[lin]

I know what you mean about Moore, but if I was trying to do SFF humor, I'd like, memorize the guy. He's the funniest thing going, for one thing.

But also, let's see the first book I read by him was a love story between two young vampires. The next was about the travails of a guy running around with a demon on his back. His most recent deals with fiends and demons and personification of death.

This is not normal fiction. Almost everything he writes uses fantastic elements.

[KatG]

Yes, all of Moore's novels are fantasy, except for Fluke, which is technically sf, and was the one I was specifically suggesting. But all of the satirical authors are useful to look at, maybe -- Carl Hiaasen, Christopher Buckley, etc. I had also forgotten Robert Rankin, who I have not read yet, but whose sf-flavored fantasy mystery novels are supposed to be pretty good. And there is Jasper Fforde who also does comic mystery, the bestselling Thursday Next series.

All of these authors have very different styles and use different techniques, but how they balance the real-life, humorous and sff elements in their stories may give SheepSalesman some ideas for how to handle it in his.

[Kreschyboy]

KatG, not sure how you could leave out Vonnegut in your satire list. He blends SF and (dare i say it) dark humor extremely well; most notably in Slaughterhouse 5 and Sirens of Titan. Another couple selections to check out. Although, his works aren't exactly comedy, but their satirical commentary toward our messed up world today (oh, what's that quote again...) make the people "laugh in self defense."

-Kreschyboy

[lin]

He certainly belongs on the list.

I saw an article about him years ago entitled "The Other-worldly Laughter of Kurt Vonnegutt". I thought it was an apt characterization.

[KatG]

We didn't leave Vonnegut out. He came up earlier in the discussion. :) But of course, all of these writers may or may not help with working out the nuts and bolts of comic writing. Those doing comic writing, anything more to add?

[lin]

all of these writers may or may not help with working out the nuts and bolts of comic writing.

I have a hard time envisioning ANY writer helping one to figure out humor writing. It's like learning to be bright and charming or something.

Like the actor famously said, "Dying is easy. Comedy is hard."

[Spacejock]

I'm mildly qualified to post, I guess. (Ex ASIM slush reader, founding- and long-term member of same, and one who has been known to dabble in SF humour from time to time.)

Yes, there are many different types of humour, and if there's one thing I've found it's this: funny to one person is groanworthy to another, and physically nauseating to a third.

I think the worst approach to humour is to write something you hope others will laugh at, and the best approach to write something you yourself find funny. After all, if you're not writing to your own sense of humour, how will you know whether you're hitting the mark?

(And third round at ASIM is very close to publication - about 1 in 3 stories from the third round get into the mag, whereas the ratio from raw slush to publication is closer to 1 in 200)

[Holbrook]

I'm mildly qualified to post,

I would say you are!!! I am surprised no one has mentioned your books!

[KatG]

I was going to mention him but a few things stopped me -- his books are only easily available in Australia (any good news on that front yet?) and I haven't read them yet, so I wasn't sure if the humorous situation of his books would be appropos to the original poster's situation.

But yes, in terms of talking about humorous/satirical sf in general, Spacejock is definitely your man!

[Spacejock]

I would say you are!!! I am surprised no one has mentioned your books!

As KatG says, my books are only available in Oz, so it's a bit difficult to mention them as examples of humour when most people can't get hold of them.

One day, perhaps.