 Comedy: July 24, 2013 Issue [#5793] |
  Comedy
This week: Don't Sweat the Funny Stuff! Edited by: Lornda  
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This week's Comedy Editor:
Lornda
Writing comedy in a serious story can be a challenge. Many feel unqualified. Don't despair--you can write the funny with a few simple tips!
Quotes of the Day:
"I've exercised with women so thin that buzzards followed them to their cars." ~Erma Bombeck.
"I have a theory about the human mind. A brain is a lot like a computer. It will only take so many facts, and then it will go on overload and blow up." ~Erma Bombeck. |
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Don't Sweat the Funny Stuff!
"Comedy is a very serious thing." ~David Garrick
Judging by the comments about writing comedy, it is a very serious thing! The following complaints are heard from writers many times:
"I've just never been a funny person."
"I write about stuff that is serious."
"When I try to be funny, nobody gets it."
A writer's goal is to grab the attention of the reader, to elicit a reaction, or stir an emotion within them. One of these reactions can include laughter by using intentional humor. But as many writers can attest, and as seen by the above comments, they sweat the funny stuff!
Humor is not a 'one-size-fits-all', but there are several techniques you can use to drag a smile out of almost anyone. By following a few tips, even your serious fiction can benefit from a little humor interjected to help entertain a reader.
 Tip One:
 Write a 'Funny Stuff' List
You may say you're not a funny person, but there are events in everyday life that make you laugh. Jot it down. Take notice of the little things, like maybe your neighbor can't walk five feet from his deck to the bathroom, but finds it convenient to pee behind his garden shed twenty feet away. The problem is, a short distance from this incident, you're relaxing in your gazebo.* Even animals can add some fun to a scene. How about a cat that drags a sock to the litter and buries it because it smells so bad?* Family antics can be used as humorous inspiration too. Give it try, and you will be surprised how these tiny incidents can fit into a story by adding them to a scene or a secondary character.
* True Story
Tip Two:
Read Other Stories
Have you read an entertaining story? Take note of the parts that make you laugh and why. The more you read, the more you will see what works for your story. Be brave, and test it out in a section of one of your own stories, read it to your friends and see what they think. Check out the Editor's Picks below. All of them have placed at "Invalid Item" , and they are winners because of the entertaining quality. Most of the plots are serious, but with the humor placed in the right area, they come across as a realistic event that would happen in real life.
Tip Three:
Use Dialog
Dialog is the easiest way to add humor to a scene. Keep in mind that the overall tone of the story does not have to be humorous, but to inject a little levity into a serious story is not going to disturb the general ambiance. A character, whether main, secondary, or otherwise, can be sarcastic, naive, or mutter snide remarks under his breath. The banter between characters will entertain your readers without sacrificing the seriousness of the story. Here's an example of some dialog from one of the highlighted stories:
"Deep breaths, Jack. Gotta get my own arm patched up here, and I'll be right back." I limped over to see how the youngster was doing with the supplies.
"Lad, I'll need your help. We're the crack medical team now, sad to say. I'm Dr Kildare, and you're Nurse . . . uhhh, Betty?" I was trying to keep his spirits up. Despite his rapid recovery from the specter of death, I thought I'd be mostly on my own from here on in.
"Edwa . . . er, call me Ned. Ned Winslow."
"Nurse Neddie it is." I forced what must have been a ghastly grin, because Ned grimaced.
This piece of dialog adds volumes to the scene. It helps bond us to the character because it 'shows' us what his personality is like. Consider the circumstances surrounding the scene, it's a plane crash, a serious situation, but the main character takes control and through the dialog it shows the type of person he is through his humor. We can also relate because we feel the sense of panic in the scene making the dialog is realistic.
These are a few examples of what you can try to lighten the mood of some of your serious stories. Even though you may not think you have a sense of humor, practice writing with these few tips and entertain your readers further. Be brave and don't sweat the funny stuff!
Here are a couple of entertaining videos to motivate you.
A serious conversion between a couple ends up being humorous:
 It's Not About The Nail
To inspire you to be brave and write the funny stuff, check out this video. It will get ya' moving to laugh!
 "Say what you want to say and let the words fall out. Honestly. I want to see you be brave."
"Brave" By Sara Bareilles
Write On and Laugh!
~Lornda
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Feedback from my last newsletter: "Writing Comedy Can Make You Millions!"
Elle - on hiatus  : You should share some of your funny food memories with the rest of us. I've got an unofficial food/cooking newsletter, and one of your anecdotes would fit perfectly. 
I plan on doing that, Elle! I just have so many to choose from--like the charcoal burnt BBQ Pizza experience, to the one family member who throws in every leftover into a soup and calls it gourmet cooking. Check out the newsletter here: "Invalid Item" .
Missy ~ EnjoyingBeingAMommy  : Great newsletter, Lornda. I always love reading how your mind works. I think all of those stories about your life experiences would make one heck of a book.  ~Missy
Thanks, Missy! I'm going to dedicate a chapter to you! The one about a certain handyman (he's still in the gazebo with an empty glass) and his friend is still waiting to try Cheerios because he's sick of Corn Flakes all the time. Stay tuned.
DRSmith  : Well, I'll give you some feedback my friend. Terrific piece chronicling the likes of Bombeck. James Thurber was another, and, in my personal opinion, we have one of our own within WDC. I refer to Fyn  ... to me an enviable prolific pusher of the pen. I especially remember her captivating pieces depicting characters and happenings at a local convenience store that reminded me of Bombeck.... as Fyn's style could bring life to a stack of wood. Keep 'em coming, Lornda
Thanks for comments!  Yes, Fyn is a wonderful writer. I'm always entertained by her stories.  Here's one of Fyn's classic 'Erma' style stories: "Museum in the Basement" .
BIG BAD WOLF is Howling  : There is plenty of craziness. (Submitted story: "What's Behind Me?" )
Yes, especially in my family. Of course, I'm the sane one. 
Mark Allen Mc Lemore : There is an April Fool's dessert called Kitty Litter Surprise that this reminds me of, only, this really looks like a full and used kitty litter box. The "turds" are pulled Tootsie-Rolls. I think the recipe can be found at WZZM13's website, it is our local news channel, but hey- it's on the Internet for EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE!
Great newsletter, thanks.
Yikes! This sounds more gross than the delicious 'Turd' recipe! I'll have to look this one up and make it special for my mother. Thanks for the comment!
blue jellybaby : Those peanut butter logs sound delicious 
They are and very addictive! You just have to close your eyes and not think about what they look like!
Catherine Hall : This newsletter was interesting. I read it because my plots are so unrelentingly serious that I need to learn how to inject a little humour to lighten the mood. Thank you for showing me that even the most everyday items can be made more memorable with humour.
You're welcome! I hope the tips included in today's newsletter will help you lighten the mood of your stories. Thanks for the comments!
LJPC - the tortoise : Lornda - What a great NL! I was laughing so hard at the chocolate-turd anecdote that I teared up. Thanks for the recipe, and yes, I think one of your titles would be better! ~ Laura
I'm glad they were tears of laughter! Glad you enjoyed my little turd story. Thanks for the awesome comment!
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