How to Add Comedy to a Thriller Novel
Author and film producer David List discusses the interplay of comedy in a thriller novel and shares three key takeaways for writers.
Two thrillers walk into a bar…
What are the odds that opening line will end up being funny? Well, on its own merits, probably around 50-50. But if the line is being incorporated into a thriller… Not so good. Like a chain, it will only be as humorous as the rest of the work's weakest link.
For humor to work in a thriller, the story and plot structure, and numerous other story elements must be in place and perfectly balanced—or at least as close to perfect as possible.
This brings us to the first key takeaway when attempting to do so: You must understand and know your characters as deeply as you know yourself. Their dialogue and behavior must be unique and organic to who they are and to the situation they’re in; making sure it’s believable that they would find themselves in the situation they’re in and not doing or saying anything to be intentionally funny.
If they do, it will come off as forced or cross the line into joke-telling. Don’t ever cross this line. Doing so will, at the very least, take the thrill out of the thriller and land the entire work on life support by page 45. And if the attempt is a head-on across the double yellows, the reader will declare it D.O.A. by page five or 10.
The prestigious Kirkus Review recently declared my debut novel, What Are the Odds, is “an outlandish and entertaining comic thriller.” If I don’t say so myself, that is as good as it gets when you risk incorporating humor into this genre.
If the writing style, story, plot, etc., stands on its own and draws the reader in, then seasoning the anxious and tense moments and situations with laughter in the right amount and at the right moments will take their reading experience from a good one to a great one—that is, of course, if what’s written makes the reader laugh. If it doesn’t work on all these levels, the only thing the author and publisher will hear from the reader is, “Yes, please just refund it back to the original form of payment.”
What Are the Odds explores what we all know: Life [often] doesn’t go as planned. Whether it’s being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or the right place at the wrong time, doesn’t matter. What does matter is whether we’re in control of our lives, or are on some unforeseen, invisible path where every step unwittingly guides us along the string of relentless ticks of life’s clock, leading to the very second when the random unexpected happens. When the odds of such an occurrence are so astronomical that they’re incalculable, is it irrational to not write it off as chance or coincidence?
For much of his life, this question has dogged former NYPD detective Ray Dawson, a guy who’s as much a cop as he is a man and was unfairly forced into early retirement and stripped of his pension. The same is true for former Amco Oil company executive, Wilbur Bailey, now a wily, neurotic, and environmentally conscious fugitive with a $5 million bounty on his head, and IRS Special Agent Philip Dancourt, whose five-year investigation into Amco Oil has gone bust.
The odds of their three paths intersecting are incalculable. But it happens. And when it does, it propels them—and the reader—on a thrilling, thought-provoking, life-changing, and often hilarious journey down a tortuous road of truths and deceptions, trusts and paranoias, while taking them, in unexpected ways, on a deeper dive into the depths of love, loss, friendship, loneliness, and a commitment to values larger than oneself.
This brings us to the second key takeaway: To deliver a platinum-card-level emotional experience and enable readers to like and root for the characters, even when their behavior is morally questionable, the ride must also tap into the array of emotions we all feel in real life: excitement, anxiety, calmness, laughter, sadness, anticipation, and so on. Of course, we don’t feel every one of these emotions at once or on the heels of each other.
Herein lies the third key takeaway when incorporating humor into a thriller: Timing and pacing are critical. You must completely understand the intensity level of every scene and situation to know when it’s the right moment to offer the reader a little relief. How? Play around with it, trial and error. Ultimately, go with your gut.
Think back to when you were a kid on the roller coaster, that moment of relief when you could breathe. But your brain subconsciously remembers the anxious, gut-wrenching feeling when the intensity is dialed back up as the roller coaster rockets toward the sky, and you know that in another three seconds, it will barrel-roll over the apex and plummet into a nosedive. The result is a wild, crazy, emotional, and yes, fun ride.
It’s no different than when you’re telling a story. The reader’s brains will remember, and you will engage them on all, or multiple, levels at the very least. But if the intensity level remains the same throughout, it will lose its impact and begin to bore the reader or tire them out instead of enticing them to turn the next page. And the next…
In a thriller, situational and character humor working on all levels not only strengthens the bond between the characters but also the bond between the characters and readers. I mean, who doesn’t love to be around someone who’s endearing and makes you laugh simply because of their worldview?
A good way to have a more complete understanding of the above, while also providing a useful guide to help you achieve it on your own, would be to buy a copy of What Are the Odds. The best way would be to buy several copies!
Meanwhile, back in the bar, one thriller looked at the other, then turned to the bartender and said, “
*Sorry, the writer of this essay has reached the Writer’s Digest essay word count limit.
Check out David List's What Are the Odds here:
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David List is a writer and producer of films, including the latest Fletch film, Confess Fletch, starring Jon Hamm. He is a native New Yorker now living in Los Angeles. What Are the Odds is his first novel.
