#WritingWonders 5.10 — How much humor is there in your story? Share a funny snippet if you want!

The story in #revision is full of #humor, but is anything but a comedy. A #thriller action- #adventure #drama #romance novel, salted with a few grains of horror, needs humor as a counter balance. The humor is mostly dark commentary, given by a main character who is snide and cynical, and who'd never spare skewering even herself. This works well because the story is written in 1st person and she describes herself and her follies as well as those of the people around her. Of course, when she's with friends, she can be lighthearted.

#excerpt [edited, cute, current work]

"Director Rainy Days wants you to enlist, not necessarily in her praetorian guard."

Bolt smirked. "Of course she does! Of all the fighting we did yesterday, I was the only one who nearly killed her. Had the border stone fallen a couple inches to the right, I'd have smashed her head or broke her neck. Not sure why that doesn't gross me out, but then she tried to blast you to cinders." She shrugged. "Must'a ticked me off."

Bolt had struck me out of the path of Rainy Days' overpowered ball lightning, which is why she had plenty of healing burns on her rear and the back of her legs. Ticked off seemed a bit of an understatement. She was either very brave or very loyal. Her accuracy and timing proved she was in no way stupid. Well, other than that part about having worked for a crime boss and needing that pardon I got her. I'd worked for two crime bosses now, so I wasn't casting aspersions!

"I'm awesome brave," she said, grinning ear to ear. Had I said the "brave" part out loud?

"You're wearing a national treasure, Bolt."

"Ooooo," she said musically. She danced in a circle, admiring herself. [Bolt is wearing antique armor in the form of a human skeleton (remnants) with black dragon scales.]

"Do you know who Captain Stormchaser is?"

"The most awesome day angel ever? Helped Rainy Days found the nation centuries ago?" She shook her head, indigo eyes locked on me. "Never heard of da grunt."

"You're wearing her armor."

"No. Flapping. Way!" She shot into the air, swooping and performing barrel rolls, the wind whistling through her feathers. Her laughing resounded across the ground, the armor extending along the leading edge of her wings, never hindering her flight, covering her entire body in a faint blue protective sheen.

"Wow! I mean, wow! Director! Yay! No wonder I feel lighter and so agile. And strong!" She landed again with a ground-rattling thump. "Do I get to keep it? Huh? Huh? Pleeeease." She grinned.

"Depends on what you arrange with Rainy Days."

She looked down, sheepishly making a line in the dirt with the toe of her boot. She wanted the armor. "I suppose, a?"

#excerpt [edited, self-aware, prior work]

When Witchy persisted in going around yet another table, my eyes alighted on her sweat shirt. I'd seen a letter or two in the folds of the fabric as she sat. I had thought I'd seen a P, an N, and T. I'd assumed it read Primetown U.  

I read it all now.

Fight Night! It was the event name used to advertise the prize fight and tag team events.

"I'm Director Grim." If she were a fan, she'd know I'd won the championship a few months ago.

She coughed, bringing up a hand to her mouth before she started laughing. "You?"  She sobered.  "I refuse to teach liars, especially."

That froze me solid, my heart thumping so hard in my ears that my head shook with each beat. She was the only college tutor I'd seen capable of fixing my problems with battle magic, which I need to become a mob bodyguard.

A liar. Was I liar?

Of course I was a liar.  I ought advertise it as my speciality! I lied all the time. About who I was. About what I was. About my age. I'd even implied that Trigger had ridden me!

My Stars!  Did she have telepathy?  

Not that it existed. Of all the lies I'd told, being called out for the one truth wasn't fair!

It percolated down into my brain that I'd acted bratty. Like a whiny kid in a grocery causing all the other women to glare at my mother. Fixated. To the point of crying and screaming. Fixated. On candy.

I really liked my candy.

I stomped my foot. And I wasn't lying, either!

[Author retains copyright]

#BoostingIsSharing
#CommentingIsCool

#fiction #fantasy #sf #sff #sciencefiction #writing #writer #writers #author #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon