What say you?

[Bodington]

Suppose you write what you consider to be a funny anecdote or observation made by a character. Should you include an assertion that the listener(s) laughed just to alert the reader you consider what you wrote is humorous. I ask this because I'm cognizant that what one considers is humorous another person does not. Case in point: In my latest story a character asks what is a gold star lesbian. The answer by the other character is: " “A gold star lesbian is a lesbian who hasn’t ever fucked a man, nor does she ever intend to. I suppose an exception could be made for a lesbian, who happens to be in the company of a man and succumbs to the persistent and relentless demands that they have sex; his successful persuasive line being ‘you might as well take the opportunity of engaging in straight sex, if only to experience it for once and for all. If the lesbian, thus finds the subsequent sex distasteful and not enjoyable and swears off men absolutely, I imagine she is entitled to retain the status of a gold star lesbian.”

 

[MelissaBaby]

I think it's simply a question of whether or not the other character would laugh. If they would, note it. If not, don't.

 

[AchtungNight]

I personally would not laugh at such a joke. But then I have never liked “gold star” people either and would probably have forsaken your story as soon as you brought them up. Decide the needs of your audience and beware the “gold star” people who would not shrug off their issues with you and walk away.

 

[ronde]

Suppose you write what you consider to be a funny anecdote or observation made by a character. Should you include an assertion that the listener(s) laughed just to alert the reader you consider what you wrote is humorous. I ask this because I'm cognizant that what one considers is humorous another person does not. Case in point: In my latest story a character asks what is a gold star lesbian. The answer by the other character is: " “A gold star lesbian is a lesbian who hasn’t ever fucked a man, nor does she ever intend to. I suppose an exception could be made for a lesbian, who happens to be in the company of a man and succumbs to the persistent and relentless demands that they have sex; his successful persuasive line being ‘you might as well take the opportunity of engaging in straight sex, if only to experience it for once and for all. If the lesbian, thus finds the subsequent sex distasteful and not enjoyable and swears off men absolutely, I imagine she is entitled to retain the status of a gold star lesbian.”

You know the personality you gave the characters so you should know how they'd react to about anything. It doesn't matter if you think it's funny or no one else thinks it's funny. Just write how your character would react. That's not telling the reader you thought what you wrote was humorous. It you telling the reader that your character found it humorous enough to laugh.

 

[AlinaX]

“A gold star lesbian," I said, "is a lesbian who hasn’t ever fucked a man - nor does she ever intend to."
"Okay, but hear me. What if this lesbian is with this guy, and he really wants to have sex with her? Like, he's sweet and persistent and, quite frankly, desperate, and he says, 'Do it for the experience! Do it to prove to yourself, once and for all, that straight sex isn't for you.' And, well, she thinks, 'Okay, why not, just this once,' and she does it. Is she still a gold star lesbian?"
"Hmm, that's a great point. Let me think. No."

 

[joy_of_cooking]

It sounds like your goal is to make the reader laugh and you're wondering if you can say a character laughed in order to prompt the reader to laugh, like some kind of written-out laugh track?

I don't think that works. Let your joke stand or fall on its own merits.

 

[AchtungNight]

Yeah. IMO, such a joke would probably upset many readers. Those who prefer gold star lesbians and those who do not (I’m the latter if it makes a difference). Try not to force such opinions on your readers, especially not as jokes. Every time I have built tolerance in my erotic stories, it has not been a joke. If you would make it a joke… my respect for you would decrease.

 

[KeithD]

Suppose you write what you consider to be a funny anecdote or observation made by a character. Should you include an assertion that the listener(s) laughed just to alert the reader you consider what you wrote is humorous.

Depends on the specific context.

 

[alohadave]

Not only is it not funny, it doesn't make any sense. If the character is convinced to have sex with a man out of curiosity, she would not retain 'gold star' status. It's nonsensical, unless you are trying to show that the character is an idiot.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Which one is intending to be funny? The one claiming gold stars have a definition, or the one asking about them?

Either way, that exchange needs some pointer that the character is being sarcastic or insincere, because it doesn't come across from the dialogue alone.

I disagree with @AchtungNight - characters have personalities and you can write about them as you wish. The concept of gold-star lesbians is mock-worthy, IMO, but you'd need to be careful not to come across as dismissive of people who happen to qualify as such.

 

[Voboy]

I personally would not laugh at such a joke. But then I have never liked “gold star” people either and would probably have forsaken your story as soon as you brought them up. Decide the needs of your audience and beware the “gold star” people who would not shrug off their issues with you and walk away.

This.

Honestly, as written, I probably wouldn't even realize that was supposed to be a joke, and if one of the characters laughed, I might be puzzled as to why they'd done so.

