Gah. Deadlines looming. Blog-post will be forth-coming soon. I hope. Meanwhile, have a cute kitty picture from when I had my feline houseguest.
Or, why this blog isn’t funny.
It’s not that I don’t have a sense of humour (I do, and I prefer funny to dramatic any day) or that I’m not witty occasionally. I grew up exchanging witticisms with an accomplished Shakespeare impersonator, though I usually “lost” the battle of words. To be fair, I was only seven or eight. I just can’t seem to inject humour into my writing however. At least, nothing I write strikes me as funny, unless it’s in that “Oh my god I can’t believe I wrote that, someone please shoot me and end the embarrassment” sort of funny.
One way to do humour is parody. This type of funny I have managed on several occasions, but each time I become afraid to try it again. Sure, I managed to make Scarlett nearly pee her pants on a bus once, but I wasn’t really trying. It was probably a fluke or something. I know, they say that the only failure is never even trying, but I think they’re wrong. I mean, what’s worse than promising laughs and then forgetting to bring the funny?
Barring humour, I wouldn’t mind succeeding at light-hearted. Currently, the only novel I have which might qualify for the insertion of a touch of light-heartedness is Sioned’s Tale. The short story, “A Mechanical Misadventure” is meant to be light-hearted and a little silly. I also have some plans for a novel in which one of the main characters is a cat, which will doubtless increase the opportunity for levity and perhaps some humour since we all know that cats are playful creatures, many of whom like to make silly jokes with bad spelling and grammar.
The problem with humour is that what some find funny, others find offensive and what some find incomprehensible others find uproariously witty. Nor is it something which can be exactly quantified. It requires a deft, almost instinctive understanding of timing, and I’ve never been very good with rhythm.
I suppose you could consider this blog post my opening salvo in a conscious attempt to be more amusing. I think I need more ammunition.
Thought for the Week: “The secret to humour is surprise.” Aristotle
Currently Reading: Pyramids by Terry Pratchett
A bit of fluff while I desperately try to finish this blasted first draft.
Some time ago my good friend and fellow writer Geoffrey from Misanthropology101 blogged about what was on his desk and why. I thought the topic was rather interesting, and since all great writers steal from other writers, I promptly decided to appropriate it. I feel sure Geoffrey would approve. I quickly fell into a dilemma however. Which desk do I write about? My actual desk upstairs, which I haven’t actually written at for months? Or the dining room table where I occasionally sit when I need to really get stuff done? Or the couch and coffee-table, which is where most of my writing is actually done? The desk and dining room table are both snowed under by books for the most part. So let’s have a look at the coffee-table and my nest on the couch. Besides my Macbook and the assorted wires associated with it, there are:
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As promised, I am providing the link to the magazine containing my story. It is the second story in the 4th Words Undone Magazine.
I have to say, when I got my electronic version this morning (authors get an electronic copy, and it is purchasable in both electronic and dead-tree forms) and actually saw my story in its final form, I was pretty thoroughly thrilled. Now, I just have to manage to concentrate on writing for the rest of the day, somehow!
Another erotica novel.
This week has been full of good news, both about writing and other parts of life. One of the pieces of good news is that the amazing Scarlett sold her second book, which I beta’ed for her. This one features my favorite character she’s ever written, so I’ve been almost as eagerly awaiting its sale as she has. In honor of this happy occasion, I thought I’d talk a bit about her first book today, Long Time Coming.
Warning: Below the cut I talk about Erotic Romance. If such things offend you or you are underage in your country of residence please do not click through.
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Buttons and Things
