Creating Comedy Situations: Misinterpretations

You're writing a scene and you want it to be funny.

What do you do?

First, you can look for what might naturally be funny about it.  Maybe you throw in a twist or two.  Create a comedic surprise.  Write some humorous lines of dialogue.  All good ideas.

Let me present another possibility -- a comedy situation.

Putting the characters in a comedic situation instantly increases the chance for great punchlines, action humor, prop humor, and toppers that take a scene from a mild chuckle to a gut-busting howl.

Let's look at one of those situations from the "Comedy Writing For Screenplays Class."

SITUATION:  MISINTERPRETATION

STRUCTURE: One or more characters has misinterpreted a situation and continues to act out of an incorrect perspective.

This creates comic opportunities by having characters operate as if they're in completely different worlds.  It is also an easy way for a writer to look absolutely brilliant.

Our example is from the movie, "MY COUSIN VINNY."

In "MY COUSIN VINNY," written by Dale Launer, Billy and Stan have just been put in prison while awaiting trial.  Stan is completely paranoid that someone in the prison is going make him a sex slave. Watch how this misinterpretation rules Stan's behavior in this scene.

INT. STATE PRISON -- DAY

As Bill and Stan step into the unit, cheers and sexual taunts
ring out.  Bill and Stan try to ignore the other prisoners,
but can't hide their fear.  Stan is on the verge of tears.
They are shown to

CELL 1-32

The door slides open.  They enter their new home -- a 6' by
10' cell with steel bunk beds.  The door slams shut.

STAN

You know what happens in these places?

BILLY

Yeah, I know what happens in these
places.

NOTE:  For the whole second act, these guys are constantly in "fish out of water" situations, but this is the set up for this scene to turn into a well-written misinterpretation.

STAN

And sometimes, there's a big guy
named Bubba that no one wants to
tangle with and he'll protect you.
But then you have to become his sex-
slave and do whatever he wants.

BILLY

There's only the two of us here.

Stan's eyes scream fear.  He points outside the cell where
four folding beds stand against the wall.

STAN

What about those cots?  I mean, what
if they put someone else in here?

Billy has had enough.

BILLY

Shut up.

NOTE:  That's the setup for the entire scene -- the fear of a big guy named Bubba.  And here he comes.

As you read the part, pay attention to how Vinny reacts naturally for his character while responding to Stan's natural behavior for his character.   Neither are acting out-of-character, but they are misunderstanding each other.

CUTTO:

CELL 1-32 -- LATER

Billy sleeps on the top bunk.  O.S. Inmates begin taunting
someone else.  Still panicking, Stan rushes to the bars for
a look-see.  A guard escorts Vinny to the door.

The door slides open.  Vinny hands the guard a pair of one-
dollar bills as a tip.  The guard shoves them in his pocket
as Vinny steps in.  He shakes Stan's hand.

VINNY

You must be Stan.  How you doing?

STAN

(nervous)

Why'd they bring you in here?

VINNY

I just got in.  I asked where the
new guys were and they brought me
here.

(Spots Billy)

Hey, he's sleeping, huh?  Cute little
guy.

NOTE:  Notice how they are having the same conversation, but each one is operating out of a different paradigm.  Stan is freaking out because "Bubba" has arrived.  Vinny is just trying to establish a relationship with his new clients.

Second, notice how everything Vinny says and does plays into Stan's paranoia.

He turns to Stan, who is already backing into the wall.

VINNY

Maybe I'll just start with you.
We'll let him get some sleep.

Vinny leans in, deliberately smiling to relax Stan, but Stan
thinks something else is going on.

STAN

I don't wanna do this.

VINNY

I don't blame ya.  If I was in your
situation, I'd want to get through
this whole thing as quickly and with
as little pain as possible.  So,
let's try our best to make it a simple
in-and-out procedure.

NOTE:  Vinny's language would be innocent in any other situation, but with the misinterpretation, the writer has provided us with language that can be easily seen differently from Stan's perspective.

Stan darts away from him and moves to the front of the cell.
He cowers onto the chair by the bars.  Vinny moves in.

VINNY

Relax.  Relax.  Maybe we should spend
a couple of moments together.  To
get acquainted...You know, before we
get to it.

Vinny touches his shoulder.  Stan squirms away.

VINNY

What's wrong with you?

STAN

I don't want to do this?

VINNY

I understand, but what are your
alternatives?

STAN

What?  To you?  I don't know.
Suicide.  Death.

