April 24, 2018

Laughing Like There's No Tomorrow

Laughter is truly the best medicine. It lightens the soul.

Uncontrolled, spontaneous, beautiful laughter gives you the greatest feeling in the world. There are various things that can cause laughter and it's different for each person. I feel carefree when I can laugh and not feel self-conscious around others. Laughter is the feeling of having bubbles in your stomach, or sparkling cider coming up through your nose. It can't be stopped when it's genuine and it makes other people laugh too.

As a writer I know that I need to go out and have experiences so that I have memories to draw upon for writing or just a reprieve so that I can feel recharged. It's important to get out into the world and live. One of the interesting things I've noticed is that laughter is skated over in writing. We tend to give it a brief sentence and move past the moment. I wonder if it's because of the strangeness of laughter. When I have laughed so hard that tears come out of my eyes, it is because I was folded over or weak-kneed, taking air in and out so fast that the world spins a little because I'm not getting enough oxygen. It's totally uncontrollable and it's even more amusing when I try to control it. A straight face for maybe a second and then I end up bursting out with another laugh.

How do you capture that in writing? Maybe, the trick is finding a moment that deserves such uncontrollable and joyous laughter. Most events in stories have strong challenging emotions like fear or anger. Characters have to overcome those moments and we feel the relief, the triumph alongside them. I'm not a comedian, sometimes I'm unintentionally funny but those moments are as fleeting as a hummingbird, so achieving scenes that capture such bountiful sounds as laughter - that's a challenge, but I think I'll make it a goal as well. I'm going to write and experience and laugh until I can write a scene that deserves it.

Have you ever laughed uncontrollably? Do you remember why? Comment below, I'd love to hear from you!

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