3 Tips for Writing Parodies

Most attempts at parody fall flat for three reasons: they’re poorly written, boring, and — worst of all — unfunny. Since the primary function of parodies is to entertain, authors need to fulfill the audience’s expectations in terms of humor.

It’s important not to confuse “parody” with “satire,” since the latter is more concerned with social and political commentary. CliffsNotes clarifies the distinction:

“A parody is a composition that imitates the style of another composition, normally for comic effect and often by applying that style to an outlandish or inappropriate subject.” (EX: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith)

“A satire, on the other hand, is intended to do more than just entertain; it tries to improve humanity and its institutions. A satire is a literary work that tries to arouse the reader’s disapproval of an object — a vice, an abuse, a faulty belief — by holding it up to ridicule.” (EX: Animal Farm by George Orwell; Candide by Voltaire)

John Scalzi’s Redshirts spoofs the original Star Trek series, wherein random side characters (“redshirts”) are killed off to create drama. Scalzi turns the trope on its head by having these redshirts slowly realize the narrative being forced upon them. I adored this novel, and it makes for a great role model in writing effective parodies.

1. Love What You’re Mocking

Or at least try to understand it. When writers don’t fully understand why other people love a certain thing — whether it be a genre or a particular trope — they often reach for the easy jokes. Successful parodies aren’t purely mean-spirited; they usually include in-jokes that will make fans laugh, lovingly subverting expectations.

Another purpose of parody is to comment upon the source material in some meaningful way. You can’t succeed in that if you don’t know much about your subject beyond a surface-level hatred. John Scalzi calls himself a “medium-sized” Star Trek fan, especially of Next Generation, and he loves the universe it’s created. You can see that love in the tongue-in-cheek jokes about how sci-fi shows tend to simplify alien translation, leaving out the nuances we’d encounter in the real world (like dialects and cultural differences):