Comic Relief

Today I was talking to my sister at the gym when I noticed someone eavesdropping on our conversation. Out of the corner of my eye I saw this big, burly, macho-man leering behind us. I didn’t notice him before, so I figured he must have crept up to overhear us. I turned around to face him, thinking that maybe if he knew I was aware of him he’d give us some space.

However when I flipped around, I burst out laughing. The creepy, macho-man eavesdropper wasn’t even a man—it was a mannequin wearing workout clothes. I'd forgotten that the gym put out mannequins to display their workout attire.

I still jokingly said, “Hey, stop listening to our conversation!” I should have also said, “And think about getting a tan. Honestly, you’re whiter than a vampire wearing sunscreen.”

It’s always a relief when I’m in an intense situation and then it turns out to be humorous or comical. I feel like laughing relieves stress and tension and forces you to breath.

Comic relief is an important part of writing. You need to have a balance of seriousness and silliness. J.K. Rowling is the queen of this. Harry will be in the middle of a dire situation and as the reader, you're biting your nails, anxious for his survival. Then, somehow Rowling makes you bust up laughing because Fred, George, or Ron (redhead thing?) will lighten the mood with a snide, silly, or sarcastic comment. It gives you a moment to laugh, breath, and relax for a bit before continuing.

A few years ago I saw the creepiest. movie. ever. I do get scared really easy with movies, but screams were heard through the theater in random outbursts (so I wasn’t the only one). Halfway through the movie we saw a lady outside the theater who looked exhausted. “I just needed a breather,” she said. “That movie is intense!” I realized that what that movie lacked was in fact a “breather” moment. It needed comic relief so that by the end of the movie you didn’t feel mentally and physically drained.

I’m still working really hard on getting down the right amount of comic relief. And I’m trying my best to stay away from extreme scary movies, and burly, eavesdropping mannequins.

Pretty Little Liars

I just finished reading Twisted, book 9 in the Pretty Little Liars series. And it was, well, twisted.

I don’t know if you’ve ever watched the series on television, but it can become pretty addicting. The books are VERY different than the show (or I guess I should say the show is very different, after all, it came later). The characters look different (Emily on the TV series has tan skin and black hair, and in the novel she has red hair with pale skin), which I don’t really mind, although sometimes my mind mixes things up. Also, different characters hook up with people that they never did in the novel, but I’m not sure how vital all that drama is to the storyline. The novels are even more thrilling than the television series. However, I will admit they are a little PG 13 (really, I could go without the swearing).

I definitely love how Sara Shepard writes. She has such a great voice, and when you combine that with her dark stories of Pennsylvania’s Pretties, you have a deadly combination.

Also, I really admire each characters own sarcastic voice that makes me burst out laughing even in the scariest of scenes (and my gosh, they do get scary). I guess this could be the comic relief that’s provided when situation becomes too intense.

Once again I found myself googling when the next novel comes out, which happens to be December. Shepard amazes me with the fact that she can pump out multiple fantastic books in a year. I'm writing my second novel for The Shapeshifter’s Secret, and I’m trying to be motivated by this fact. Hopefully I can learn to write as fast as Shepard, and create books that are just as addicting ;).

Have you read the books or watched the series? What is your take on the stories?