VINNY

Look.  It's either me or them.  You're
getting f--ked one way or another.

NOTE:  Stan continues to react to his fear, while Vinny reacts to this confused situation.  What makes them incongruent is how each character's reaction plays into the misinterpretation of Stan.

Stan tries to bolt away from him, but Vinny's too fast.  He
helps Stan back into his seat.  Towering over him.

VINNY

Hey, hey.  Lighten up, okay?  Don't
worry, I'm going to help you.

STAN

Oh, gee thanks.

VINNY

Listen, I think a modicum of gratitude
would not be out of line here.

STAN

You think I should be grateful?

VINNY

Yeah, I mean, it's your ass, not
mine.  I think you should be grateful.
I think you should be down on your
f--kin' knees.

NOTE:  Most of these lines from Vinny are punchlines.  They take Stan's fear and build on it with incongruent responses – incongruent to Stan's fear, that is.  But this only works because of the misinterpretation.

STAN

I'm sorry, I didn't know it was such
an honor to get a visit from you.

VINNY

Hey, I'm doing a favor here.  You're
getting me for nothing, you little
f--k.

STAN

Boy, that's one hell of an ego you
got.

VINNY

What the f--k is your problem?  I
did not come down here to get jerked
off!

Stan jumps to his feet, ready to protect himself.

STAN

I'm not jerking you off.  I'm not
doing anything.

Fed up, Vinny pushes Stan back into the chair.

VINNY

You're on your own.  I'm just taking
care of sleeping beauty here.

Vinny pats Billy on the ass, waking him up.  To Stan's
surprise, Billy jumps off the bed and hugs Vinny.

BILLY

Vinny!  Vinny bag-of-donuts!

And at that point, the misinterpretation is revealed and the gag is over.

---------------

CREATING A MISINTERPRETATION SITUATION

The structure is of a misinterpretation scene is simple:

1.  Provide a logical reason why Character A would misinterpret the words and actions of Character B.

In this case, combining a prison stay with Stan's paranoia is enough of a reason for Stan to misinterpret the situation.

2. Have Character B pursue their normal agenda while Character A reacts like B is doing something else.

Vinny is simply there to meet his two new clients.  But Stan responds as if Vinny is the "Bubba" he fears.

3. Discover as many possible ways the misinterpretation could cause humor in the situation.

With this scene, any reference to "Cute little guy" or "it's your a ss" or "with as little pain as possible" or "simple in and out procedure" etc. instantly provokes the "Bubba" fear -- and audience laughter.

4.  Reveal the misinterpretation.

That was done by Vinny giving up on Stan, patting Billy on the ass, and getting a hug from Billy.   Obviously, the reaction from Billy was the last thing Stan would have expected, so it was the perfect reveal or this situation.

---------------

WHAT TO DO?

As you've seen, a good comedy situation can turn an ordinary scene into a very funny one.   That's the value of a good comedy situation -- multiple laughs from the same set up.

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2011 Editor’s Choice Award for Outstanding Screenplays

Following is the complete list of winners for the 2011 Editor’s Choice Award for Outstanding Screenplays.

Shades Of Grey by Abdul Casal
Nickle For You by Mark Zakeri
We Don’t Die by Cedrick E. Wilson
Gram’s Crackers by Susan Howl-Stein
Soapy Sunday by Rye Michaels
Fat Girls Can Sparkle by Kelly May Daniels
George’s Sister Maggie by (name not available)

2011 Editor’s Choice Award for Outstanding Screenplays is a special award and recognition for the best screenplays edited during the year of 2011. The scripts eligible for this annual award were edited and / or critiqued by the editor(s) . Winning scripts receive an award letter declaring achievement. The award can be used by writers as credit when querying producers and agents. This can be a valuable asset to writers with no credentials but have created very good scripts . If it shows in the query the script won an award or competition, attention would be given to the query.

Good Luck to the 2011 winners.

Scripts edited and / or critiqued by editor(s) this year will be eligible for 2012 awards.

NEW FEES: EDIT & CRITIQUE SERVICE

Hello, everyone.
Iam announcing that there is an increase in fees. this is due to the increase in advertising cost. The fees for edit and critique service will still be affordable.


Screenplays
Editing $45.00 Flat Fee: Includes evaluating for script formatting to industry standards, spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc.

Critique $50.00 Flat Fee: Includes evaluating the four basis elements of a script- introduction, development, climax, conclusion, & character development ( are 2.5 to 4 pages single space) Critiques also provide suggestions for improvements and enhancement. 

