Planning the funny

A thought struck me this morning: I can’t plan funny.

I rarely outline. I like writing with only a basic idea of the overall plot and then figuring out the other parts of the story along the way. But for NaNoWriMo last year, I did create a detailed outline to help me get through the story in 30 days. Since the story was a modern day retelling of an old story, I felt like I needed an outline to help me keep everything straight.

I’m currently editing that particular book and I’ve noticed it isn’t as funny as other things I’ve written. There are a few funny scenes, but there isn’t really a light, humorous tone to it like my other books. The one other book that I also outlined before writing is the same way, a few funny scenes here and there, but not a humorous tone overall. On the other hand, the books that I didn’t outline for–including Something to Blog About–have a light, funny voice to them.

So I can’t plan funny. Why? Is it because the humorous tone comes through in the books that I’m having fun “discovering” as I write? Is it that I feel trapped by the outline? Or would those two books have had a more serious tone anyway even if I hadn’t outlined them just because that’s how the story needed to be told?

I don’t know, but I strongly suspect that not outlining does work better for me. I get to have fun as I figure things out along the way. For example, with the book I’m currently working on now, I had a funny twist pop into my head yesterday afternoon while writing that I would never have thought of if I had tried to outline first. The thought surprised me when it entered my head, but now I’m really enjoying playing up this twist and going along with it.