Writing Tips from Studio C

If you're ever in need of a pick me up or good laugh, there's no better remedy than Studio C. They're a comedy group on YouTube that do short sketches, if you haven't heard of them. (But if you haven't, you seriously need to go watch every one of their videos.) I was watching them the other day and I thought, You know, there's actually some good writing lessons in these sketches. Voila, we have this post.

Keep it rolling

Studio C originally filmed their sketches with a live audience. That means if they messed up, they had to keep going. And those sketches where something went wrong and they improved right through it are some of their best ones. (In fact, they have a whole playlist just of Matt breaking character.)

When something happens in your story or scene or chapter that you didn't expect, just roll with it. Did a character show up you didn't know about before? Let them stay. Your characters made a decision you didn't foresee? Let them follow through with it. Let your imagination play and you may end up with something amazing. And if it isn't, you can always take it out.

Mix things up

Studio C likes to keep you on your toes with their sketches. One of my favorites was "Prop Switch". Two of their people go through a scene talking about a bun. It's not very funny. Then they show you the whole scene again, only this time replacing the bun with a baby. It is the most hilarious thing you'll see all day.

If a scene in your novel isn't going well, trying mixing things up a bit to give the scene a different feel. Instead of having that boring war meeting in a plain old council room, take it to the library, where they keep yelling at each other and getting hushed by the librarian. Instead making them find the hidden treasure in a old castle, what about a preschool where they have to contend with three-year-olds questioning their every move. Sometimes even a little change can make a big difference.

(Gently) Make fun of something

The ever growing Star Wars movies. Donald Trump. Disney. Diabetes. Adoption. Running. There are very few subjects that Studio C aren't willing to make a sketch of to poke some fun at it. And that's okay, because you can tell they're doing it not in a mean way, but just for the comedic purposes. Their running sketch styled like a drug warning movie? Hilarious. Their skinny menu where you can have everything but you have to run on a treadmill while doing it? Perfect.

It's okay to make fun of something if you do it the right way. Sometimes pointing something out in a comedic way can make people realize how silly something is, or just make them laugh about it. Comedians do it, so why can't we? (And if you think Christians can't be comedians, you haven't see Tim Hawkins.)

Add a twist

They're nearing the end of their sketch. You think you know exactly how it's going to end. Then they drop that final bombshell of a line that changes everything and makes you die of laughter. Even when I can guess what's coming, I still laugh because it's hilarious. As Jack Black says in Goosebumps, "There are three parts to a story. The beginning, the middle, and the twist."

Change things up in your novel. Hide some information from your readers until the last minute, then reveal it to turn the whole story upside down. That guy is in love with a beautiful alien? Turns out he was just trying to get close to capture her. That person who won the poker game? He knows nothing about it. Switch it, add a twist, and keep readers guessing.

Make it so true, it's funny

This goes along with the making fun at things. Sometimes, the funniest sketches are the ones that make you laugh because it's so true. The mall salesman sketches about a guy that won't give up. Soap operas. The typical country song (really, that one is so funny). It doesn't get better than real life hilariousness.

Find ways you can take something perfectly normal and make people laugh because what you said about it was so on point. (Rick Riordan is excellent at this, if you need more help.) Make people laugh about bathroom lines, wearing a nightshirt, or stubbing your toe. It's an excellent way to add character to your characters and your novel.

Even if you don't learn something about writing from Studio C, I still recommend you watch them. They're gut busting and family friendly. My friends and I quote them to each other all the time. You won't regret it.

Let's talk! Do you watch Studio C? Have you learned anything about writing from them? Do you like a book that makes you laugh? Tell me in the comments.