Laughter

[asianToy]

Hi Authors,

I have a quandary. I can't seem to write a scene where people are laughing. The best I can come up with is, "They laughed together," or "her eyes crinkled into cute little crows feet as she giggled with laughter,' that kind of thing.

I would like to know how you approach this kind of thing. I want to capture the emotions behind a wide range of laughter from a giggle (a word I'm growing tired of, to all out hilarity). The idea is for the reader to smile at the description.

Thanks,

aT

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Step back and describe the scene as a gaggle of geese squabbling. If you didn't know they were geese you would think that it was a cocktail party.

Ref: Sneakers

 

[sr71plt]

When they laugh, I say that's what they're doing. If you perceive a problem, it may not be how you present it but why you have to include it so often.

 

[asianToy]

It's not that I have to do it often, it's just that I can't seem to capture the fun my characters are having with a phrase like, "they all laughed together".

When they laugh, I say that's what they're doing. If you perceive a problem, it may not be how you present it but why you have to include it so often.

 

[Hard_Rom]

They walked away from the cachinnation of the crowd, horribly embarrassed.
They walked away from the cackles and guffaws of the crowd, horribly embarrassed.
They walked away from the hoots and howls of the crowd, horribly embarrassed.

flizzen - To laugh with the whole face
keak - To cackle, laugh at.
fleer - To laugh in a disrespectful or jeering way.

cachinnate, cachinnated, cachinnating.
1.
to laugh loudly or immoderately.

verb
To express amusement, mirth, or scorn by smiling and emitting loud, inarticulate sounds: cachinnate, cackle, guffaw. Informal heehaw. Idioms: die laughing, laugh one's head off, roll in the aisles, split one's sides. See laughter, sounds/pleasant sounds/unpleasant sounds/neutral sounds or silence.
To make fun or make fun of: deride, gibe, jeer, jest, mock, ridicule, scoff, scout2, twit. Chiefly British quiz. Idioms: poke fun at. See laughter, respect/contempt/standing.

noun
An act of laughing: cachinnation, cackle, guffaw, laughter. Informal heehaw. See laughter, sounds/pleasant sounds/unpleasant sounds/neutral sounds or silence.
Something or someone uproariously funny or absurd: absurdity. Informal hoot, joke, scream. Slang gas, howl, panic, riot. Idioms: a laugh a minute.


Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/laugh#ixzz39rKKJ4tJ

 

[sr71plt]

I'd be careful about either picking words that would send most readers to a dictionary or using so many different ones for the same sound that the reader starts to get a circus feeling that the author got a thesaurus for Christmas.

 

[asianToy]

I love new words but try to avoid those I don't know for the reasons sr71plt mentioned. However, I love flizzen, Keak and fleer... they sound so good.

I'm also looking for fun, rather than derisive laughter. The joy of sharing some unusual and shared experience.

 

[FantasyXY]

They need a reason

Something simple like this usually works... The women roar with laughter as Laura tries to comprehend what just happened.

Of course taken out of context it doesn't really work, does it?

It doesn't matter how many descriptive words you use, the phrase describing the characters laughing means nothing without the surrounding story. Unless they are psychotic, people need a reason to laugh. Even with psychosis, there may be something very funny going on it that person's mind; we just don't know.

The key is; Write something that would cause laughter just before your characters break out into laughter. Take your readers down the path as to what is funny. Then describing the laughter is almost secondary, and not so complicated.

 

[asianToy]

Something simple like this usually works... The women roar with laughter as Laura tries to comprehend what just happened.

Of course taken out of context it doesn't really work, does it?

It doesn't matter how many descriptive words you use, the phrase describing the characters laughing means nothing without the surrounding story. Unless they are psychotic, people need a reason to laugh. Even with psychosis, there may be something very funny going on it that person's mind; we just don't know.

The key is; Write something that would cause laughter just before your characters break out into laughter. Take your readers down the path as to what is funny. Then describing the laughter is almost secondary, and not so complicated.

Does this work for you?

"Ai knelt and lifted her ankle and guided it to rest on the toilet. Mia felt her labia part and flush with excitement. ‘I’m brazenly showing my pussy to this lovely young… what?, she’s barely more than a girl, and I can feel myself get hornier and hornier.’

"Ai was staring at it like a zombie and drool actually seeped out in a long string from her lip. Mia was totally shocked by this over-the-top display of lust and was about to blush when Ai could no longer control herself and started laughing hysterically, slapping her thigh. If the other woman in the bathroom cared she didn’t show it."

Because I feel like "laughing hysterically, slapping her thigh" doesn't cut it.

 

[laptopwriter]

It's difficult without knowing the context, but...

You might try describing the way they laughed. (Joan starting laughing so hard she snorted like a pig. That got everyone else laughing. John held his stomach and was having trouble catching his breath as he roared. Linda, who rarely finds anything funny, laughed so hard she got hiccups.)

