Why Not....?

[CyranoJ]

Why do you not see more humorous stories of 'real people' on Lit.

Her charm is undeniable, but on the flip side, it's actually kind of a shame when you think about it that Hilda's beauty could only be seen or acknowledged by playing it as comic relief.

Comedy is hard, as some respondents have already noted; but also I wonder if the people most drawn to BBW stories would be sensitive to (and potentially pissed off by) this dynamic, because it's a commonplace with "fat" characters.

(And I'm not trying to sound like I'm some kind of fat acceptance crusader or anything. I'm just saying that if I were to work a "Hilda" into one of my stories, I'd be hesitant to play her as comic relief for that reason.)

 

[HandsInTheDark]

This has been discussed here recently. You have to step out of erotic emotion to enter humor, so it makes sense that humor would be difficult either to write or read in erotica. Humor is an erotic mood breaker. Yes, when the sex act is examined, it's humorous to the point of being silly, but the act itself is primeval emotion. Humor throws a bucket of cold water over that.

Yes, but if you're writing more than a stroker, you need stuff between the sex acts, and humor is a great way to reveal the inner world of characters. The best way to engage a reader is to hit as many emotions as you can; whipsawing them through lust, laughter and dramatic tension can be effective. Besides, it's usually the guy who can make a girl laugh that gets her in the end; since stories here often need to justify WHY the girl opened her legs for someone new, it's helpful if the guy is actually appealing, and humor can help there.

 

[NOIRTRASH]

PILETTE is wrong.

A sense of humor and talent to make a girl laugh advances the base runner as far as appetite, opportunity, and robust health.

 

[SimonDoom]

I think sr71plt hit the nail on the head. Humor/comedy is distancing -- it sets you apart from the character and makes you observe the character in a way that spoils the erotic mood, which is what a lot of readers on this site want, or even demand. If you write a story that takes them out of that mood, they will get mad at you for it.

It's also challenging. Maintaining a consistent comic/humorous tone is not easy to do, and if you change the mood and tone the result will be a frustrating experience for the reader.

What Noirtrash says is true, but he's talking about something completely different -- humor is a great tool for one person to use with another in an erotic situation, but that's completely different from an author's use of humor in telling a story to a reader.

There are plenty of movies that combine comedy and erotica -- think about sex comedies, like, for instance, American Pie. On a more sophisticated level, the movie Secretary is both erotic and humorous in a dark way. It seems to be harder to pull off in writing.

 

[sr71plt]

Yes, but if you're writing more than a stroker, you need stuff between the sex acts, and humor is a great way to reveal the inner world of characters. The best way to engage a reader is to hit as many emotions as you can; whipsawing them through lust, laughter and dramatic tension can be effective. Besides, it's usually the guy who can make a girl laugh that gets her in the end; since stories here often need to justify WHY the girl opened her legs for someone new, it's helpful if the guy is actually appealing, and humor can help there.

I disagree that readers are comfortable being whipsawed through emotions. Readers are comfortable with set patterns. That doesn't mean you should feel compelled to write to readers' comfort patterns, but I think you are quite wrong if you think that the general reader wants to be uncomfortable with the story read.

Carol Burnett made this work when she flipped scenes from depreciating humor directly into pathos. That worked as a human condition recheck of values. She managed to make it work because she got the viewer to "see" internally it without preaching to her/him. That doesn't mean they were comfortable--just that they weren't personally threatened or damned by it. I haven't seen that successfully pulled off in going directly from humor to sweaty fuck.

Also, since I believe that humor and the erotica of a sex act are not compatible at the same time, the transitions between the moods are critical, and this is where I think it's hard for a writer to deliver--and even harder for the general reader to feel comfortable with and to reward.

 

[weftandwarp]

I disagree that readers are comfortable being whipsawed through emotions. Readers are comfortable with set patterns. That doesn't mean you should feel compelled to write to readers' comfort patterns, but I think you are quite wrong if you think that the general reader wants to be uncomfortable with the story read.

Carol Burnett made this work when she flipped scenes from depreciating humor directly into pathos. That worked as a human condition recheck of values. She managed to make it work because she got the viewer to "see" internally it without preaching to her/him. That doesn't mean they were comfortable--just that they weren't personally threatened or damned by it. I haven't seen that successfully pulled off in going directly from humor to sweaty fuck.

Also, since I believe that humor and the erotica of a sex act are not compatible at the same time, the transitions between the moods are critical, and this is where I think it's hard for a writer to deliver--and even harder for the general reader to feel comfortable with and to reward.

Agreed. Evidence is in children's stories- lots of repetition and predictability and it gives children a sense of security. Adults aren't a lot different. Their hands often need holding in transitions. Adults generally don't tolerate disjointedness or discombobulation.