 

[AchtungNight]

Which one is intending to be funny? The one claiming gold stars have a definition, or the one asking about them?

Either way, that exchange needs some pointer that the character is being sarcastic or insincere, because it doesn't come across from the dialogue alone.

I disagree with @AchtungNight - characters have personalities and you can write about them as you wish. The concept of gold-star lesbians is mock-worthy, IMO, but you'd need to be careful not to come across as dismissive of people who happen to qualify as such.

I am in agreement with this. I also usually reject stories that don’t share my interests. So if you would suborn your character’s or reader’s freedom at some point (as IMHO the very concept of “gold star anything” does), you would lose me. Just so you know.

 

[Britva415]

It sounds like your goal is to make the reader laugh and you're wondering if you can say a character laughed in order to prompt the reader to laugh, like some kind of written-out laugh track?

I don't think that works. Let your joke stand or fall on its own merits.

Well, sometimes the author has to come up with a way to make really goddamn good and clear that what was written was intended as a joke. Whether the author or the fictional speaker intended it as such.

Granted, there are ways to do this other than to just provide the laugh track, but it's a way.

 

[Djmac1031]

If you have to explain something is funny, it probably isn't.

That said, I have characters hold conversations where one says something witty or funny and the other laughs in response all the time.

That's natural storytelling.

Whether the READER finds it funny is up to them of course.

 

[ElectricBlue]

If you have to explain something is funny, it probably isn't.

That said, I have characters hold conversations where one says something witty or funny and the other laughs in response all the time.

That's natural storytelling.

Whether the READER finds it funny is up to them of course.

Agree this. Besides, the OP's extract isn't a natural conversation, it's a speech, and a forced one, at that. It's not light-hearted enough to be read as "funny". It's more like agitprop, from the other thread.

 

[MyBareTorso]

Suppose you write what you consider to be a funny anecdote or observation made by a character. Should you include an assertion that the listener(s) laughed just to alert the reader you consider what you wrote is humorous. I ask this because I'm cognizant that what one considers is humorous another person does not. Case in point: In my latest story a character asks what is a gold star lesbian. The answer by the other character is: " “A gold star lesbian is a lesbian who hasn’t ever fucked a man, nor does she ever intend to. I suppose an exception could be made for a lesbian, who happens to be in the company of a man and succumbs to the persistent and relentless demands that they have sex; his successful persuasive line being ‘you might as well take the opportunity of engaging in straight sex, if only to experience it for once and for all. If the lesbian, thus finds the subsequent sex distasteful and not enjoyable and swears off men absolutely, I imagine she is entitled to retain the status of a gold star lesbian.”

I have no comment on this post, but your profile picture is driving me wild. Whether you or not, that image is utterly divine! Also, this is wholly not a come-on, but just a comment on one of the most gorgeous images I have ever seen!

 

[Altissimus]

I think one of my characters once laughed at something another of my characters said, but only because she liked the spunk that character had shown. This is the only time that I can think of that any of my characters have laughed at something said in 28 stories and 302,000 words.

There's quite a lot of humour in my stories (I think) but most of it is understated, dry wit. It's presented to the reader and I leave it entirely up to them as to whether they want to see the joke - and I'm willing to concede that much of it might be passed by. It makes me laugh when I read back over my own stuff, so I suppose there's that.

I can't envisage any situation where I would find something more humorous because a character has laughed. At best I'd shrug, at worst I'd raise an eyebrow or hit 'back'. Humour is a highly, highly subjective and personal thing. There's never been a joke that everyone has found funny, and being told something is funny is pretty much a guarantee that you didn't think it was.

 

[EmilyMiller]

This.

Honestly, as written, I probably wouldn't even realize that was supposed to be a joke, and if one of the characters laughed, I might be puzzled as to why they'd done so.

What he said

Em

 

[Constories]

Okay so I feel like some people are criticizing your joke, rather than addressing the question you posed. But I don't know much about lesbians or gold stars, so I'm just gonna give an example of how I address jokes that I think the reader might not otherwise catch.

From Range Cold

"KEEP YOUR BOOGER HOOK OFF THE BANG SWITCH!" We all say the mantra in unison, and a chorus of laughter erupts. That's good. Laughing is good. It makes it easier to hold back other emotions.

That is barely a joke. It's a silly line that drill sergeants sometimes say (or so I've been told). It sounds incredibly dumb if taken seriously, so I made the characters laugh. They had personal history with the quote, so it made sense for them to laugh.

"Range Cold!" I shout, out of habit; Jason ingrained that idea within me years ago. You never step past the shooting table without announcing that the range has gone cold; not unless you want to risk accidentally getting shot. We haven't even taken the rifles from their cases yet, but I couldn't bring myself to step away from the shooting bench without repeating the phrase.

