Hi, everybody.
I'm working on something and I've gotten a bit stumped. In the story I'm writing, I have a girl who is from a wealthy family and the plot I have for her is her journey from self-centered materialism to faith in Christ. The first step in her journey is her encounter with a cult, The Church of Melvin, which is a sort of rip-off of the Hare Krishnas on drugs. The Melvinists have lost a sacred artifact, 'The Sacred Chapeau of Zarquod, the mixer of granola (the commune's cook's hat), and have gone forth to find it. As this girl is walking home on a street in herhometown, she encounters the Melvinists looking for this lost artifact, peering into mailboxes, trash cans, looking up trees, into windows, one male cultist being chased out of a ladies' bathroom, chanting and dancing for the artifact's return. After they look all around her and move off down the street and she wonders what that was all about, an acquaintance of hers from the same background makes a disparaging comment about people who belong to a church, stating they need medication.
As you might have guessed, this is supposed to be humorous, and I have found out I'm as funny as an accountant. Does anybody have any suggestions? Thanks and God Bless You.
Replies
To answer Mr. Lee first, the part I'm trying to make funny is the cultists searching and her response to it. The way I picture it now is that the Melvinists, which I didn't mention above, are dressed like extras from a Sinbad movie, search around her, maybe even moving her to the side in their search, before they move on, leaving her scratching her head and wondering what was going on. It seems somehow to need some sort of dialogue between her and the Melvinists. The 'friend' is based on somebody I used to go to school with, an arrogant, judgmental child deaspite his adolesence and his comments are meant to be hateful and condescending, impeding the young lady's commitment to learning about Christianity.
To answer Mr. Lintz and Mr. Sparling, I've always been a fan of Robin Williams' work, Red Skelton and the Three Stooges movies. One of my favorites has got to be "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World", which is probably the world's best chase movie.
I'm going to agree with Kevin on this one(write the material you enjoy reading) with one guiding question: What's the medium: Movie, cartoon, short story, long story...?
For example a visual medium like a cartoon lends itself to slapstick humor and visually ridiculous humor, a short story allows you to show case a ridiculous situation, or double meanings of words or phrases.
The situation you describe sounds suitably crazy-goofy. To get some good zany dialogue ideas, you gather a few of your craziest friends and a case of rootbeer and start popping off with ideas.
Kevin D. Lintz said:
What books or movies do you find funny? What makes you laugh?
what part are you trying to make funny? the scene of everyone searching or the remark made by the friend?