Do you love your mysteries with a dose of humor? Want to find more about how to write them?
This week I discovered a wonderful webinar called Mirth & Mystery with Diane Kelly at Triangle Sisters in Crime.
First Diane sets the stage. As she explains, humor often doesn’t get as much respect as other genres, even though it is incredibly difficult to write. There is only one award for humorous mysteries, the Lefty (the archives is a great place to find books to add to your reading list).
That doesn’t mean it is impossible. Diane gives the names of several popular mystery authors known for their humor. Of the authors on her list, my husband is a huge fan of Carl Hiaasen, I love Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series (previous post), and my son is a mammoth Dave Barry fan. What does that say about our family?
Next she delves deeply into the numerous ways that humor can improve your writing, from making your manuscript stand out to agents and editors, to adding to the emotional range. If you have your readers biting their fingernails with tension, rather than charging forward with more, provide a bit of relief via a lighter, comedic moment.
I’m not sure how long the video will be available, but this webinar is a gem. Seriously.
Here are Amazon Affiliate links to the two humor writing books she recommends (mainly so I remember to pick them up).
The Comic Toolbox: How to Be Funny Even If You’re Not by John Vorhaus
The Eight Characters of Comedy: Guide to Sitcom Acting And Writing by Scott Sedita
Then a few days later I found a webinar by mystery author Kathy McKintosh on “Humor in Mysteries.” Is the cosmos trying to tell me something?
Look for it at Bear Canyon Library on YouTube (link). Unfortunately sharing was disabled, so you will have to click through to watch it.
Do you have a favorite mystery author who incorporates humor in their novels? We’d love to hear about it!
