09 September 2012

Poking Fun of Another Genre


There is nothing I enjoy more than reading about how to accomplish things in a formulaic fashion, like this funny "how to" in writing a bestselling fantasy novel. I'm not writing this post just to share this parody with my writer friends, but to also discuss a very polarizing concept.

Genre nit picking, much like I did in 10 Things I Hate About Romance Novels, isn't as much about picking on the authors as it is about picking on the elements of each genre. Each has its brand, its look and feel. There is a reason for this. They all serve a different purpose and reach different audiences. However, each has the same mission, to feed the hungry minds of readers all around the world.

Keep in mind, and I discovered this recently, each also has their share of hard-core enthusiasts who will fight you tooth and nail if you poke fun of their favorite genre in any form or fashion. So, imagine the flurry of comments on our Facebook group when another writer posted the same link. Some laughed out loud in a textual sort of way; others were indifferent and simply stated it was funny. 

Now you're transported to the shower scene in Psycho and the lurking enthusiast pops out of nowhere and berates everyone for laughing and being mean to their fellow writers of fantasy. Instant dose of Debbie Downer.

I thought about this a little more and I wanted to put this in perspective so people who care about the process of writing and producing literature for readers everywhere can learn HOW to support one another in a much diversified community, the writing community.

The world of literature is composed of elemental groups much like the military; each genre is like a different branch of service. The Navy provides support by sea. The Air Force provides air support, just as you might suspect. The Army puts boots on the ground and the Marine Corps is a fighting force of readiness to be first in combat with all branches at their disposal. But, we never forget, they all have the same mission, protecting our great country.

My husband is a retired Marine; my son is medically retired from the Army. I can't tell you how many Marine and Army jokes fly back and forth between the two. The other day, when we were outside my son's apartment, the UPS man drove up with a delivery and asked my husband, "Are you in the Army?"

"No, that would be my son."

"Oh, I'm sorry." They both laughed.


The UPS guy gave my husband a pen so he could sign for the piece of mail. "I was in the Air Force myself," he offered.

"And you freely admit that?" 

The UPS guy's laughter was genuine.

"I'm a retired Marine." My husband never gives up an opportunity to deliver this tidbit of information when engaged in a discussion with other service members, past and present.

They poked fun of each other a little more until the delivery was made and all necessary documents were signed. I could tell they had a deep respect for one another. One thing they understood, and something which all service members understand, whether they served in one branch or the other, though they all had different uniforms, different obstacles, and very different outlooks on strategy and tactics, they all had a love for their country and strove to protect it together.

That's how we need to understand the cross culture of the different genres. It's not disrespectful to poke fun at the elements of one or the other. It's not elitist to have a favorite. 

There are enough fans to go around. Let's not forget why we each write. The way you support each other is to recognize your differences and understand why genres work the way they do and how each supports the reader base.

Fantasy won't always be popular, nor will romance. Each genre will have its day. In the meantime, let me say this. I support all writers, even those who poke fun with parodies. If it's funny, that author should get props. And, so I say, that was some funny shit!

Do you think parodies are mean spirited? Why or why not?

28 comments:

  1. Well said, Diane! I am a firm believer in the benefits of having a sense of humor. Parodies are funny, as long as they are not mean-spirited and deliberately trying to cause hurt. I think we all need to be able to laugh at ourselves, and those of us who can are healthier for it. :-)

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    1. I used to have an unhealthy, huge dose of ego. Now I have a nice, healthy, balanced dose of laughing at myself. :)

      Thanks!

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  2. I have mixed feelings about it. Sometimes I think it may be an unbalanced pole at a genre. But the reality is, when you write for a genre, you must know there is a formula to it. Whether its fantasy, mystery, romance or horror. It all has elements of it that is all similar no matter what.

    What I've done is let parodies teach me. I seek out these to avoid repeating these obvious genre mistakes. I'm a fantasy writer not because it's a popular genre right now, but because I've enjoyed reading and writing it way before Harry Potter broke out. And if people find humor in the genre I love...who cares? Just as long as I can poke fun at theirs. :)

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    1. hahah

      You have a definite healthy attitude, Nicole. You are far ahead on this!

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    2. hahah

      You have a definite healthy attitude, Nicole. You are far ahead on this!

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  4. I try not to write literature. It sounds like it's out of my league.