 

[sr71plt]

Because I feel like "laughing hysterically, slapping her thigh" doesn't cut it.

There's nothing wrong in context with this reference to laughter (although the comma between "hysterically" and "slapping" should be an "and" instead).

 

[Over_Red]

Hi Authors,

I have a quandary. I can't seem to write a scene where people are laughing. The best I can come up with is, "They laughed together," or "her eyes crinkled into cute little crows feet as she giggled with laughter,' that kind of thing.

I would like to know how you approach this kind of thing. I want to capture the emotions behind a wide range of laughter from a giggle (a word I'm growing tired of, to all out hilarity). The idea is for the reader to smile at the description.

Thanks,

aT

I know exactly the feel you're feeling.

First,

If you feel the pressing need to use fancy words to draw attention to the fact that the characters are laughing, then there's a problem. That would be telling, rather than showing. The humor of the scene should speak for itself.

If even the reader is cracking a smile, then "they all laughed" is more than enough description. Rewrite until the humor stands on its own - until it's obvious that even if you didn't say they laughed, it's clear to the reader that every character is enjoying themselves. You shouldn't need a thesaurus to make your point.

Second,

Now that the scene is set, you just have to describe the laughter. What sort of laughter is it? Did they all burst into laughter? Are the laughs scattered, awkward, coughed out? Does it start slowly, in a trickle, or pop suddenly like a balloon picked with a pin? Does it go on at length, or die away quickly? Does only part of the room laugh, demonstrating that opinions are divided? If so, what does the rest of the room do? Do the laughs fill the room, or do they make the room seem empty? Do they rumble, or chirp?

Think of the laughter itself as it relates to people. Remember times in your life when a room has laughed together, and then you'll be better able to touch what's happening in your scene. You can have the lazy laugh of relaxed people, the easy laugh of a drunk, the happy laughter of friends and family, or half-hearted laughter of people that would rather be somewhere else.

Who is doing the laughing? If you know your characters, you should know how they'll laugh given a particular situation. Not everyone has the same sense of humor. Some might snort while others give a full belly-laugh.

Third,

Laughter is a great moment to enhance characterization. Start off with a lead-in phrase that gives the general attitude of the room. Let's take the simple example: "They all burst into laughter."

Next, pick a person or two that you want to highlight. Then describe their laugh in particular. That gives the reader a sense of the room, and the sound, as if you're panning the camera over a group.

"They all burst into laughter. Cynthia's giggle cut over the noise. John hung off the back of the couch, doubled-over, one hand on his stomach."

With very little extravagance, you can add a lot of characterization from laughter. Who's doing the laughing - and how hard - shows the reader what each character finds amusing. It makes them less like floating text and more like real people.

In your case - because you want the reader to smile from the description of the laughter - I'd definitely take advantage of this. It's a fantastic time for that guy with the weird laugh to shine.

Hope that helps!

 

[TamLin01]

The best I can come up with is, "They laughed together."

Well what's wrong with that? Gets the job done. I guess technically it's a little wordy, in that you could just say, "They laughed," and get the same point across with 33% fewer words. But it seems fine anyway.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I suggest reading 19th century newspapers and stories by Southern humorists including Twain, A.B.Longstreet, William Tappan Thompson, Joel Chandler Harris etc. Henry Mencken is another gold mine of Southern humor. Readers wanna share the fun and judge for themselves how funny things are.

 

[lovecraft68]

I think "she laughed, he, they, etc...." is good enough.

The real trick is to make whatever reason the character laughed, make the reader smile or laugh as well and that is what would drive it home.

I use a lot of dialogue in my work and many times my characters will shoot out some one liners at the other character. If they are funny the reader will laugh with the character or at least get the emotion, if not....

But I think the writing itself is what helps bring about the reaction you are looking for.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I think "she laughed, he, they, etc...." is good enough.

The real trick is to make whatever reason the character laughed, make the reader smile or laugh as well and that is what would drive it home.

I use a lot of dialogue in my work and many times my characters will shoot out some one liners at the other character. If they are funny the reader will laugh with the character or at least get the emotion, if not....

But I think the writing itself is what helps bring about the reaction you are looking for.

I think hahahahahaha is pathetic.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

In PSYCHO Norman Bates goes off on Miriam? when she asks an innocent question about Ma. Its very effective at revealing his madness.

 

[Hard_Rom]

They showed their merriment with cackles and guffaws.
They showed their glee with giggles.
Their guffaws showed their merriment.
Sounds of merriment and mirth came from their mouths. (might even be alliterative)

Nothing wrong with grabbing a thesaurus. If someone is paying you, feel free to dumb it down. If your doing it for yourself, stretch yourself.