Editing & Critique combination discount $63.00 Flat Fee (when both services are ordered)

Rush Jobs $60.00 flat fee (rush jobs are done for editing ONLY. Sometimes writers need their scripts edited within a short time to meet a deadline. Rush jobs take 2 to 3 days. So send your script 5 days before your deadline. That the editing will be done in 2 to 3 days and I'll have 2 more days to review the edited script.)

Query Letters: $25.00 Flat Fee (this will not change.)
Synopsis: $25.00 Flat Fee(for scripts only)

Turnaround time:
Editing: 1 week
Critique: 1 week
Editing & Critique combination: 2 to 3 weeks
Letter: 2 weeks (it takes this long because the script must be read or else the writer sends a summary instead)

Scripts can be received as email attachments or by postal mail, whichever works best for you. 

Books
Editing $75.00 Flat Fee: Includes evaluating for  spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc.

Critique $95.00 Flat Fee: Includes evaluating the introduction, development, climax, conclusion, & character development ( are 2.5 to 4 pages single space) Critiques also provide suggestions for improvements and enhancement. 



Query Letter: $25.00 Flat Fee

Turnaround time:
Editing: 3 week
Critique: 3 week
Editing & Critique combination: 4 weeks
Letter: 2 weeks (when only a letter is only requested, the writer must send a synopsis of the book. The synopsis is used to write the letter.)

Books are received by postal mail. For books I prefer to make editing corrections directly on the manuscript because books are longer and more comprehensive than scripts.

Payments are received by Paypal, money order, or cashier check.

If you are interested in my service, feel free to email me or call at (360) 696 - 4298. Ask for Frances.
Email Contact: ahicks4298@q.com

Creating An Environment for a Horror Story By Sarah Todd

The best horror writers give their readers a scare; perhaps make them shiver with fear or squirm at vivid descriptions of a terrifying scene or a frightening character. A good horror story will make its readers feel uncomfortable, afraid to turn the page to read what happens next. This article will discuss setting the scene that a good horror story will be happy to call home.

Ask someone to choose a setting for a horror story and the response will probably be: ”Use your imagination”. But that’s not strictly the right approach. It’s all very well to let your mind conjure up images of chainsaw-wielding zombies roaming the highway in search of fresh blood to appease the zombie king who lives on a haunted island in the middle of a lake… but how do you make the story believable? Your imagination may give you a great idea for a horror story, but that’s just the first step towards creating something to capture your readers’ attention.

A healthy dose of reality is what turns an idea and plotline into a horror story. The good horror writer will use plenty of reality to bring his story to life, creating a world that will – ultimately – terrify his readers. Inspiration is everywhere, and when creating the setting for your story you probably don’t have to look very far. The trick is to use your words to paint a typical scene – one with which most people are familiar - perhaps a place where they feel safe. Then add a couple of sentences to imply that perhaps all is not as it seems and there’s something not quite right with this picture.
The paragraph below is from William Peter Blatty’s terrifying book The Exorcist. I’ve boldened the few words he’s used to add a chilling element to the basic description of an average house. Note how he’s used a couple of sentences to enhance the “normality” of the scene:


The house was a rental. Brooding. Tight. A brick colonial ripped by ivy in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C. Across the street, was a fringe of campus belonging to Georgetown University; to the rear, a sheer embankment plummeting steep to busy M Street and, beyond, the muddy Potomac. Early on the morning of April 1, the house was quiet… At approximately 12:25 A.M., Chris glanced from her script with a frown of puzzlement. She heard rapping sounds. They were odd. Muffled. Profound. Rhythmically clustered. Alien code tapped out by a dead man.

Although reality-based settings may appear to be mundane and commonplace that’s not strictly true. The very ordinariness of this kind of setting can work in two ways. First, readers are familiar with ordinary because that’s their world. It’s where they live, work and play. The fact that we can all relate to “ordinary” means the relationship between writer and reader is already going in the right direction. This helps readers believe the story’s setting is credible, a vital ingredient to the success of a horror story.

Secondly, you could introduce an ominous, thickly atmospheric setting - the misty-fog-shrouded swamp, the torture chamber in the dungeons of a crumbling castle, the burial ground of a Satanic church, the empty street at midnight lit by one flickering streetlamp… all these situations warn the reader that something nasty is going to happen. These kinds of settings are celebrated by the horror genre, because they prepare the reader for the rest of the story

Finally, you know your story has worked when readers think: "This could probably happen under the right circumstances”. Readers are already meeting you more than halfway – by choosing to read your story they’re making an oath of sorts: they agree to be scared and terrified by reading your words.


