Monday, September 26, 2011

Why I write comedy...

For starters, because that's the way my warped mind works. :-) I can't keep the comedy out of a story even when I try. But an equally big reason is because I view humor as kind of a mission. I’ve always been a big fan of the classic screwball comedies of the 1930s and '40s (all those old movies with actors like Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn), and I want to capture that same sort of spirit on the page. The interesting thing is that those movies were made during the Great Depression, and a little later during World War II, very stressful times. But those old comedies were courageous and sweet and always so uplifting. They were successful because they helped people forget their problems for a while and gave them hope for a brighter tomorrow. There’s something very healing about laughter. I think there’s even more need for it today. Once again we live in very stressful times with a lot of uncertainty. By writing comedy I’m trying to give people a break from the tensions we all face. There’s enough anger and tears in the world already. We need to find more reasons to smile.

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