Hey, I'm about halfway through chapter 1 of a novel I've been planning for a little bit and started tonight. Right now, my MC and her best friend are meeting at a local frozen yogurt place and hanging out -- I'm using their dialogue and the scene in general to establish their status as college freshmen, their tight friendship, some other issues that will become larger later in the story etc. The overall story is a chick lit drama about a girl in her freshman year in college and issues she deals with - has elements of "the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants", the "Alice" series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson, etc. I'm trying to establish the MC's friendship with her best friend and make the readers care about them, so I was going to use a comedic awkward moment of some kind to get readers to laugh and like the characters and relate. What are some funny moments you've had with your friends? Something that would be awkward at the time but hilarious right after, or something that bystanders would think is weird and only you'd understand? Preferably something that could happen while hanging out at a frozen yogurt place? Sorry to ask this type of question; I'm not trying to mooch or anything, just get some ideas flowing because I'm a little stuck on this part but I don't want it to stop my progress as I'm in a great writing mode now. Thanks!!
going to the bathroom coming back with skirt stuck in knickers a pubic hair in the frozen yoghurt (crumbs you can tell I have been working on Sherlock) knocking a drink over whilst telling a joke. someone they are avoiding is coming in maybe an annoying cousin, the class nag or something similar and the other one hides them under the table. Frozen yoghurt on the nose, or maybe one is talking with ther hands and some ends up in other friend's ear. Or maybe it slips down the front of their top.
Possibly: one girl making a joke about the other girl that both of them think is funny but that to a stranger, sounds terribly offensive. (e.g. making a joke about the others's race, social status, or even looks or anything like that). My friends make jokes about me all the time that probably sound absolutely horrible to any stranger that overhears them .
My friends inside joke is mostly based on that someone at one time of another said something hilarious/outrageous by accident and the rest of us mocking them endlessly by quoting, paraphrasing or repeating the key words of the statement. One of the ones we got going is: "The best things about children's sexuality..." (The rest statement wasn't at all as bad as it sounds.) Turns into jibes like: "Well we all know what you think about children." or using the phrase "The best thing about...[insert anything follow by a wink.]"
Thanks for the replies Those are all really good suggestions. Elgaisma, I really like yours, and I think I might go with the hiding-under-the-table thing. I actually have another character who sort of fits that role who needs to be introduced, and that's the perfect way to do it..thanks!
The chap serving at the yoghurt place is, naturally, uber-attractive.. MC to server: My friend is somewhat troubled by vaginal yeast..any ideas about what yoghurt might be best for that?
Oh how nice to see someone writing chic-lit on here, I think you're the first one I have heard of so far... I immediately think about something embarrassing the MC did once when she was drunk but i cant come up with anything specific right now.
She sees a guy she has had a crush on forever walk in. She's talking to her friend in a low voice, and they are giggling, and the friend ecourages, and even dares, her to go up to him and talk to him. But when she does so, she is so nervous that in saying his name, she instead misspeaks, and calls him something related to a physical feature of him she finds attractive. She immediately turns red and runs away. Her friend will tease her about it afterward, of course, and she will manage to laugh along with her, as long as no one else is within earshot.
When I was 17yrs old on a trip to a wedding in Scotland, my best friend and I were sitting at a table with some young people we'd just met, when one of the young men turned to me and what I thought he said, above the music and in his Scottish accent was 'Do you know you're bonny' to which I answered 'Thanks very much,' everyone burst out laughing. 'Trust a girl,' he said What he had actually said was 'Do you know Bonnie?' My friend still ribs me about it.
Haha...something like that once happened to me... I've got the scene figured out - I'm going with Elgaisma's table suggestion - thank you very much to everyone who posted, and if you need help with anything from me please feel free to PM me or leave me a visitor message anytime.
