Sara Zarr's three novels, STORY OF A GIRL, SWEETHEARTS, and the newly released ONCE WAS LOST each cover some pretty somber topics --- failed relationships, substance abuse, rejection, teen pregnancy, disillusionment, etc. --- so it may be hard for some to believe that in real life, she actually is, in fact, a funny person. In today's guest blog, she examines the origins of her sense of humor and attempts to make sense of these two disparate but co-existing aspects of her personality.If you ask anyone who knows me in quote-unquote real life, one of the top three words they’ll use to describe me is: FUNNY. My first instinct when faced with the absurdities of life and relationships is to laugh and make a joke, thereby getting other people to laugh with me. “You’re so funny, Sara!” and “It must be a riot at your house!” (because my husband is pretty amusing, too) are phrases I hear all the time. But, if you’ve ever read any of my books, you know that there are not a whole lot of laughs. You are more likely to find my characters struggling to connect with one another than you are to find them yucking it up.
Why is this? I’ve given it some thought and have come to a couple of conclusions. One is that I write serious stories precisely because of my affinity for the funny in real life. As is the case with a lot of funny people, my sense of humor was forged in the fires of dysfunction --- it developed, at least in part, as a survival skill. Like: “Wow. Life kind of sucks. If I can’t find some humor in this, I might have a nervous breakdown or slip into a permanent depression.” Humor was/is a good way for me to diffuse tension and side-step conflict. In fiction, diffusing tension and side-stepping conflict would be bad. Bad! Tension and conflict are what make a story compelling.
Another reason my books aren’t a comedy act is that underneath Funny Sara, there is Serious Sara. I get a lot out of thinking as deeply and complexly about life as I can. It’s hard work sometimes to go there, but worth it. Life is very chunky and chewy. It can be easy to skim over the surface of it --- wrapped up in the daily grind, getting from point A to point B, and always looking for the joke. Writing is where I challenge myself to probe and dig, and it’s also a safe place for Serious Sara to come out and be appreciated, whereas in my non-writing life I fear people would be thinking, “What a drag. I like you better when you’re funny.” I mean, you don’t exactly want to raise the “Why is there suffering in the world?” question at a party.
ONCE WAS LOST might be my most serious book yet --- the narrator, Samara, has some very serious questions about family, herself, God, the universe, the safety of the world and the basic goodness of people. There were tears in the writing of this book and the experiences that led to me writing it. As much as I love good laugh, I’m also fond of a good cry. And, let’s face it, sometimes there’s a lot to cry about.
All that said, there may be a funny book in me yet. If not, I will continue to attempt to see the humor in life and relationships over on my blog at www.sarazarr.com!
-- Sara Zarr
