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FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
How
come otherwise respectable publishers, which in past years
have released deeply profound theological works and compelling, powerful fiction
have agreed to publish your humor books?
The
key is preparation and presentation. I carefully craft my proposal and, at just
the right moment, leap out from behind the bookshelf and thrust my concept
paper at the editor. As he jumps backward in alarm—and this is what I mean by
preparation—I make sure I kind of steer him toward the top filing cabinet
drawer that I opened earlier in the day. Editors become easily disoriented when
they bang their head on a drawer, and you can usually get a contract out of
them before they completely recover.
Um,
you are a Christian writer, right?
Yes.
Why do you ask?
Well,
it’s just that you seem kind of, um, different than other Christian authors. A bit unorthodox, and a tad, uh, weird.
You
are too kind. Seriously. I’m blushing.
Can
you get serious for just a minute and explain what you hope to accomplish in
your writing?
That’s
exactly what my editor keeps asking! Are you in cahoots, or what? OK, lemme
switch gears here and get all serious and professional. (Pause while Dave
straightens his tie.) All right, I’m ready now.
I
try to accomplish three things in my books. In no particular order, I try to
tell the truth, teach a few serious concepts, and make people laugh so hard
that they almost commit a hygienic lapse. I don’t just want them to laugh, I
want them rolling on the floor, gasping for breath, and unable to speak.
I
believe that when I make someone laugh, I give them a gift. Because
sometimes life can be hard and scary and depressing. People really need
to have laughter in their lives – and they especially need to laugh about the
very things that can make us want to rip out our hair by the handfuls. Our kids. That thing our spouse does that bugs us. Our church family. Our job. Our lemon of a station wagon.
Don’t
you run the risk of getting kind of sarcastic or even mean by writing humor?
That
is a definite risk, which is why I try to very carefully guard against it. If
you pick up one of my books you will immediately notice that virtually all the
humor is at my expense. I am the butt of the jokes. Even when it seems like I
am poking fun at someone else, it ends up with me looking like the oaf. I let
my wife and kids review my material, and it has to pass muster with them or it
does not get printed. I have read material by other people who seem to cross
that line and make fun of others. I never find it funny, and I don’t want to do
it. If you think I cross that line, please let me know. Seriously.
What
did you mean when you say you are trying to "teach?"
One
of the interesting dynamics of humor is that it makes people like you. Go back
to the idea of giving a gift. When you make someone laugh, they can’t help but
warm to you. That’s why speakers—even on serious topics—often open with a joke.
The audience suddenly likes the speaker. Humor can also disarm resistance. I
try to get people to the point where they are laughing and, perhaps
unconsciously, liking me. And then I try to weave in serious themes about
loyalty to your family, commitment to your spouse, the importance of
communication, the love of God—you name it. Big themes.
I
have been fascinated to find that readers who would
never willingly pick up a serious Christian book about marriage, or the family,
or God, are quite willing to peruse these themes if they are couched in the
nonthreatening language of humor. This happens a lot. I recently read a
review by an admittedly nonreligious person who just loved one of my
books—and especially liked a chapter where I laid out, as clearly as I possibly
could, the gospel as I best understand it. I was shocked. You may find that a
neighbor or a friend who has not yet put their trust in God, and who would
politely decline a book like Knowing God, is quite willing to read a
"humor book" with a Christian theme.
You
said you want to both "teach" and "tell the truth." How
does "teaching" differ from "telling the truth"?
Well,
they are related. When I say I want to teach, I mean I am trying to convey a
specific truth or life lesson. When I say I want to tell the truth, it is more
about being honest about my own life and struggles. In my fourth book, Stark
Raving Dad (coming Summer 2002), I discuss the importance of consistency in
relating to kids. I say that what I lack in consistency, I make up for in
yelling. That is a frank confession that I do not have this parenting thing all
dialed. People don’t want to have a finger shaken in their face. They want
help, and they want truth, and they want it from someone who empathizes with
them. They want honesty. They want you to tell the truth about our common
struggles, and offer hope. And they also want some relief, some laughter.
Dave
we are about out of space here, but I understand that your third book, Out on a Whim, answers the thorny and perplexing question
about why the Holy Land is not actually blue
like it shows on our Bible maps. Can you expand on that issue here?
No.
Go buy the book. How am I ever going to get my obscenely large VISA bill paid
off if I post all the good stuff on my Web site? Go forth and stimulate the
economy.
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