I don’t think this is sad. It actually makes a lot of sense to me
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Awe thanks. I just feel like at home and stuff I can’t be myself. Most people may think my sense of comedy is “annoying.”
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1. Why do you think authors choose to write comedy?
I like to think that authors write what they would like to read, and comedy is a great genre to write in because it makes people entertained, if done well.
2. What makes a story a comedy? Is it funny characters? Is it the ‘adventure’ / ‘plot’? Or even the relationships between characters?
To me it’s mainly the characters and their relationships. I’ve read many stories with badly delivered jokes that didn’t fit the character/situation and all, and I think what many authors don’t realize is that throwing in random jokes won’t make your story a comedy. Sometimes it’s not the dialogue itself what is funny, but the fact that a certain character said it. And also, the way he/she said it.
3. Do you think that people make their story ‘comedy’ just for reads?
Oh yes, there are definitely a lot of people doing that. It’s super annoying to me as a reader, because when I search for new stories in this genre, I mainly find romance. And it’s annoying to me as an author, because well, I can’t trend higher because of these stories 
4. Should RomCom or DraCom or even FantCom stories be in the Comedy section?
Since most of the stories include romance and drama, I think they can be put in comedy as long as they are funny. But if their focus is on romance/drama/fantasy, then they should be put in those genres.
5. Have YOU, yes YOU, ever tried to make a comedy? What did you find difficult / easy?
That’s the only thing I tried, because I can’t write anything else. I think I can safely say that I put the focus on comedy, and because of that to me the most difficult part is to find the right balance between an actual story and an utter nonsense. I do cut/remove scenes sometimes, because even though I find them funny, I know they don’t add anything to the plot, so they are not needed.
6. Do you think a story should warn readers if the comedy is dark? If the comedy makes fun of race, religion, gender, sexuality, should they warn readers?
Yes, but honestly I avoid to make jokes about these themes. I love shows like Family Guy, so I can’t say I don’t get tempted sometimes. But I know it’s not worth it since I might offend my readers, which is definitely not my intention. I just want them to enjoy reading the story as much as I enjoy writing it.
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Simply, people like to laugh and smile, and most importantly want to make others laugh and smile.
Cynically, because it’s not as much a dense genre in Episode as Romance or Drama and they want to be trending faster
It’s definitely all three, though I would place relationships (more specifically dialogue) as most significant
Read my answer for Q1. But at least they bother with adding jokes and randomness here and there
As Long as the story and tone skews on lightheartedness and comedy, sure. But it depends on how the author does it
Well, I’m trying too. At the very least, there is the occasional joke or comment. I’m now trying to write one for the upcoming contest.
It may be just me overthinking things, but I feel it’s trying to figure out the right timing and dialogue which is difficult.
To me, Comedy is like a relationship: if you barely try or focus on it too much, it’s not going to be good in the Long run. Especially the latter, because if you force it, it’s just gets grating
Definitely. But not like dismissing readers who would not like that type of comedy in a discretion message. More like those Any real persons messages or something which is a little lighthearted but straightforward
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Why do you think authors choose to write comedy?
I guess it’s because it’s the genre they’re most comfortable with?
What makes a story a comedy? Is it funny characters? Is it the ‘adventure’ / ‘plot’? Or even the relationships between characters?
I personally have a weird sense of humor and I find the weirdest crap funny and entertaining, even if it’s the sh-ttiest puns lol. However, in most comedy stories on the app, I’ve noticed that what’s meant to pass as “humorous” is, more often than not, direct copy-pastes of popular tumblr posts. Either or that or if it’s an INK story, then EXCESSIVE use of those end-of-animation faces, long-ass pauses, stale jokes, MC being all her der i obsess over food and that’s a personality trait uwu and the LI being a spineless punching bag.
There has only ever been one INK story I found funny beyond all reason and that was MEA’S A Flawless Plan. She DID use some of the cliches I mentioned above but they were few and far in between and what really made her story so funny to me was its charming narration, wacky characters and even wackier situations. it’s a shame she never completed it tho
Do you think that people make their story ‘comedy’ just for reads?
