Novel Writing As A Sport (Via The Monty Python Boys)

Writing sketch comedy is best left to those with a particular skill set, but any writer can learn from observing a scene or two. Clever dialogue, pacing, elements of surprise, and reactions are part of most sketches and those are definitely things that novel writers strive to portray (though perhaps not with the elements-of-the-ridiculous that Monty Python tends to bring to situations).

We can learn a lot from sketch comedy—or that’s what I tell myself when I skip writing to watch Saturday Night Live. The Monty Python boys have taken it to another level, by writing a sketch comedy bit about novel writing as a sport.

The links below feature a fictional play-by-play account of Thomas Hardy writing his latest novel. The crowd gasps as he dips his pen in the ink, and groans when he starts by drawing a doodle. He finally writes his first word (“The”), scratches it out and draws another doodle. Three hours later he’s written one sentence.

It’s both a hilarious and accurate (depending on the day) depiction of writing. Pretty please click on the picture to read and/or listen to a funny rendition of a writer’s experience. Click HERE for the video (which only has a background picture~no actors).


Also:

Miss Snark's Secret Agent Contest for May will include MG and YA!!! Click HERE for early info.

A note for those of you querying Sarah LaPolla of Curtis Brown, LTD (she takes adult and YA): Ditch the Prologues! Click HERE to see her post detailing why she strongly prefers not to see them in a manuscript.