Can Kiwi writers do comedy? New Zealand writers are repeatedly told that their work is too dark, too serious. Is this true? Three local writers got together at this event to tickle this topic. Here's what emerged:
Damien Wilkins
Damien read from his novel Dad Art - in his words 'a mid-life crisis book about a basically contented life with a pulsing vein of anxiety' - and it was funny. Not in a here's-a-funny-joke way, but in subtle observations that make you think 'I know someone exactly like that' (and it may even be me). His excerpt was an account of a motley crew in a Te Reo class. Think I recognised myself there! Damien feels that one of the ways that comedy works in fiction is through structure, that is repeated references within the story. A sort of insider knowledge type of humour, one in which he has 'created echoes'.
Danyl Mclaughlan
Danyl read from his novel Mysterious Mysteries of the Aro Valley. Set in the Aro valley near Wellington, Danyl researches his novels very carefully - after all he knows people who live there. When asked if readers take offence at some of his observations, he replied that what seemed to offend them most was if he altered the geography in any way! He's a big believer in writing funny stuff in, thinking it is fantastic and then removing most of it on the next reading. Definitely a 'less is more' approach to comedy in writing. He also likes to make fun of conventional wisdom but feels that makes his humour unpalatable to the 'cultural gatekeepers'.
Robert Glancy
Robert (call me Bob) was all set to read from his latest work Please Do Not Disturb, but had brought the wrong book. By this stage we were nicely warmed up so we all thought that was hilarious. Instead he read from Terms and Conditions - his novel on being a Corporate Lawyer. In this book the devil is in the detail. He calls himself 'the devil's ghost writer'. His advice to readers is - always read the small print! He loves the act of writing but says that self-editing 'is like performing an autopsy on yourself'. Bob finds tackling topics from weird angles can be funny. He also writes what he likes. You are always going to offend someone in his opinion. If that's a worry to you, you're in the wrong job.
They all hated the title given to this festival event - Tickled Fiction, finding it childish, shallow and with vaguely pervy undertones. Put on the spot in question time Bob said he liked 'You Write Funny' as an alternative.
As indeed they do, write funny, that is.
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