Why Comedy is Powerful by Rene Gutteridge

I’d been waiting several weeks for Nov. 3rd to show up because I had read that Brian Williams, anchor of Nightly News on NBC, would host Saturday Night Live. I could hardly believe it, truthfully. Williams is by far my favorite network anchor and I’ve watched him for years, even while Tom Brokaw was at the helm. Yet I still couldn’t fathom him hosting Saturday Night Live. He’s a talented anchor but can he act in an SNL sketch?

I was blown away. The guy’s funny! REALLY funny! I was laughing so hard I could hardly contain myself, partly because he was, well, very funny, but also because he’s this stoic, hard-nosed journalist with a deep, authoritative voice. He’s so serious all the time, as he should be. Every once in awhile you’ll see him give a small, reassuring smile. But I don’t know that I’ve ever seen the man’s teeth.

Afterward I had to ask myself, why? What would compel a network news anchor to do SNL? Sure, it could help his ratings (or hurt it if he bombed), but maybe there was something else. Maybe Williams knew that laughter, like suffering, can connect you to people in a powerful way.

People who know my work know that I write a lot of comedy. I’ve been writing comedy for a long time in one form or another. But readers are always a little surprised to find that bits and pieces of comedy pop up in my suspense novels, too.

I do it purposely because I believe that it’s a powerful way to connect my reader to my character. If my character can make him or her laugh, then they’ve already got a bond that will propel the rest of the relationship forward.

Here’s the secret: if you can make people laugh, they’ll forgive you of a lot. It’s why politicians try their hand at a joke or two, and why some, though brilliant at what they do, seem stiff if they can’t get you to crack a smile. It’s why everyone tolerates “that” uncle or “that” cousin. Yes, he probably drinks too much or has the manners of a pig, but man, can that guy tell a funny story! A geek with a rockin’ sense of humor can get the prettiest woman in the room. It’s true for books, too. A reader might be willing to suspend disbelief a lot longer and for a lot more things if you can make them laugh.

Humor is a particularly great way to make a good character a great character. Watch Inside Man with Denzel Washington some time. The character of Detective Keith Frazier is made even better my some light touches of humor. Another example of a great character made better by humor? Sam Gerard, played by Tommy Lee Jones, in The Fugitive.

Get your hands on a piece by Joel Stein, a Time Magazine journalist. That guys makes journalism seem like Comedy Central.

As you create your next masterpiece, find a way to slip in a bit of humor and even if you’re the loud, obnoxious uncle of the writing world, you may find yourself with a loyal following, nevertheless.

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To read reviews of Rene's latest releases, Boo Humbug and Scoop click HERE.