Sometimes, yeah. It’s a slippery slope between romance and comedy but if you’re gonna be filing your story under “Comedy” the romance better be a subplot or something 
Should RomCom or DraCom or even FantCom stories be in the Comedy section?
Not really; like I said, it’s all about maintaining a specific balance to do justice to the genre you want to be filing your story under.
Have YOU, yes YOU, ever tried to make a comedy? What did you find difficult / easy?
Not intentionally, haha.
Do you think a story should warn readers if the comedy is dark? If the comedy makes fun of race, religion, gender, sexuality, should they warn readers?
Yeah, definitely, though I will say dark comedy’s not for everyone – whether it’s as a writer OR as a reader. I’d advice people not to try their hand at it on this app though.
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This made me laugh. As someone who writes comedy I feel obligated to object but I can’t because it’s true 
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There are some actual gems in the abyss, though, if you look hard enough. I’m still a fan of Kayla S’s writing because even though her plots are too fast-paced for me personally her humor still remains top-notch for me
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Because they want to, I s’pose.
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Any of those situations can be mined for humor, really.
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Yup, and it’s annoying.
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It depends–if the story is mostly comedy, then sure. But if it’s mostly romance/drama/fantasy, then it ought to be in a different genre.
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All but one of my stories is in that genre, so yes. The easy parts were, well, the humor (my writing style leans towards the silly side) and the more difficult parts were trying to keep the romantic/dramatic elements from overtaking the comedic ones.
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Yes, definitely, since those kinds of jokes can easily offend readers or just be unfunny.
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Sometimes it’s nice to have a fun breather from writing more serious or emotionally taxing stories. Or maybe you’re the type of author who prefers to use stories in general as a break from the heartache of real life. I’m closer to the former personally.
It really depends on the type of comedy you’re writing. I think comedic moments can develop from the absurdity of the situation, from pinpoint accurate satire, inherently comedic conflict, etc. But all a story needs to technically be labeled a comedy is to have a focus on humor.
100%. It’s a grab for trending spots. A lot of “comedy” stories wouldn’t be in the genre if the authors were honest - or at least honest with themselves if they’re blinded by trying to climb the ranks.
Fantasy comedy is a new one lol. I haven’t seen an Episode story I’d label that, but I’d like to.
And yes, I think they can be depending on the story. Since we don’t have subgenres, I think authors should choose whatever genre fits the story’s focus most. So if it’s more drama than comedy, stick it in drama. If it’s more romance than comedy, stick it in romance.
I’ve had two comedic WIP ideas in the past actually. By far, the most difficult part is figuring out a plot I think. I kept having to stop myself from making x aspect too serious or dramatic when the conflict needs to retain a certain amount of farce. Anybody else have trouble with that?
Authors need to ask themselves whether certain jokes are necessary or if they’re just punching down and mocking vulnerable people. It’s not satire if you’re reinforcing the thing you’re supposedly criticizing. I’m not even opposed to dark comedy, but too many people don’t know how to approach it properly and their material ends up being selfishly crass and even disgusting imo.
I also hate it when authors use “warnings” as a form of saying “don’t like don’t read, if you get offended that’s your problem.” Saw a big author do this and it was one of the most childish things I’ve ever seen.
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I can definitely understand that. But I think most comedy movies or shows have their serious moments at times too. It’s just that when it comes to Episode, I know it can feel like there’s pressure to make every single episode funny or else you worry you’re misleading people who just came here for laughs by forcing them to put on their big serious pants lol.
I agree with this so much. Actually, this type of warning to me always feels like the author is trying to be funny by saying it? Like, they think they’re taking the piss out of the usual warnings. But it comes off more as a puck-you-if-you-don’t-like-my-story-idc-so-deal-with-it type of warning
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I think that’s a true observation, but I guess what I’m saying is that types of genre plot conflict can be inherently different and need a different skill set from one another.
For example: the movie Elf - even as a Christmas comedy about some guy who believed he was an elf working for Santa - is about Buddy trying to gain a loving relationship with his biological father, figure out where he belongs, rekindle the spark of joy in other people that comes from family and love, etc. But even so, the conflicts and scenes throughout the plot are farcical. I mean, the climax itself deals with some park rangers versus Santa lmao. An entirely different need from psychological horror like American Psycho or the conflict you’d find in a pure drama. So it ends up being tricky for me to brainstorm conflict that suits the genre.
