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Hey all! Welcome back to Tuesday Tips! This week we’re tackling what the Belladonna Managing Editors refer to as the ‘Guess What Assholes’ voice. Not sure what we’re talking about? Read on!
In satire and humor we like to let our passions run wild. Which makes sense! If you’re going to write a whole satire and humor piece you’re going to care deeply about the subject.
However a common POV trap is for the narrator to become so amped about the subject that they fall into berating the audience, hence the very technical term, ‘guess what assholes’.
Qualities of pieces with the ’guess what assholes’ voice are one sided monologues that are angry, condescending, or judgmental and stay at the same level of heightening throughout.
Think of your satire and humor piece as a delicious dish. Most dishes require a little salt, and some call for more salt than others, but too much salt is going to make your piece hard to swallow. (Puns very much intended!)
To make sure you’re not falling into a ‘guess what assholes’ voice ask yourself the following questions: Is your piece still funny if you remove all the angry swear words, or are the angry swear words the punchline?
Do most of your jokes rely on insulting an imaginary reader or character? Is there some poor fake receptionist named Candace who is getting absolutely dragged in this humor piece for no discernible reason?
Finally, is your piece all one sided angry monologue? If so, you you may have a case of ‘Guess What Assholes’.
But it’s ok to be angry! If your narrator is angry, examine why and at who. Is it personal or universal? Does it serve the piece, or are you grinding an axe? Think of it like any other comedic device and use it specifically!
If your narrator being angry doesn’t serve the piece we suggest tweaking the POV. What if your narrator was supportive? Educational? Really scared of bees? There are so many ways to play with POV, experiment and find the perspective that works best for your piece and it’s target.
Here are some pieces we love that use righteous fury as a comedic device while avoiding the ‘Guess what assholes’ tone: @valbparker on Belladonna https://thebelladonnacomedy.com/five-yummy-meals-you-can-make-for-your-family-that-say-fuck-you-b367e7e26d8
@al_baia on @mcsweeneys https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/welcome-to-our-modern-hospital-where-if-you-want-to-know-a-price-you-can-go-fuck-yourself
Our very own @originalspinstr on @mcsweeneys https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/just-what-about-the-phrase-dont-leave-cameron-alone-with-the-goddamn-cured-meats-do-you-not-understand
