Comic characters work best when they are built from a simple base. Simplicity is the chief imperative, whether you’re inventing a character from the ground up, or applying new attributes to an ancient archetype. True, comic characters may present complex combinations of warring attributes, and comic delivery can range from the subtle to the painfully…
Tag: screenwriting
TICKLING THEORY
(An excerpt from The Cheeky Monkey – Writing Narrative Comedy [Currency Press]) The most reliable stimulus for laughter is tickling. And yet even here the laughter response can be enhanced by mock-threatening behaviour. For instance, imagine you are about to tickle a toddler. Do you simply reach out your hands and tickle? Is any part…