Sarah Todd was born in Africa, and lived there for the first 38 years of her life. She worked in the world of public relations for over five years, running her own PR company and dealing extensively with the world of journalism and the print media. She is an author on http://www.Writing.Com , a site for Writers. Her blog can be visited at: http://www.writing.com/authors/zwisis/blog 

Thanks for this contribution.

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Writing Fantasy - A Creative Apaproach to World Building by Will Kalif

Before you can get your fantasy world to come alive in your readers mind you have to first get it to come alive in your own mind. It has to be tangible and real. And you have to see it before you can expect your reader to see it. So how do you do this? I have two suggested methods for bringing your vision of a world to life.

Draw maps of your world

If you read a lot of epic fantasy chances are you have looked at the maps that come with many of these books. They are a wonderful addition to the writing. They bring a visual reality to the world contained in the novel and they are not an afterthought to the novel. They are a valuable part of the novel reading experience.

Maps are not just for the reader though. They can serve a very useful function to you as a writer. Chances are good that your main character or main characters have to travel around the world you have created. Where are the rivers? How far apart are the cities and towns? What are the main features of the landscape? Are there mountains? How long would it take your character to walk from one place in the world to another place in the world. A good map can help you answer all these questions.

Too often maps are almost an afterthought. The story is written and then the map is drawn to fit the story. You should turn this approach on it’s head and draw the maps early in the writing process.

A map or even a series of maps can ground your story in a sense of reality. It can also spur new ideas in the story. The visual layout of a map can bring out new ideas. Does the map feel like it is missing something. Does it feel natural for a lake to be at the base of a mountain? Draw it in and see if it brings a new chapter to your story. Are there two rivers that meet? What should be at this meeting point? Is there a city? Maybe there is a dark forest. Maybe these new terrain features will play a role in your story.

Maps are something that a reader often refers to. A map is a bonus in a novel and whenever there is a map in a novel that I am reading the map pages are deeply dog-eared. It brings a different part of the readers brain into the story. Don’t neglect maps and don’t save them as an afterthought. Use them to their fullest potential. Even if you don’t have much skill with drawing, your map may be good enough to actually use in the final print version. It is the roughest maps that look like they are hand-drawn that are the best accompaniment to a fantasy story.

Make 3d scenes and dioramas for your world

I am a diorama maker. I love creating little scenes with wizards, barbarians and all sorts of evil creatures. When I wrote my first novel I took on the ambitious project of creating a tabletop diorama for one particular area of the world I had created. It was a project that covered a custom built table that was seven feet long and four feet wide and it took a lot of time to build but the reward for this project was also big. Having an actual layout of a scene in the novel allowed me to breathe life into the novel. I could now see the terrain and the characters as they moved over it. I could envision the weather and the plant life. It made it much easier for me to draws pictures in my reader’s minds. You don’t have to do a project as ambitious as the one I did, you could just do a small scene but this type of world building in a visual sense will add a sense of depth to your writing.

Search terms: screenplays, screenwriting service edit and critique service, writing screenplays, screenplay format, loglines, query letter, film scripts, movie scripts, screenplay format, screenplay synopsis, script synopsis

NEW FEES: EDIT & CRITIQUE SERVICE

Hello, everyone.
Iam announcing that there is an increase in fees. this is due to the increase in advertising cost. The fees for edit and critique service will still be affordable.


Screenplays
Editing $45.00 Flat Fee: Includes evaluating for script formatting to industry standards, spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc.

Critique $50.00 Flat Fee: Includes evaluating the four basis elements of a script- introduction, development, climax, conclusion, & character development ( are 2.5 to 4 pages single space) Critiques also provide suggestions for improvements and enhancement.

Editing & Critique combination discount $63.00 Flat Fee (when both services are ordered)

Rush Jobs $60.00 flat fee (rush jobs are done for editing ONLY. Sometimes writers need their scripts edited within a short time to meet a deadline. Rush jobs take 2 to 3 days. So send your script 5 days before your deadline. That the editing will be done in 2 to 3 days and I'll have 2 more days to review the edited script.)

