What do you think?

[Nhatduongg]

Writing a good comedy vs writing a good drama, which is harder? (I make bad jokes btw, so I guess writing a good comedy is hard).

Edit: I put in both comedy and drama in the genres, was that a good choice?

 

[morhamza]

Depends on the writer I suppose. Personally, I know the structure of drama stories better, so it is easier to write. Sometimes I have felt that a lot of comedies are actually dramas with funny characters, or serious characters thrust into funny situations; perhaps that is because on some level most stories share a similar structure, after all, readers thrive on reading about conflict of some sort, and a story without conflict can be boring.

However, with all that said, the best comedies don't really have a rigid structure, or follow any writing rules I know. That is why I find writing good comedy difficult.

 

[CupcakeNinja]

Depends on the writer I suppose. Personally, I know the structure of drama stories better, so it is easier to write. Sometimes I have felt that a lot of comedies are actually dramas with funny characters, or serious characters thrust into funny situations; perhaps that is because on some level most stories share a similar structure, after all, readers thrive on reading about conflict of some sort, and a story without conflict can be boring.

However, with all that said, the best comedies don't really have a rigid structure, or follow any writing rules I know. That is why I find writing good comedy difficult.

Nah mate writing comedy is easy. You just gotta be a little fucked up in the head.

 

[Nhatduongg]

Nah mate writing comedy is easy. You just gotta be a little fucked up in the head.

Used to be, now I’m not.

 

[ScramblinMan]

I think comedy is a lot harder to write for because what is funny for you, may not be all that funny for your audience. Granted if you advertise exactly what you're "selling" then you won't have to worry as much because the audience should in theory know what they are getting into. However even if you have the genre right you still have to communicate why something is funny and why the audience should think so too.

I'm not saying a good drama is necessarily easier to write, it's just that comedy can require a bit of set up. A villain pulling a gun in a drama is almost always a drama hook. That same villain slipping on a banana peel and accidentally capping him/herself requires a bit of finesse to make funny.

Just my thoughts though

 

[RepresentingWrath]

Drama is harder to write.

 

[EternalSunset0]

I lean towards comedy. I don't have much of a sense of humor, so trying comedy without relying on cliches or stuff we've already seen is really hard for me. Not that I'm good at drama, but I feel that at least what makes a good drama can be "studied" in terms of structure and foundation, for lack of better term.

 

[KiraMinoru]

Personally, I feel like the two should be mixed to a certain degree. Drama, the lows, if used correctly, can make the comedy, the highs, shine all the more radiantly. So what’s the hardest is finding the balance rather than one or the other. I used to write pure comedy(or at least try) but then realized over time that though it’s nice to laugh and all, it was missing something. That something would be the lows that build up to those high points of laughter.

In terms of what genres to actually list in a story though, I typically stay clear of the drama tag like the plague even if what I wrote had drama in it. I personally never read stories when I see the drama tag, the only drama I get sucked into are the ones I’m scammed into that had drama but didn’t have the tag or I didn’t notice the tag.

 

[Jemini]

Writing format? A pure comedy? Pure comedy is DEFINITELY harder in written format. Your best bet is to have an action drama first, and then insert some real good comedic relief.

I have seen some hilarious series that are primarily action series, but almost any time I see a series labeled comedy primarily I see every single joke fall flat.

This really does ultimately check out in my experience for several reasons.
1. You need to take a long view and establish solid characters with solid character traits before introducing comedy that will land. You need those established characters in order to make the jokes connect in the reader's mind.
2. Most authors who label their series a "comedy" wind up either 1. Trying too hard to force the jokes and all the jokes wind up falling flat, or 2. They are only calling their series a "comedy" because they are not very skilled at writing and they are hoping a more "light-hearted" approach to their writing will have their short-comings excused a little. Either way, the trend is largely that the skilled authors have not been writing comedy that I can tell.

(All the above said, I actually do have a monty-python themed Isekai series that I was kicking around ideas for a while back. I don't mean using monty-python references. I mean using the monty-python style of comedy. Kinda like how the demented cartoon movie managed to brilliantly capture the monty-python style back in the day without making a single actual monty-python reference. In my case, other than the style, the only omage I was planning to make would be that I would make all the characters British. Anyway, the main reason I have not started writing it is because a properly done comedy actually requires far more planning and effort than you would think.)

 

[ArcadiaBlade]

Writing comedy is like finding the right ingredient in making a dish. You don't know what the end result would be but if its good, that means you hit it on the right spot.

Writing drama tho, you need to hit it with the right elements to relate the readers to your story.

For those who find drama difficult, its mostly because they would sometimes find something relatable with their own characters that the sore spot isn't hit properly, making connections with the readers. For those who find comedy difficult, it is mainly due to how comedic you need for the readers to laugh at or hitting them at the right spot would making something funny for the readers to understand.

For me its comedy solely because I can't find the sore spot for the readers to relate in making a scene funny.

 

[Emi_the_Fairy]

I think a lot of it definitely depends on the writer and the type of humor or emotion that the piece is going for.

Comedy can be easy if you know how to set up a joke, but it's also easy to fall into poor taste.
Drama on the other hand can be very precise and specific to nail, but I think there's ultimately more leeway with Drama since a good dramatic moment can be done in many ways.

I think Drama is ultimately harder to master though, and Comedy can be more draining to pull off in succession.

It's honestly kind of hard to compare them though.

 

[JayDirex]

Writing a good comedy vs writing a good drama, which is harder? (I make bad jokes btw, so I guess writing a good comedy is hard).

Edit: I put in both comedy and drama in the genres, was that a good choice?

COMEDY IS WAY HARDER.

it's easy to make someone cry. But make them laugh from beginning to end is real work.