Why Is That Funny?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: So–what’s funny to you? It’s a fascinating question, because it’s not the same for all of us, right? (For instance. Do you think the Three Stooges are funny? I don’t think so, not one bit. But I know I’m in the minority. Or am I?) 

 But author Charlotte Stuart has not only thought about humor in mystery, she’s studied it. And organized it!

Let’s let her explain.

Murder Lite: The Muse Within

By Charlotte Stuart

If you lose a sock in the dryer, it comes back as a Tupperware lid that doesn’t fit any of your containers.

Humor is universal, but we don’t all laugh at the same things. My inner muse thinks the above statement is hilarious, but I have more than one friend who would simply say, “Huh?” For instance, I love stand-up comedy, but I don’t love all stand-up comedians. When Nancy Pearl advises book clubs to avoid starting discussions with “I liked/didn’t like” a particular book, I think this is what she has in mind. It isn’t just about the writing; readers bring some innate attributes and preferences with them to their reading experience. Particularly when it comes to humor.

I was an organizational consultant for a number of years and became certified in a variety of assessment processes. Two stand out when analyzing an individual’s sense of humor: Ned Hermann’s dominant brain quadrant preference and Meyers Briggs personality indicator. Based on these two assessments, you can make a pretty good guess as to what will tickle someone’s funny bone. But, that isn’t helpful unless you’ve also categorized types of humor by author. That’s what I’ve done in the following matrix, using a few representative authors to illustrate.

One Genre—Five Categories

KOOKY	COMIC	AMUSING	EDGY	DARK
·  Carl Hiaasen ·  Lisa Lutz ·  Laurence Shames	·  Most cozies and capers ·  Donald Westlake	·  Robert Crais (Evis Cole) ·  John Sandford (Virgil Flowers)	·  Janet Evanovich ·  Joe Ide (Isaiah Quintabe) ·  Sue Grafton	·  Joseph Wambaugh ·  Caimh McDonnell (Dublin Trilogy)

Each category can be sliced and diced in a number of different ways, including the relationship between book titles and categories, but the basic definitions are as follows:

Kooky: Humor is key. Characterized by outrageous situations and very quirky characters.

Comic: Benign, non-offensive humor that is usually character driven.

Amusing: Less overtly humorous with light-hearted themes.

Edgy: Intermittent humor that is complex and nuanced. Often includes irony and cynical wordplay between characters.

Dark: Humor may not be obvious. Makes light of taboo topics. Tragicomedy.

This does not take into account that some people don’t like any humor in their mysteries unless it’s lightly dipped in dark ink. And, in fact, the humorous mystery market is quite small. That said, I didn’t start out to write humorous mysteries, but my inner muse is at times uncontrollable. And although I’m not a pet owner, cats and dogs seem to find a way into my stories. Perhaps as surrogate pets. So, even though my Discount Detective Mysteries feature a PI and violate many other cozy mystery rules as well, they are usually labeled as cozies. So far I haven’t been kicked out of the cozy club, but I have been taken to task for my treatment of goldfish. (Small bowls contribute to short life spans for goldfish—honestly, I didn’t know.)

Bottom line? I enjoy a good cozy and a cuppa, but I think of my own mysteries as more “mug of coffee” reads. Hence, I’ve spent many hours trying to redefine my type of humor to establish a brand: Cozy 2.0, Murder Lite, Mirthful Mayhem, or just plain old Humorous Mystery.

Next year I have a book coming out that is almost humorless. When I was writing it, I had to block my humor muse, wipe the smile off my face, let my lips sag at the corners and think dark thoughts. I’m proud of the final product, but it’s certainly a lot more fun to write for laughs.

HANK: SO fascinating. (And funny!) How about you, Reds and readers? Do you like humor in mysteries? I have laughed out loud at Anthony Horowitz, for instance. Elle Cosimano, another genius. And my own Prime Time mysteries are kinda funny. (I hope.)  Certainly  Jenn’s, and Rhys’s Georgie, and Lucy’s Haley. But they are all different. Let’s talk about humor in mystery….what’s YOUR opinion? And your favorites?

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Charlotte Stuart began her writing career with a PhD thesis that had the distinction of being stolen from the university library. Her current passion is for writing humorous mysteries with silent laugh tracks that encourage readers to smile, snicker and occasionally laugh out loud. They have been recognized with a number of awards including a Global eBook gold, two NYC Big Book Distinguished Favorites, a Pinnacle Book Achievement Award and a Firebird Book Award for humor. Charlotte lives and writes on Vashon Island in the Pacific Northwest. https://www.charlottestuart.com

 

Moonlight Can Be Deadly is the fourth in the Discount Detective Mystery series. It is available March 14, 2023.  https://www.amazon.com/Moonlight-Deadly-Discount-Detective-Mystery/dp/1940442478?ref_=ast_sto_dp

 

MOONLIGHT CAN BE DEADLY

A full moon re-enactment of an ancient human sacrifice ritual turns deadly.

A young woman volunteers to play the role of a maiden to be sacrificed under a full moon while costumed participants chant and dance to celebrate the ritual. After the ceremony, the maiden vanishes and a man’s body is found on the rock altar, impaled by an antique dagger.

 

Single mom and Penny-wise investigator, Cameron Chandler is hired to find the missing woman. What begins as a straightforward assignment becomes a quagmire of motives and betrayals. As the full moon wanes, Cameron must choose between doing things by the book or saving herself from a murderer.