Check out our special guest post by Kody Keplinger, author of A Midsummer’s Nightmare, Shut Out and The DUFF – and stay tuned for information on an exciting giveaway!

Balancing Emotions in Writing
by Kody Keplinger

When I was given the opportunity to write this guest post, I was asked a simple question: How do you balance humor and hurt in contemporary teen fiction?

Okay, so maybe simple is the wrong word.

In theory, I should be able to whip out an easy answer. I’ve written three humorous, contemporary YA novels, after all, and all of them – particularly my most recent (A Midsummer’s Nightmare) also deal with more serious, painful moments. In the case of A Midsummer’s Nightmare, Whitley has to deal with a really unhappy relationship with her parents while, at the same time, living out an awkwardly funny relationship with her future stepbrother. So how do I balance the two?

To be honest, I’ve never thought about it. And I’m thinking maybe that’s the key.

Bear with me for a second.

In my spare time I take improv comedy classes, and one of the first things we learned is that when you try too hard to be funny, you’re not, that the best humor comes from natural, real interactions, not forced jokes. The same is true for more powerful, serious scenes – fake tears and over dramatic acting is much less effective than an honest exchange (you don’t have to cry to make others cry, as someone once told me. In fact, if you don’t cry, the audience might cry for you.)

But what does that have to do with writing? Well, in my experience, the same rules apply. In my experience, when I have tried to force humor, the joke fails. When I have tried to force pain or hurt or sorrow, it fails. The best, most authentic moments come from honest depictions of the characters and what they’d really do or say. Let the reader find the humor or the emotion naturally, don’t push them into it.

So when I’m writing, I try not to think too hard about being funny or about making the reader feel the pain my character is feeling. Instead, I focus on the characters: who they are, what they’d do, what they’d say. Sometimes that leads to laughter. Sometimes it leads to tears. But I think, when you stay true to the characters you’ve created, the balance comes naturally.

Powell’s Books Exclusive Giveaway:

Kody Keplinger will be among seven fantastic young adult authors appearing together in an exciting event at Powell’s Books in Beaverton, Oregon on April 17. Hypable will be giving away three signed booklets exclusive to the event, featuring new content from Kody, as well as authors Mindee Arnett (The Nightmare Affair), Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone), Lisa Desrochers (Personal Demons), Sarah Fine (Sanctum), Kristin Halbrook (Nobody But Us), and Ingrid Paulson (Valkyrie Rising).

Enter right here for a chance to win one of the three signed booklets, and stay tuned for further guest posts from these exciting authors! This giveaway will close at 11:59 p.m. EST on April 17, and is open to readers in the U.S. and Canada.

No matter where you are in the world, check out our previous guest posts with Mindee Arnett, Kristin Halbrook, Leigh Bardugo, and Sarah Fine!