Three Tips To Funny Writing
Three tips to funny writing. Writing humor is like performing a magic trick. You misdirect your audience and surprise them with an unexpected ending. Here are three tips to help you.
Three tips to funny writing. The first person that laughs at your joke is you.
My kids used to tell me, “Dad, just because you laugh at your own jokes, it doesn’t mean they’re funny.” But here’s the truth. If you don’t think what you’ve written is funny, probably no one else will either.
And I admit, I sometimes have a sense of humor that no one else shares. The number of times I’m the only one bursting out in laughter at a funny scene in a movie theater proves it. On the other hand, someone, somewhere, must have thought it was funny too, or it wouldn’t be in the movie. I need to meet that person so we can laugh together.
Still, that’s no guarantee others will enjoy your comedy because not everyone shares your sense of humor. We’re all unique when it comes to comedy and laugh at different forms of humor. Some like clever jokes, others visual slapstick comedy, and others dry wit. That’s the hardest thing about humor writing humor. Creating comedy that is universally funny and appeals to a large audience is challenging.
The number of times I’ve been the only person in a movie theater laughing during a particular comedy scene that I find funny is, according to my family members, ridiculous. And the loud, solo laughter at my favorite humor becomes the source of humor for everyone else. At my expense and to the embarrassment of my family. Of course, so is my solo singing, which is why I’m frequently asked to sing solo that no one hears me. Hey…whatever lame joke it takes to get a laugh, right?
Three tips to funny writing. Like a well timed magic trick humor surprises the audience.
Funny writing is like performing magic. You intentionally lead the audience towards a certain assumption or conclusion and then switch to the unexpected. For you, the comedy writer, it means always looking at things from a different, humorous perspective. Always asking what if? Where’s the comedy? How can I make it funny?
Tomorrow morning I have to get on a plane to Chicago…I’d prefer to ride inside the plane, but really, have you seen ticket prices lately?
Work has been killing me lately because I’ve spent the last 3 weeks on the road…run over by 100 cars, 25 trucks, and picked on by 4 buzzards.
Three tips to funny writing. Universal humor is everywhere. So peel your eyes and look for ripe fruit.
Yep, I know. Puns are the lowest form of humor. However, the point is to train yourself to be observant. And capture those funny moments when you encounter them. And when you see things that are funny, actively turn them over in your mind to make the comedy stand out. It’s the common problems we all face, the similar annoyances we experience, the familiar quirks of humanity we see every day. In reality, life is routine most of the time. And when you observe the comedy episodes in routine life, you’ll find humor that makes everyone laugh. Like…
The person ahead of you in the grocery store checkout line, that unlike you, is not in a hurry and uses the opportunity to share all the details of his current medical condition with the cashier.
The five year old that keeps obnoxiously blurting out loud questions to his parents in the middle of an intense movie…that he shouldn’t even be at because it’s R rated.
However, it’s not just reporting these comedy moments, although sometimes, they are so naturally funny that is often enough. What separates you as a freelance humor writer is when you add comedy, color commentary. It’s embellishing, exaggerating, and inserting the flavor of a little sarcasm. When you do, you create humor that makes us all laugh together. And it brightens up our day.
About Chip Tudor:
Chip Tudor is an author, blogger and professional writer. He publishes books, humorous Christian drama, and thought provoking blogs from a Christian worldview. This blog is originally published here.
Enjoy Humor Driven Christian fiction?
Check out these two Christian detective novels. Soul Pursuit and Finding Grace. They include mystery, humor, and a Christian message.
