holly Cupala's blog or ask me. :) Hope to see you!
Posted by MollyMom103 at 6:00 AM 0 comments

Novel Writing: Humor Me

I'm spending a few weeks sharing tips and observations about novel writing. This week I'm going to focus on one of my favorite topics: humor. I've read many novels and believe over and over that light touches of humor would have improved the stories.

What is humor? I think in the simplest terms it is the ability of people, objects, situations or words to make us experience amusement or happiness. I do think that humor is really about touching the the universal incongruities that are connections between us all. Think about this quote from Jane Austen. "For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors and laugh at them in our turn?" Just so, Jane. Just so. Humor is something decidedly human. It's the slant in our worldview that brings much needed levity into our lives. We need that light in our stories.

Consider. It is hard to make someone laugh, especially without the support of any visual enhancement, like rolled eyes, yuk-yuks or guffaws. Still, this kind of writing is generally considered base and inconsequential. Humorous books usually don't win awards, but they do win the hearts of readers. I still have a dog-eared copy of Douglas Adams's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in my favorite books box under my bed. Destroying the Earth to make room for an interstellar highway touches the universal inside me. We all connect with the idea of paving paradise and putting up a parking lot. I'm still laughing.

How do we incorporate humor into our books? Think of a book as a hand of cards, one played after another. The best writers are aware that jokers are lurking in the deck. Think about this first line of a book that is serious as a heart attack, Feed. "We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck." This line haunts me and makes me laugh at the same time. In Feed by M. T. Anderson nails the mix of humor and tragedy that is a spot on reflection of life. His observation certainly touches the universal feeling within us all that the great adventure of our life has often turned out to suck. As a collective we can connect with that idea. This is the heart of humor.

Humor relieves intense pain. Humor binds people together. Humor brings us together to laugh and play. It is an emotional response that is derived from the power of words. Our response to humor is instinctive. It is a response to the social nature of the human condition. Our minds search for patterns within stories. Think about this familiar pattern: Boy gets girl; boy loses girl. Boy gets girl again. Now let's disrupt the pattern: Boy gets girl; boy loses girl. Girl kicks boy's ass. The disruption of the pattern creates an opportunity for humor. Look for places to surprise your reader. When a familiar connection is disrupted and an alternative unexpected new link is created, the result can be a big laugh.

Look for opportunities to twist the familiar patterns. Step into satire. Try to get more out of humor by adding a barb of the writer's firm belief to that one liner. You can generate humor by approving of things you really wish to attack. Don't underestimate the power of humor.

Wow, I've got a lot to say about this topic! I'll write more about the nuts and bolts of generating a laugh later. I hope that you have found something here that will bring power to your storytelling. Think about it. Write it. Make them laugh.

When we are born we cry that we are come to this great stage of fools.
William Shakespeare