Writing exercise: making a comedy-horror killer
Cute + deadly = fun!
In last week’s post, I wrote a little bit about the principle of inversion as a way of creating comedy, e.g. make cute things dangerous. Today we’ve got a tiny exercise using this idea to get your creative juices flowing, along with a few examples of the principle in action.
Want to create a delightfully monstrous character? Here’s a four step process:
Pick the most harmless passion or hobby you can imagine: e.g. stamp collecting, train spotting, bird watching, needlecraft, herbal tea mixing.
Pick something that society values: e.g. privacy, national parks, crucial infrastructure, limbs, hospitals, summer camps.
Make your ‘harmless hobby’ the absolute obsession of the character, and the socially-valued asset stands in the way of that hobby.
Write a short story in first person where the narrator’s pursuit of their hobby conflicts with a social asset, escalating into murder that is (in the mind of the narrator) unquestionably justified.
That last part—the killing feeling justified by their passion—is key in this.
We all know what it’s like to be blinded by our passion, and while we might find the basic acts abhorrent, many of us can relate a bit to the protagonist. This adds to the enjoyment, both for the reader and the writer!
Example 1:
In my short story Leather Babydoll, the hobby is sewing and the protagonist is obsessed with getting published by a sewing magazine. The social asset is the sanctity of the home. Pursuing the obsession results in mayhem and death. It’s only 1k words, so dip in for a bit of murderous fun!
Example 2:
In A Fish Called Wanda (UK link US link, Amazon affiliate links), the contract killer is obsessed with animal rights (and specifically his own fish, named after the woman he secretly loves). The social value is an innocent’s life, i.e. the old lady he is supposed to assassinate. The failure to assassinate the old lady leads to continual opportunity for his passion to be tested — animals die and the fish suffer — and escalating tensions with his peers, leading to a ‘justified’ chaotic killing spree.
Example 3:
This is purely working with the steps above:
Hobby: wood carving
Social asset: Museum grade furniture
An misanthropic rural woodcarver is forced to travel into the city to buy new carving tools. He sees an advertisement for a museum exhibition of fine furniture. It features the most beautiful pieces of wood he has ever seen. THEY MUST BE CARVED and no-one will stop him. The night guard is interfering with ART! Well… Perhaps the heathen will need to become a piece of art himself… It’s not only wood that can be carved. Maybe the guards carved bones are placed among the exhibits for the next day’s visitors to admire?
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As you can see, by creating a clash between an innocent hobby and a serious topic, we can quickly generate both comedy and the potential for deadly chaos.
As a side benefit: it’s enormous fun to write, too!
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Have a great week, keep being spooky!
Mata xxx