Funny Business

I've always been interested in hearing about about the origin of a short story--the idea that first puts a particular story into a writer's head. As for my own stories, I can remember how all of them started out. Some of those ideas, though I can't say they're all interesting, came from real-life situations and others were picked out of the ether. A few starting points that I remember well are (1) a gag several of us played on campus cops when I was in college, (2) a time-travel mistake that lands a London-bound scientist on a Pearl Harbor battleship, (3) an Old West sheriff joining forces with his prisoner to fend off an Indian attack, (4) a pair of idiot bank robbers carjacking a self-driving vehicle, (4) my seeing an airline passenger rescue a stranger in the adjoining seat after the guy ordered a drink and realized he was short on cash, etc., etc., etc. Sometimes the ideas seem to come from nowhere.

Having said that . . . I found myself in need of such an idea when I decided to write a story for the recent anthology Gag Me with a Spoon: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of the '80s (White City Press). Some of the most appealing things about this anthology, for me, were its editor--Jay Hartman--and the suggestion that it be a humorous crime story, the funnier the better. Humorous stories are always, always the most fun to write.

For this one, I started out by thinking of a plot--some writers start with characters, some with theme, some with settings; I usually start with plots--and since I was in sort of a private-eye state of mind after writing a couple of PI stories for magazines, I pictured a story that featured a PI but was seen through someone else's POV. I wanted the private investigator to be a main character but not the story's protagonist. (As you'll see if you wind up reading it, the story goes on awhile after the PI exits the narrative.) In fact, my protagonist is the client--the guy who hires the PI. As I mulled all of that over (my mulling sometimes takes a few days), I happened to recall one of the funniest jokes I'd ever heard. It was told at an IBM conference many years ago, back when I was earning an honest living, and includes a phone call and a misunderstanding that I shouldn't reveal, spoilerwise. (You might even remember the joke--I've since heard it elsewhere.) 

While all this was bouncing around in my head, I was also trying to think of a song from the 1980s that I especially enjoyed, and made sure it was one with a title that I could incorporate into my story and that could also be used as the title of my story. After some googling and a lot of remembering, I came up with "Uptown Girl," by Billy Joel. I asked the editor if I could lay claim to that song, and he agreed. NOTE: This isn't the way I usually start writing a story for a music-themed anthology. I usually pick out the song first, before I do anything else. But not this time. 

Anyhow, building my story around that song was pretty easy, since I already had a basic plot in my head. Also keeping the skeleton of that old joke in mind, I fiddled around with the setting and the characters and their occupations and their situations, plugged a very uptown lady into the mix, added some other characters as well, and finished it off by inserting a few Easter eggs that would, I hoped, remind the reader of the song at several points in the course of the story.

Again, one of the main attractions of writing this story, to me, was the humor, and the need for some funny dialogue. Trying to take a stupid and embarrassing and dangerous situation and make it desperately important to the characters was fun in itself, and I had a great time with it. I've often heard that writers know a horror story works when it scares them during the writing--and I think the same thing is true of humor. If I find myself laughing out loud during the writing or rewriting, I'm fairly sure that at least a few readers might laugh also.

Whether my story turns out funny to you or not, whether it works for you or not, I do hope you'll find and read the book. Jay doesn't publish any bad anthologies. Personally, I can't wait to dig into all my fellow writers' stories. If they had as good a time as I did, I think I'll enjoy the book.

Questions: I know some of you write humor, and do it well. Have any of you not yet tried writing a funny story? How about a funny crime story? Do you, like me, sometimes find that funny stories are easier to write? (Don't get me wrong, I write a lot of stories that have no humor in them at all--think Donald Westlake's Parker novels, if I can be so bold as to compare my scribbling to the Master. Those Parker books of his were so different from his usual novels that he used a pseudonym for them. Which was probably a good idea--I still have trouble believing that the mischievous Westlake was also Richard Stark.) And getting away from the writer side of all this, do you like reading humorous stories (or novels)? How about humorous mysteries? Any in particular? Novelwise, my faves might be Janet Evanovich's One for the Money, Westlake's Dancing Aztecs, Elmore Leonard's Maximum Bob, Carl Hiaasen's Fever Beach, and--for a different kind of humor--any of Nelson DeMille's John Corey novels. And how about coming up with your story ideas? Any secrets or hints, there? If you're writing a humorous mystery, how do you create a plot that's both mysterious and funny?