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@writingspirit @amberose while we’re on the subject of accidentally misleading readers by having serious moments in what is otherwise meant to be a comedic story, I’d like to give an example of a show that does it extremely well, in my opinion. I’m talking about B99 because I only recently started watching it and in my opinion it’s the best show to ever air on TV and there are times when the show is full-out hilarious with absurd situations and all that but there are also episodes in which they tackle real-life important topics, such as racism, bigotry, misogyny, police corruption, all that, all while maintaining their lightheartedness and usual humor.
So I guess it’s a question of finding that specific balance? Don’t tip the scales too much have just about enough of both sides?
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I think it’s about understanding the heart of your story, the core of your characters, and creating conflicts that will challenge them - following that mix to whatever ends it leads you to.
I’ll use an example from Parks and Recreation, written by the same writer for B99 if I remember correctly. Leslie Knope is the heart of the show, right? She is extremely hardworking, optimistic, and passionate about her love for the people and places she calls home - moreso than others around her. This also makes her obsess to a fault over anything she even remotely cares about and pretty socially awkward because she is so focused on work.
All of these qualities allow for both serious situations and comedic ones. We can laugh at how she says “I just slept seven hours which is twice as much as I normally sleep” while feeling sorry for her when that dedication goes to waste on people who won’t appreciate it. Both of these scenarios are on completely different sides of the scale, but neither feel out of place because they’re natural outcomes driven by her personality.
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I think because of how freeing it can be from real life. I know from experience that when I read or watch things that are more humorous it can help me forget some of life’s problems for a bit.
I think there’s a certain lightheartedness about the script. And I think that having characters that you can laugh at and with is essential, especially on Episode where so much of a story really (I think) depends on the characters.
Definitely! They shouldn’t though, because then it just makes it hard to find genuine comedy stories. (And I can only imagine how frustrating it is for the authors writing predominantly in the genre to constantly have to compete with stories that aren’t even theoretically supposed to be there).
I like to follow a 60/40 rule with this. If 60% is not comedy it doesn’t belong in comedy, if 60% is it does. It gets a bit unclear if it’s fairly 50/50, but I don’t think most stories are. 
I also think it depends on the subplots. If the main plot is something like a group of high schoolers trying to survive teen life with funny adventures and a subplot is that some of them have relationships I would keep it in romance. So, I guess if the main plot is comedy then yes, but if not then no?
I haven’t! I want to though. I think it would be nice to be able to right something a bit more lighthearted.
Ehhh. This is where I think Episode needs to draw some lines, mostly because you don’t really know your audience. For example (this is going to make me look bad:woman_facepalming:t2: 
) I have a friend at work and I’ll joke with her about what her ethnicity is (She’s Guatemalan) by saying she’s from other places. But it’s joking, she knows it’s a joke, she laughs and I’d never actually be rude or mean to her about her heritage because that’s just not who I am. But I’ve also been working with her for over a year and a half now, so I know my limits and she knows hers with me.
I’d never try to do something like that in an Episode story, though, because I don’t know my audience. I mean, sure, I might know some of my readers but overall I’d have no idea how someone would take something like that. It’s the same reason I don’t go up to random people and make dark jokes because I don’t know how people will take it.
I’d also be wary because 1. People will often hide trying to be rude as “joking” but on the other end readers can get the wrong idea and run with it. So, I think in theory it’s good to tread carefully, but I think if you can avoid such things as much as possible it’ll be better. 
Not to mention the fact the app is 13+ too. It’s one thing if you use a dark joke with someone in their twenties who gets it, but a 13 year old might not quite understand the context.
