That time I suggested an author add a … tasteful? … joke to his story

Kia ora,

That tasteful joke in the subject line. It was actually a dick joke. But I didn’t want to say it that obviously in case the spam gods banished my email.

But yes, I once suggested an author add a dick joke to his story.

This author had a particular writing style – self-deprecating, laugh-out-loud funny, at times puerile. He had a knack for comedic timing and he knew when to lower the tone. It suited his stories and writing style.

Sometimes I suggested he dial in the head-in-the-gutter jokes, but every so often, I said he should lean in further. And that led me to suggesting he add a dick joke to one of his scenes. I even gave him the wording. He loved it and the joke went into the book.

Dick jokes don’t work for every story. I can’t see them being Paul Theroux’s style. Could work for Anthony Bourdain though.

Point is: I get invested in your story. I go all in. As I read, I get a better idea of your writing style, the words you use, the way you structure your sentences, even the punctuation you use. I see what you’re going for and how you’re telling your story. 

And that gives me ideas. 

Maybe I see a more direct way to make your point, or a simpler way of explaining a complex idea. Or maybe there’s a stronger metaphor lurking in there, or a way to extend the metaphor further. Maybe you need to increase the tension, get the reader holding their breath, get them thinking, what’s going to happen now? 

Or maybe you need to diffuse all the tension with a well-timed dick joke.

All those suggestions come from what you’ve already written. You’ve done the hard work writing the story. My role is to build on what you’ve got, draw the reader in further, and, importantly, honour your voice.

And if your voice lends itself to the type of joke 12-year-old boys find hilarious, then that’s the direction I’ll go in.

But don’t worry: I can be serious. Like that time I suggested an author go into more detail about how their dog died. (It was all in service to the story, I swear.)

Cheers,

Deborah

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📚 What I’m reading

At the weekend, I finished Final Destination: Riding Britain’s Trains to the End of the Line, by Nige Tassell. This was such a delightful and low-stakes read. I recommend it if you just want to chill out on trains for a while.

I’m giving Beyond the Trees another go. I put it down a few months ago, but I’m enjoying it much more this time around. Beyond the Trees: A Journey Alone Across Canada’s Arctic, by Adam Shoalts.

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📅 Availability

I have spaces available from mid-June. 

Get in touch if you want a sample edit so you can see what editing can do for your story.

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