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    1. Sometimes I think literature is discovered, not attained while appealing to a commercial audience. I don't for a second believe that a collective group of people can sit down and agree on what's meaningful and what's not. I am more moved by authors who are perplexed than those who are all knowing. Be proud of your funny voice!

      Go figure, I love Edgar Allan Poe. :D

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    2. Carlisle and Poe ... opposites attract? :)

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    3. Maybe I have a darker soul. :D

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  5. Diane, I'm with you. I support all writers. Some parodies are hysterical.

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  6. heehee, that was funny truth based humor always is ;)

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  7. Thanks Kelly!

    Sharon, absolutely truth based is funny. If you refuse to see the truth, then the funny is missed. I think that's what happened to the lady who berated us for our insensitivity.

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  8. Oh, if you can't laugh at yourself...learn to! I think we as writers take ourselves too seriously sometimes. A parody here or there is a great way to shake things up. In fact, if someone had enough interested vested into my work that they'd take the time to make a parody of it, I say I'd be flattered that someone went through all that trouble for something I wrote!

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    1. That is the right attitude, randi. Too many people get upset without realizing that it's a compliment to have one's work parodied.

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  9. Great post, Diane! I love your analogy of the military branches. I think you can poke fun at anything when that deep respect exists. I come from a family of six kids and we play games on holidays where you can turn everything and anything into an inside joke at the expense of another. We laugh until dawn.

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    1. Thanks Lauren! I always wished for a large family. My husband is one of eight boys and they had a little sister. She was the baby. I can't imagine being her growing up. lol

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  10. I think parodies are great. We've gone from a nation of being insensitive clods to being too overly politically correct. Now you have to walk on egg shells because if you blurt out the wrong thing without thinking you can be fired and vilified by the media.

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    1. So true, Deb! I gave up on that political correctness stuff when it started to get ridiculous. Now when someone tells me that my opinion is insensitive or immoral, I have to ask myself how does their opinion rank higher on this imaginary scale than mine?

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  11. Considering I cut my writing teeth on satire and humour, I had to learn to take it as well as I dish it out. Nice article, thanks. (OK, now you can make fun of me for putting that "u" in "humour")

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    1. Oh, I don't make fun of spellings and phrases which have become common. I once used the term "cut the mustard" rather than "cut the muster" and had a debate for weeks. :)

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    2. Lol -- I used to think "goodmorning" was one word. I used colloquialisms such as "disevening" and "dismorning" in writing and was given a hard time... wow, it's confession time! :)

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    3. I used to play a mage in an RPG and we carried a tome of spells. The first time I saw the word epitome, I thought it was an epic tome. Epic + Tome = epitome.

      I was reminded of this the other day on another blog in which the author asked your most embarrassing mispronunciation of a word. Epitome was mine. :D

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  12. Hi, Diane! Thanks for writing this, I really enjoyed it (especially the military analogy).

    I agree with what you're saying; you've cut right to the core and made it sound so simple, while the whole concept really is quite complicated.

    I think people take themselves, and others, too seriously. And, also; I agree with what Deb said in her comment; we are walking on eggshells. It's in the media ever day, from one silly comment to another. Such as 'proclaimed greenpeace enthusiast busted driving a gasoline fueled car'.

    If we, the writers, can't laugh at ourselves; then, how can we expect the world to? We write what people read, in essence, we need to stand as a shining example.

    And, I can't stress this enough, suing people should become more difficult. 'he made fun of my play/book/article/etc, and so I'll sue him for XX million dollars'. Where's the justice in that? Or the humanity?

    Perhaps with technology on such a quick rise, we have lost some of our innocence. Everything is business, business is serious, and in the end it's all serious business.

    Sorry for ranting, I just couldn't agree more with what you wrote. Excellent piece!

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    1. Thanks! And yes, lawsuits are ridiculously over abused. I've stopped walking on eggshells. It's less stressful to just be ourselves, flaws and all! :D

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  13. I should hope they're not mean spirited! I write more than enough of parodies!

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  14. Computer ate my comment, still I thought this was hilarious and useful. I always compare my WIP to a parodies of my genre. This one helped me notice that my heroine hasn't killed anything, just driven off or banished to the realm ebil darkness. Must fix this.
    Humour also helps with editing, it's a lot easier to start working after laughing at a character dying twice (*headdesk*) than swearing at one's incompetence.

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    1. Hahahahaha!! Too cute. :)

      I once named a character twice, different names. *facepalm*

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