Query Letters: $25.00 Flat Fee (this will not change.)
Synopsis: $25.00 Flat Fee(for scripts only)

Turnaround time:
Editing: 1 week
Critique: 1 week
Editing & Critique combination: 2 to 3 weeks
Letter: 2 weeks (it takes this long because the script must be read or else the writer sends a summary instead)

Scripts can be received as email attachments or by postal mail, whichever works best for you.

Books
Editing $75.00 Flat Fee: Includes evaluating for  spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc.

Critique $95.00 Flat Fee: Includes evaluating the introduction, development, climax, conclusion, & character development ( are 2.5 to 4 pages single space) Critiques also provide suggestions for improvements and enhancement.



Query Letter: $25.00 Flat Fee

Turnaround time:
Editing: 3 week
Critique: 3 week
Editing & Critique combination: 4 weeks
Letter: 2 weeks (when only a letter is only requested, the writer must send a synopsis of the book. The synopsis is used to write the letter.)

Books are received by postal mail. For books I prefer to make editing corrections directly on the manuscript because books are longer and more comprehensive than scripts.

Payments are received by Paypal, money order, or cashier check.

If you are interested in my service, feel free to email me or call at (360) 696 - 4298. Ask for Frances.
Email Contact: ahicks4298@q.com

New Agents

Here is a list of new literary agents. They represent book writers not script writers. If you have writer a book or are writing a book try a querying them. First see if they represent your genre.

Andrée Abecassis (Ann Elmo Agency, Inc.)
Jason Allen Ashlock (Movable Type Literary Group)
Bernadette Baker-Baughman (Victoria Sanders & Associates)
George Bick (Doug Grad Literary Agency)
Brandi Bowles (Foundry Literary + Media)
Jamie Brenner (Artists and Artisans)
Regina Brooks (Serendipity Literary Agency)
Ann Collette's (Rees Literary Agency)
Marisa Corvisiero, Esq. (L. Perkins Agency)
Jennifer DeChiara (Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency)
April Eberhardt (Kimberley Cameron & Associates)
Diana Fox (Fox Literary Agency)
Diane Freed (FinePrint Literary Management)
Adam Friedstein (Anderson Literary)
Mollie Glick (Foundry Literary + Media)
Doug Grad (Doug Grad Literary Agency)
Katie Grimm (Don Congdon Associates)
Naomi Hackenberg (The Elaine English Literary Agency)
Molly Jaffa (Folio Literary Management)
Meredith Kaffel (Charlotte Sheedy Literary)
Mary Kole (Andrea Brown Literary Agency)
Katie Kotchman (Don Congdon Associates)
Jud Laghi (The Jud Laghi Agency)
Sarah LaPolla (Curtis Brown, Ltd.)
Sandy Lu (L. Perkins Agency)
Donald Maass (Donald Maass Literary Agency)
Alexandra Machinist (Linda Chester Literary Agency)
Victoria Marini (Gelfman Schneider Literary Agents)
Jim McCarthy (Dystel & Goderich Literary Management)
Kate McKean (Howard Morhaim Literary)
Peter Miller (PMA Literary and Film Management, Inc.)
Robin Mizell (Robin Mizell Ltd.)
Shawna Morey (Folio Literary Management)
Emmanuelle Morgen (Judith Ehrlich Literary Management)
Dana Newman (Dana Newman Literary)
Kathleen Ortiz (Lowenstein Associates)
Lori Perkins (L. Perkins Agency)
Adriann Ranta (Wolf Literary Services)
Janet Reid (FinePrint Literary Management)
Chris Richman (Upstart Crow Literary)
Rita Rosenkranz (Rita Rosenkranz Literary)
Elizabeth Winick Rubinstein (McIntosh & Otis)
Katharine Sands (Sarah Jane Freymann Literary)
Katie Shea (Caren Johnson Literary)
Jessica Sinsheimer (Sarah Jane Freymann Literary)
Michael Strong (Regal Literary)
Becca Stumpf (Prospect Agency)
Emily Sylvan Kim (Prospect Agency)
Suzie Townsend (FinePrint Literary Management)
Joanna Volpe (Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation)
Marissa Walsh (FinePrint Literary Management)
Elisabeth Weed (Weed Literary)
Roseanne Wells (Marianne Strong Literary Agency)
Natanya Wheeler (Nancy Yost Literary Agency)
John Willig (Literary Services, Inc.)
Christine Witthohn (Book Cents Literary Agency)
Michelle Wolfson (Wolfson Literary Agency)