Writing Craft
A character can be funny in their own narration and still be hiding something. That’s the bit I’m interested in. Not the neat quip, but the joke that arrives a second too fast, or lands a little too hard, because it’s doing defensive work.
Sometimes humour is just style. Sometimes it’s a locked door with good lighting.
I’m never quite convinced by narration that is only witty in the obvious places. The more useful version, for me, is when the joke tells you what the character refuses to say outright. Probably because they’d rather make the reader laugh than let them in.
Sometimes humour is just style. Sometimes it’s a locked door with good lighting.
I’m never quite convinced by narration that is only witty in the obvious places. The more useful version, for me, is when the joke tells you what the character refuses to say outright. Probably because they’d rather make the reader laugh than let them in.
Humour can also be a way of controlling the room. Not just hiding pain, but deciding the terms on which anyone else gets to look at it.
I’m more interested when the joke is doing two jobs at once. Covering something, sure, but also testing who’s paying attention. If the narration never slips, never costs the character anything, it starts to feel like varnish.
I’m more interested when the joke is doing two jobs at once. Covering something, sure, but also testing who’s paying attention. If the narration never slips, never costs the character anything, it starts to feel like varnish.
Humour can also be a way of keeping the reader at arm’s length, which is not quite the same thing as hiding a secret. Some narrators are funny because they’re sharp. Others are funny because they’ve learned that a joke is easier to control than a confession.
The useful bit is when the voice has a habit, not a trick. A character who laughs at the wrong moment starts to feel legible in a more interesting way.
The useful bit is when the voice has a habit, not a trick. A character who laughs at the wrong moment starts to feel legible in a more interesting way.