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Just saying out loud is that most humor in Episode stories (moreso in ‘non-comedic’ romance stories) usually fall flat for me. To me it’s difficult to enjoy and chuckle if the timing isn’t right or if the same jokes are repeated or if a joke takes too long
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Knowing you made someone laugh is a good feeling. But also I think those of us who, for whatever reason, have been defaulted to the “the funny one” in our peer or family groups are trying to make use of that and bring it into other aspects of our lives. Humor is very useful in generating connection and if you’re able to put something into the world that helps people let go of their struggles for the moment to laugh, then that is really valuable.
For me, it’s absolutely the relationships and interactions between characters and how those interactions continue to shape how the characters see the world. You can have funny characters and situations in any genre but imo the sustainability of comedy and therefore what moves something to the comedy genre is the character dynamics. In how we see the characters interacting together we get the context for why we should find something funny. There are a lot of different kinds of comedy but for me I don’t find something funny unless I can connect to the characters and their relationships so I can understand their responses to the situations they are put in.
For sure. But I do think people think they’re genuinely funny, but for readers the jokes fall flat because a) the characters are not well developed or relatable or b) the jokes are based on inside jokes authors have with their friends that readers have no context for. There’s also a lot of “haha I’m so random xD” type of humor which can be hilarious if done well but again those jokes are usually based on something the author found funny on MySpace in 2007, but there’s nothing about the characters and their interactions with each other that suggests why readers should find it funny. So to answer your question lol - yes, but not always.
I agree with most everyone else. Just because the comedy genre applies to some stories with multiple genres doesn’t mean it applies to all of them. I’d say romcoms are fitting, but the majority of supposed romcoms are not actually romcoms; they are romance stories with some funny (that’s debatable lol) situations. In that case they should be in the romance genre. The problem with romcoms across all platforms is that they usually rely on misogynistic and / or racist tropes, which makes them not enjoyable. But the core structure of a romcom can be hilarious if done properly. So if that were the case, I’d say they belong in the Episode comedy genre.
For other sub-genres, again I think it depends on how the characters relate to the world and each other. But I can’t say I’ve ever come across a ~dramedy~ that felt like it belonged in comedy over drama. So I think that goes back to people putting their stories in comedy for reads and to trend.
Lol no.
Yes. And I also think people should develop a more nuanced understanding of dark or gallows humor. If your jokes mock disenfranchised and marginalised folx, you should question your intentions there and then not make the joke. If you are part of the marginalised group and your character is making a joke about the reality of the situations you’re put in, then I do think you can give warnings for others who may want to know the context of the jokes. For example, I would never make a rape joke or a joke that positions rape culture as funny, but in my spoken word have made jokes about the responses I have gotten from people as a CSA survivor navigating a world inundated with rape culture. But I’ve also always been clear that the topic would come up bc not everyone is in a place to hear those jokes.
I do feel like authors will say “it’s satire” in response to their offensive comedies. But if that were true, most people would understand that. And if no one understands that you were being satirical, then you should question if that was really your intention. Same with “its just a joke you don’t have to read if you don’t like it.” This is not an acceptable response. It costs you nothing not to make offensive jokes at the expense of marginalised folx. If your comedy relies on hurting others, then it’s not funny and definitely shouldn’t be in the comedy genre.
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Lol, this is a personal pet peeve of mine. And I see a lot of comedy stories that I genuinely like do it very sparingly and probably I myself have done it too hopefully sparingly but I cringe every time I come across it in stories 
I agree with this point you made a lot. I see that “it’s satire” or even “It’s just a story” defense float around a lot and I think it’s disappointing that there’s some authors who just aren’t able to see why that’s a problem
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Lmao I think it stems from a general misunderstanding of absurdist humor. Putting your characters in bizarre situations but in a way where their response to the situation appears logical (which I know you know a thing or two about lol) or setting up a joke where the readers’ expectations for the punchline are subverted (such as the classic antijoke) are not at all the same as a character yelling “SHARKS ARE PEOPLE TOO” or whatever in the middle of a conversation at a restaurant.
I think randomness can be a part of subverting reader expectations in some instances, but it requires an author have a much deeper knowledge of comedic styles than what you’re likely to find on episode. That being said, it’s generally pretty harmless and I’d rather see a bunch of cringey attempts to be funny than the harmful and offensive “jokes” people rely on to shock people into reading.
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This is so true