Payton A
asked
Kevin Sands:
Since The Blackthorn Key series is my absolute favorite series at the moment, what is your number 1 tip for writing comedy? All of the books in the series make me laugh out loud and I have a sense of humor but I'm not sure how to write it?
Kevin Sands
This is a very difficult question to answer, because I find humor and jokes more of an instinctive thing—I don’t really think about creating them; they just sort of pop into my head, and I think it’s funny, so I put it in.
The one big tip I could give is that all humor relies on what people call “timing”: essentially, the pacing and delivery of a line. In a book, in general, I’ve found shorter is better. Punchier sentences, pauses, someone does an about face, that sort of thing. The rhythm of the lines are important, too. Reading them out loud can really show whether the way it’s written is funny or not.
The one big tip I could give is that all humor relies on what people call “timing”: essentially, the pacing and delivery of a line. In a book, in general, I’ve found shorter is better. Punchier sentences, pauses, someone does an about face, that sort of thing. The rhythm of the lines are important, too. Reading them out loud can really show whether the way it’s written is funny or not.
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