Seriously Ridiculous #13: My brain is melting but it's all ok...

Story fiend. Word nerd. For the comedy curious.

Author

Danielle Krage
May 02, 2026

What’s Up?

April…

I made my first app. (You flip the cards to see the prompt on the back.)

I brought some order to the chaos of editing my novel.

I tried to work out at the gym, while secretly envying the teenage boy who did a couple of reps and then spun around in this chair instead.

I also watched some foals sunbathing. Spring is good.

Comedy Craft / Story Fiending

There are a bunch of things that I love about going to the gym that have nothing to do with the exercise.

1) I love the time to listen to audiobooks, podcasts or my writing playlists. Yes, I end up eyes rolled back into my head musing, like a deadlifting zombie. (Or staring longingly at spinny chairs.) It’s not great for my biceps or quads, but it makes my story muscles happy.

2) I love the drive back with my husband. I either read out loud or pull him into my latest narrative obsessions. Take my last gym session (chair day). On the way home we debated whether Jared from the Silicon Valley series is a Boss, Striver, Foil or Fool.

Boss, Striver, Foil, Fool is a really fun and useful model for thinking about character dynamics in an ensemble. I learned it from comedy genius Chris Head. (He digs into it in this Comedy Masterclass episode.)

Chris, if you’re reading this, you’ll be glad to know that we then debated, with great intensity, whether the Teletubbies fit this model. And if so, was my husband the Fool?

Yes my husband was Tinky Winky. For real.

One of Chris Head’s fabulous books. It’s super practical and helpful, and has great examples from films and series.

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‘If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.’ Steven King

On the reading side, I do feel like I’ve benefitted from reading way more widely than I used to. Not just genres, but formats.

This started when I took Ray Bradbury’s advice to spend 1000 nights reading a poem, a short story and an essay a night. It took me 2.7 years and it blew my mind, in the best way.

And though I’m writing a YA (young adult) novel, and have no intention of writing a screenplay, I’m currently working my way through this list of the 20 Best Comedy Scripts. I’d seen 12 of them, but read none, until now. Fun.

On the writing side, I write a lot and also want to pay my mortgage, so I get my notebooks cut-price from T.K Maxx. (T. J Maxx for my US friends)

So, read and write, according to Steven King.

Plus pretend to workout in the gym. And drive with people you can nerd out with. According to me.

The Flip

To pick up on this reading in all formats thing…

Why am I sold on this for my own reading and writing life?

Let’s take The Edge of 17 script from the 20 Best Comedy Scripts list.

No, I’m not intending to write a screenplay. But it’s chock full of great dialogue and vibrant character/place descriptions.

For example, I can see this character in a snap:

‘poofed hair, wearing every piece of jewellery she owns’

I learn so much that is applicable to novel writing from every format, in interesting ways.

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Or in this book of letters I’m currently reading (the poet, Seamus Heaney), there’s a mix of the mundane and poetic that’s quite sublime.

There’ll be an apology for forgetting to send his rent cheque, and then a recounting of something that rings with observations like:

‘Must be like dropping a feather over the Grand Canyon and waiting for the echo.’

or

‘My expression moves from disdain to inane with little inbetween.’

You might already be super opened minded in your reading, but I wasn’t. I somehow thought other formats were less relevant. Nope. Not the case.

Stash: things I love

There are a lot of series where I’ve enjoyed the first season or two and then have enjoyed them less and less. Usually because they get darker and darker, to a point where the comedy disappears for me.

Not so with this series. The third and final series was delightful. Beautifully written and performed. Tonally perfect.

I also enjoyed the novel, Say You’ll Remember Me, by Abby Jiminez. It was similarly tender, while having fun, sparky characters. I read it out loud to my husband, and he enjoyed it too.

I’ll report back on Silicon Valley once I’m further in, but so far I’m impressed. It’s over 10 years old, and pretty darn prescient. Thomas Middleditch is fabulous in it. (If you haven’t seen his brilliant improv special on Netflix, Middleditch and Schwartz, I highly recommend it!)

What have you been loving, whether on paper, screen, or live?

Dare Bears

To jump back to the beginning….

I made an app. Four short syllables. Mucho strain of the brain.

I literally finished 4 minutes ago. It’s hot off the digital press. You are the very first people I’m sharing it with, as I add it here, and send this out.

It’s based on prompts I use with speakers, to help them make Lightning Talks (short talks, usually 5 minutes or less). I wrote the first prompt 6 years ago, to help a stressed out speaker. Then I wrote 49 more, and have been using them ever since. Fun. They’ve got names like this….

Soon anyone will be able to use them, on their phone, flipping though the prompts like a deck of cards. That’s the idea.

If you want to try them for free, THIS TEST LINK will work for the next 5 days. I’ve only tested them on my own android phone so far. So PLEASE DO let me know any bugs, glitches, or jank. (And what kind of device you were using.) And thank you!

I hope that you have a wonderful weekend and a marvellous May!

Go forth and read and write. Speak and listen. Lift and spin. All the things…

Until next time,

PS: Thanks for reading my Seriously Ridiculous letter. All feedback is welcome, as I only want to do this if it’s useful or fun for you to read. You can hit reply and it will wing its way to me.

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