Melodie
Writing Comedy – and Loving It!
By
Melodie Campbell
“I
had the flu once. It was terrible. I couldn’t eat a thing for three hours.”
I hope you giggled at that line. I think it’s one of my best. And yes, I am a tad fond of eating. In fact, you could list it as my major hobby.
My name is Melodie Campbell, and I write
comedies. (This is a self-help
group, right?) Sure I’d like to kick the
habit and write a ‘real’ book with literary merit.
Okay, so that’s a lie. Leave ROWENA AND THE DARK LORD behind? Not write a sequel? I’m starting to hyperventilate. Actually, I love writing comedies. It’s in my blood.
A GREEK MASK
Some people are born beautiful. But most of us aren’t and we look for ways to
survive the slings and arrows of life.
Sometimes we choose to hide behind a mask. That Greek Comedy mask was the one I picked
way back.
As a means of self-preservation in the cruel
world of teenagers, I looked for the ‘funny.’
More often than not, I made fun of myself. This was easy to do. I knew the target well and there was a wealth
of material. And it didn’t hurt anyone
else, so people liked it.
When I left school and had a ‘real’ job,
I started writing stand-up on the side.
I rarely delivered it – usually I wrote for others. That led to a
regular newspaper humour column, and more.
So when it came to writing fantasy novels,
I fell back into ‘safe mode’. Write it funny.
IT’S AN ADDICTION
Worse than chocolate and foreign Counts…
Comedy writers take a situation, and ask themselves ‘what’s the worst
thing that could happen now?’ And then,
what’s the funniest?
But why do it? Why does an
otherwise sane individual write zany and some might say silly comedy, and risk
the inevitable hit from critics who say your book is without great literary
merit?
One reason, and one reason only: many
readers love it. Their comments and
reviews are heart-lifting. I’ve
lightened their day with adventure and laughter, and in some cases given them a
story they can escape into, over and over again. It’s all about readers.
Excerpt
from Rowena and the Dark Lord
I was
beginning to get a very bad feeling.
“Did you
volunteer for this job?”
“Yes.” Howard
was now relieving himself off to my right.
“Why?” My voice was perhaps a little
harsh.
“To get out
of fighting, of course. Everyone says there’s going to be a big battle. It
seemed like a good time to leave the castle.”
I rolled my
eyes. So now I had a complete newbie horse dude who was also a coward to look
after on this trip. Howard the Coward. Lucky me.
“Can we sit
for a bit? I’m exhausted.” He plunked down on the grass. Then he sprang up
again.
“Ow! Ow!
Ow!” He ran around in circles.
“What is
it?” I watched in amazement.
“A bee! I
sat on a bee.”
“Are you
sure it’s a bee?” I said, crossing my arms. “Maybe it was a wasp.”
“Does it
matter?” He was jumping up and down.
“Well, if
it’s a wasp, you’re okay. If it’s a bee, the stinger will still be stuck in
you. So when you sit down again…”
“Ahhh!! Take
it out! Get it out!” He lifted his tunic and bent over.
Ick.
I turned
away. “I am so not doing that.”
Melodie
Campbell achieved a personal best this year when Library Journal compared her to Janet Evanovich. She has over 200 publications, including 100
comedy credits, 40 short stories, and 4 novels. She has won 6 awards for
fiction. www.melodiecampbell.com
Enter for a $50 Amazon gift certificate and
15 book Giveaway! Free! Deadline May 10 www.funnygirlmelodie.blogspot.ca
ROWENA
AND THE DARK LORD, book 2 in the Land’s End series,
is NOW AVAILABLE at the special introductory price of .99! (regular price
$3.99, after May 1.) Buy Link:
And the one that started it all: ROWENA THROUGH THE WALL, book 1 in the
Land’s End series
I disagree with those critics who say you can't write funny and literary. Oh, haven't they read Twain? Or Cervantes. Swift? John Irving, for crying out loud. Go ahead, Melodie--keep us laughing. A good belly laugh is better than most medicine.
ReplyDeleteI love writing funny, too. It's more realistic, don't you think? We humans get so caught up on "being" someone, we lose track of our humanity and some of the things that sets us apart from animals--being able to laugh at ourselves.
ReplyDeleteWhat a hoot! I love Rowena and the Dark Lord!
ReplyDeleteI love writing humor. And boy do I know the cover you get in high school if you can be the funny one! Although yelling "Bite me!" in a busy school hall in a strict Marine Corps Base high school in the innocent 1960's had less comedic value with The Powers That Be, than you'd guess.
I also love writing humor, but it's a chancey kind of thing. Not everybody shares the same sense of humor and what I think is funny may not tickle a reader's fancy.
ReplyDeleteOkay, Melody, I need to get your books! I love Janet E -- how great that Library Journal compared your work to hers. Kudos to you!
ReplyDeleteI love funny and I hadn't met Melodie before. Thanks for the introduction.
ReplyDelete