 

[sr71plt]

I think "she laughed, he, they, etc...." is good enough.

The real trick is to make whatever reason the character laughed, make the reader smile or laugh as well and that is what would drive it home.

I use a lot of dialogue in my work and many times my characters will shoot out some one liners at the other character. If they are funny the reader will laugh with the character or at least get the emotion, if not....

But I think the writing itself is what helps bring about the reaction you are looking for.

Alternately--and I think the most often use I make of "he laughed"--is to use it to illuminate where the character is who laughed, often showing he/she is looking on the situation differently for some reason than the reader would or was expecting.

 

[49greg]

Step back and describe the scene as a gaggle of geese squabbling. If you didn't know they were geese you would think that it was a cocktail party.

Ref: Sneakers

Reminds me of an old movie or TV show from sixties/seventies or earlier. The guy was kidnapped and blindfolded as they moved him to a secret location (not sure exactly what the plot was.) Later on he was describing his route sounds to the detectives - one of whom was blind. At one point there was the sound of a large cocktail party. Sure enough as they followed the sounds of the kidnap route they came across a huge flock of geese.

That is the only thing I remember about the show/movie or whatever it was. Years later I lived in the flyway between York and Kearney Nebraska along the Platte river. At the right time of year geese and cranes as far as the eye could see, flying, roosting, and making goose tornadoes as they landed. Sure enough, at the right distance and with the right amount of them, it sounds just like ... geese. But it was easy to imagine as a bunch of people gabbing at each other.

 

[FantasyXY]

Does this work for you?

"Ai knelt and lifted her ankle and guided it to rest on the toilet. Mia felt her labia part and flush with excitement. ‘I’m brazenly showing my pussy to this lovely young… what?, she’s barely more than a girl, and I can feel myself get hornier and hornier.’

"Ai was staring at it like a zombie and drool actually seeped out in a long string from her lip. Mia was totally shocked by this over-the-top display of lust and was about to blush when Ai could no longer control herself and started laughing hysterically, slapping her thigh. If the other woman in the bathroom cared she didn’t show it."

Because I feel like "laughing hysterically, slapping her thigh" doesn't cut it.

This doesn't really work for me. The context of the story doesn't match the reaction. Now if Ai started to laugh nervously to hide her true feelings, that might work.

The bottom line in this case the action just wasn't knee slapping funny. I couldn't imagine why anyone would get that kind of laugh out of what was going on. Maybe if there was more of the story revealed the reason to laugh would show.

 

[sr71plt]

There's a cultural dimension here. The indication here is that this is an Asian culture story. Having lived in several different cultures, I've found that what is knee-slapping funny differs greatly from one culture to the other. So, I think there could be some wheel spinning in trying to discussion this specific context.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Regarding the depiction of hilarity-- regardless of culture-- I think it's nearly impossible to write it, moment by moment, without it becoming incredibly tedious. E.F.Benson tried, in a book that I can't remember the title of. It was clearly a work of love, trying to recreate his college circle of friends. His series "Mapp and Lucia" make me laugh out loud; but whatever that book was it failed utterly.

 

[callmeismael]

Does this work for you?

"Ai knelt and lifted her ankle and guided it to rest on the toilet. Mia felt her labia part and flush with excitement. ‘I’m brazenly showing my pussy to this lovely young… what?, she’s barely more than a girl, and I can feel myself get hornier and hornier.’

"Ai was staring at it like a zombie and drool actually seeped out in a long string from her lip. Mia was totally shocked by this over-the-top display of lust and was about to blush when Ai could no longer control herself and started laughing hysterically, slapping her thigh. If the other woman in the bathroom cared she didn’t show it."

Because I feel like "laughing hysterically, slapping her thigh" doesn't cut it.

It's a little hard to follow what exactly what's going on in Ai's mind. If she's staring at it like a zombie and drool seeping out from her lip, it seems she already doesn't really have control over herself. When you tell us in the next line that she can no longer control herself and starts laughing hysterically, it would seem that she actually was in control of herself, holding back a laugh when she was staring at it like a zombie?

It seems you are using Mia as the main viewpoint character, so it's just a little awkward to slip into Ai's mind to tell us about the loss of self-control. I'd rather see it described strictly from Mia's perspective: this much younger woman goes from staring hypnotically at Mia's pussy to suddenly laughing hysterically. How does Mia feel in that instant? Does Mia react with a moment of confusion or humiliation? Does she immediately understand the that the laugh is the result of the absurdity of their situation? I'm kinda guessing it's the latter: a sudden and overwhelming awareness of the absurdity. If so, make the laugh more sudden. Don't give it a sentence-long lead-up, and don't follow it with an immediate awareness of what else is going on in the room, which flattens the impact of it.

 

[MatthewVett]

I usually just do what you do. I find it awkward to type out something like, "Hahaha," so I just describe it.