  Comedy
This week: Running Jokes Edited by: Storm Machine  
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“So, to say Obama is progress is saying that he’s the first black person that is qualified to be president,” he says. “That’s not black progress. That’s white progress. There’s been black people qualified to be president for hundreds of years.” (Chris Rock on politics from Rolling Stone.)
“Comedians kill themselves. Talk to 100 comedians this week, everybody knows somebody who killed themselves. I mean, we always say ignorance is bliss. Well, if so, what’s the opposite? Some form of misery. Being a comedian, 80 percent of the job is just you notice shit, which is a trait of schizophrenics too. You notice things people don’t notice.” (Chris Rock on Robin Williams from New York Magazine on Vulture.) |
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Running is something that isn't funny; it's a serious business. So is humor.
Chris Rock, in a recent interview, said comedy is about finding the questions that weren't asked. In a way, this is something about the way all of us look at the world.
As you look at the world, do you take the same view as the people around you? Or do you find a way to keep things fresh as they go through your reader's mind?
Each of the people within the story has a part to play. One series I read that I never really resonated with much was by Gayle Greeno. They had telepathic cats and people working together (yes, fantasy) but I did love one part where they made up their own swear words. It became a joke between a couple of the characters, something that got funnier when they created dirty-sounding words for the laugh. It worked, because of the characters and the way it had been woven into the story.
It's hard in flash fiction to create these layers, but it is worth it to explore the ideas and ask for something deeper. The characters find what's going to resonate with the reader and leave them something within their heads. You want your reader to try to explain this to their friends and share the story because it's amazing, and not be downplaying it as another take on whatever easy joke is running through the elementary schools. |
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Shadowstalker-- Covid free 
I agree timing can be a hard thing to get down. But sometimes in comedy, those awkward silences or long drawn out moments where the punchline "should" be, can become part of the joke. Look at a bunch of Monty Pythons comedy, his timing is all over the place--yet it still works most of the time. Also, you can't forget the old adage, "timing isn't everything". I think the most important part of a joke is the punch at the end. Sometimes it needs to be spot on to give that snarky comeback feel. Other times it needs the lull and buildup from the passage of time to give that funny comeback quip by throwing words used earlier back in a persons face--only with new meaning.
New meaning is always good.
taliah_l
You know the problem with Irish jokes? The timing.
Wow, it is really difficult to write that kind of joke down—image the punchline being really rushed:
You know the problem with Scottish jokes the timing.
Eh. To be honest, it wasn't that funny when I first heard it anyway... Thanks for the newsletter!
We all do what we can.
BIG BAD WOLF Feeling Thankful 
Have a laugh.
Thanks.
emi5794
What type of Superpower would you have and why?
What was the one about the guy who wanted to live forever but forgot to ask for eternal youth and shriveled into a cricket?
blunderbuss
To complicate things further ... it's the way you say it, when telling a joke, that often makes it funny! So - it's even harder to produce comedic effect when you are writing it.
Enjoyed your newsletter and glad to provide feedback. Think nice thoughts!
I feel good. I feel great. I feel wonderful. 
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Comedy: December 10, 2014 Issue [#6704]
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