Go ahead…make me laugh
I’ve been working on some new story ideas lately. I think it’s making me a little crazy. Going back and forth between contemporary/historical/paranormal romances (I write all three) and some special nonromance side projects is giving me a serious case of writer’s whiplash. But the one thing I can’t get away from is that I want all my stories to be FUNNY. Not The Three Stooges funny (aka, debatably funny) or There’s Something About Mary funny (aka, raunchily funny…which is admittedly sometimes just the ticket), but funny, all the same.
The good news is, humor comes naturally to me. I can’t help but see things in a weird way. This includes my characters, plot setups, potential complications…the whole nine yards. The trouble is that romantic comedies have fallen on serious hard times lately. Over the past few years, romantic comedies have become the rail-riding hobos of romances. Those of us who love writing them have been sidelined into bundling our jokes in a bandanna on a stick, shoving our frothy situations in our oversize pockets, and shuffling off to find our fortunes elsewhere…or not. Because of market changes, a few hilarious and talented writers have taken up more serious writing (kudos to them, but I can’t bring the drama!). A few have twisted their books and hooks to find new markets. And a few (sadly) have fallen by the wayside.
But I think it’s okay essential to bring the funny back to romances, and here are a few reasons why:
(1) A funny romance won’t make you cry (even when you’re PMSing!) OR freak out and spill all your Cheetos if someone taps you on the shoulder unexpectedly. Bonus points if your funny romance is thick enough to bludgeon the first chump who makes fun of your reading choices. Sucker.
(2) Laughing on the bus/on the subway/in the break room while reading a funny romance is good karma. It makes your co-commuters/coworkers wonder what you’re up to…which means they’ll be nicer to you until they figure it out.
(3) One man + one woman = hilarity in the making. Want proof? Check out the Lucky Charms scene in Susan Elizabeth Phillips‘ classic book, Nobody’s Baby But Mine. You’ll never look at breakfast cereal the same way again.
(4) A funny paperback romance is a multitasker. It’s a hand-and-fingers exerciser, a door stop, a storage spot for Fruit Rollups, a useful screen if you’re being chased by (myopic) spies, a reference for finding things that are exactly 6.7 inches long (ahem!), a shim for that wobbly table, a sleep aid (noooo!), a substitute for a flag when sending messages by semaphore, an anti-conversation device for use on crowded airplanes, a conversation starter when you meet people you like, a bundle of paper…AND a powerful mood restorer!
(5) Speaking of multitasking…while reading a funny romance, you don’t have to (a) acknowledge the dust bunnies in the corner (b) do something about them (c) dust bunnies are my friends, so step off!
(6) When your jerkface boss DOESN’T give you a raise for the third straight review period, reading about an arrogant multibillionaire CEO with secret baby problems and a hot new girlfriend really sucks. Be different. Laugh your @ss off instead!
(7) It’s rumored that if you throw a funny romance against a wall, it will make a twee, high-pitched, ridiculously amusing sound. Nobody really knows for sure. People who read funny romances want to hug them, not hurl them.
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After you read a funny romance, you feel better than you did before. Pure magic.
Happy reading!
Till later,
Lisa 
Add comment October 1, 2007