"Range VERY cold," Jason exclaims, and we all begin laughing again. I notice Jason and Faye share the briefest eye contact, and I turn my back immediately, marching towards the berms.

The story is set on a snowy day, so the joke makes sense. However, it occurred to me that anyone who had never been to a gun-range might not realize that "Range Cold" means "no firing down range," so I made sure to highlight the amusement of the characters. Also it playing into a theme of increasing drama, as the joke keeps getting repeated throughout the story, and the laughter becomes less and less prevalent as the tension builds.

The key is, if you wanna make a joke that you think is funny... do so, and then have the characters react as you would expect them to honestly react.

That's my 2 cents, anyway.

 

[Bodington]

I have no comment on this post, but your profile picture is driving me wild. Whether you or not, that image is utterly divine! Also, this is wholly not a come-on, but just a comment on one of the most gorgeous images I have ever seen!

My profile picture is not me of course as I am of the male persuasion nor is it of anyone I know. I forgot how I happened on to this picture on the internet but this woman represents one who I would love fiercely based on appearance only. One of my characters would look exactly like that. If you want a better picture of this woman the link is:

https://thumb-p7.xhcdn.com/a/Yj_vzT1IZ63ge3ZJWZmMxg/000/012/194/167_240.jpg

 

[Take1]

My profile picture is not me of course as I am of the male persuasion nor is it of anyone I know. I forgot how I happened on to this picture on the internet but this woman represents one who I would love fiercely based on appearance only. One of my characters would look exactly like that. If you want a better picture of this woman the link is:

https://thumb-p7.xhcdn.com/a/Yj_vzT1IZ63ge3ZJWZmMxg/000/012/194/167_240.jpg

She is perfect!

 

[MyBareTorso]

My profile picture is not me of course as I am of the male persuasion nor is it of anyone I know. I forgot how I happened on to this picture on the internet but this woman represents one who I would love fiercely based on appearance only. One of my characters would look exactly like that. If you want a better picture of this woman the link is:

https://thumb-p7.xhcdn.com/a/Yj_vzT1IZ63ge3ZJWZmMxg/000/012/194/167_240.jpg

Thank you so much! She is a truly exquisite creature! You have fine, fine taste!

 

[JaxRhapsody]

Suppose you write what you consider to be a funny anecdote or observation made by a character. Should you include an assertion that the listener(s) laughed just to alert the reader you consider what you wrote is humorous. I ask this because I'm cognizant that what one considers is humorous another person does not. Case in point: In my latest story a character asks what is a gold star lesbian. The answer by the other character is: " “A gold star lesbian is a lesbian who hasn’t ever fucked a man, nor does she ever intend to. I suppose an exception could be made for a lesbian, who happens to be in the company of a man and succumbs to the persistent and relentless demands that they have sex; his successful persuasive line being ‘you might as well take the opportunity of engaging in straight sex, if only to experience it for once and for all. If the lesbian, thus finds the subsequent sex distasteful and not enjoyable and swears off men absolutely, I imagine she is entitled to retain the status of a gold star lesbian.”

Where's the joke?

 

[PrincessArianrhod]

Humour is entirely subjective. They key point for me isn't whether or not the dialogue amusing to the reader, it's the state of mind and reaction of the characters to each other. For example, I find most stand-up comedians tedious and can sit through an entire set without even the twitching of a smile. Other people's laughter, however, can be contagious. Its the humour effect and the content is irrelevant, only the emotion matters.

If you want your characters to laugh to show they're happy, entertained, etc, that is part of the scene setting and is as important as any other device you'd use to fix mood and atmosphere in my view. If they sit, stand, whatever, exchanging dialogue that's supposed to show the mood and chemistry between them, its for the story teller to point that out not simply hope we all have the same sense of humour.

 

[MediocreAuthor]

Okay, so the funniest book I've ever read is "Will Save The Galaxy For Food" by Yahtzee Croshaw.

In it, a bunch of Han Solo type adventuring pilots are all put out of work as soon as instant teleportation gates get invented.

The main character cracks a ton of jokes, but I can't remember a single instance where anyone laughed [except for me, the reader].

Here's one instance as an example:

(For context, the MMC has been trying in vain to start ridiculous, outrageous rumors about a man that he hates.)

He looked furtively left and right, as if we were exchanging classified information in a darkened car park, then leaned closer. “Is it true about Jacques McKeown?”

I leaned in too. “It is. He really does rape dogs. He can’t help it; it’s an impulse. I’ve never seen one get away from him in time.”

He shook his head earnestly. “I mean, is it true that all the pilots secretly know who he is but they’ve made a pact not to tell?”

As you can see, the joke requires no reaction from the other character, but as a reader, I remember spitting out my metaphorical drink at that line. So I'm sure it varies, case by case.