 

Strangely enough, I think the expression "Gag me with a spoon" started out as one of annoyance and disgust (remember "Valley Girls"?). With this book, that doesn't apply. I think you'll be laughing, and humming, right along with writers. 

Learning to Give and Receive Critique

Filling in for me today is Tom Milani, one of my amazing critique partners. He graciously reads my short fiction before submission. He truly has a gift for highlighting ways to improve story and delivering feedback in a collaborative way. His thoughtful notes have elevated my work. I’m delighted he is joining us today to discuss the art of critique.

— Stacy Woodson

Learning to Give and Receive Critique

by Tom Milani

For new writers or writers new to critique groups, reviewing the work of others (and having their own work reviewed) can be hard. I’ve been in writing groups for over thirty years, and I was a technical editor for nearly that long. As a result, I have a lot of experience giving critiques of other people’s writing and receiving critiques of my own. Here, I’ll go over what I’ve found works for me. These aren’t hard-and-fast rules, but I hope these lessons I’ve learned will be helpful.

Dealing with Comments on Your Work

Members of the critique group I belong to typically send a Microsoft Word file with their changes tracked. (If you’re not familiar with Word’s Track Changes function, it’s worth exploring because many acquiring editors will expect you to know how to use it.) I go through each member’s edits and notes separately. I’ll open a file but make notes on my hard copy. (You could do the same thing electronically, but because I’m working on a small laptop, hard copy is easier for me.) I correct typographical and grammatical errors right away. If there are comments, I’ll often note those on the page. In doing so, I’ll find issues that several people have flagged. What if I get conflicting opinions about an aspect of my story? Here, I consider the numbers. If seven people out of eight people point out a potential problem, chances are I should look at the text again. But if the opinions are evenly divided, then I’ll go with my own judgment.

In an ideal world (or writing group), the comments I receive will be given in a constructive, nonconfrontational matter. What happens if the comments are delivered with snark, or worse? Here’s what I do when my work gets criticism that feels personal. I read the comments. I read them again. And again. I continue rereading until they no longer provoke an emotional reaction in me. Then, I look at the substantive portions of the comments. Are they valid? If so, I address them in rewrites. If not, I ignore them. Regardless of how the comments are given, I make a point to remember that someone took the time to read my work and offer an opinion about it.

Critiquing the Work of Others

I read an article on editing that suggested making critiques using passive voice. It’s a nonconfrontational method of pointing out problems. I used it successfully in my professional career and find it works as well with fiction writing.

If I see a problem in work I’m reading, I’ll frame my comments in passive voice. For example: “The text on this page feels like it spends a lot of time describing this character’s appearance, but this is the only scene in which she appears.” Here, the comment is directed not at the writer, but at the text itself. There’s nothing personal in the comment—I’m not questioning why the author wrote what he did—instead, we’re both working to solve a problem. It’s a simple switch in mindset, but one I feel causes the author to look at the comments with greater objectivity. Similarly, if I suggest a rewording, I’ll give a reason for the suggestion and generally follow that with some version of “your words will be better.” I’m not trying to rewrite the author’s prose but to point out where something is confusing or unclear to me. My rewording is an attempt to tease out the meaning that the author intended, while honoring the author’s voice.

What if I’m asked to critique a piece, and I don’t know the conventions of the genre? In that case, I focus on those aspects of the writing that need to be correct, regardless of genre—grammar, spelling, punctuation, and internal consistency—and if something is confusing or unclear, I’ll point it out (again, using passive voice).

Other Benefits

Critiquing other people’s work makes me look at my own writing with a more critical eye. Recognizing how well an author planned a plot twist or admiring how the varied pacing in a story maintained tension has led me to incorporate those elements into my own work.

But an even greater benefit is contributing to the writing community at large. Being a member of a critique group is one way to be a good literary citizen. My experience with the crime fiction community is that it’s supportive and generous—and being a good critique partner is one way to pay that generosity forward.

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Tom Milani’s short fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in several anthologies, including Mickey Finn: 21st Century Noir volumes 5 and 6. “Barracuda Backfire,” his novella, is Book 4 of Michael Bracken’s Chop Shop series and was shortlisted for a Derringer award. His short story, "Mill Mountain" was featured this week in Black Cat Weekly, and Places That Are Gone, his debut novel, was released on May 13, 2025.

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