Funnies
I love writing funny scenes, reading funny scenes, seeing funny movies, hanging with funny people ... whatever ... I just love to laugh.
"Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep, and you weep alone." —Ella Wheeler Wilcox
I keep a collection of joke e-mails and funnies sent to me that particularly get me rolling on the floor. I enjoy comedians and writers who can find a joke in a tense situation (Joss Whedon comes to mind.). I try to weave humor into my stories because I enjoy breaking up particularly tough moments with lighthearted ones—part of the whole roller coaster experience the reader will go through in my stories. Plus, it helps me relate to my characters more. Sharing a laugh with someone—either a real or imaginary someone—is a great way to create a bond, just like sharing a cry, except you feel way better after.
Do you have to be a funny person to write funny fiction?
I debate this question often. People's humor run the gamut from Jerry Seinfeld to Jerry Lewis. Some prefer slapstick. Others like the dark comedies of the Coen brothers. I believe that you need to have a sense of humor to write humor. I also believe that you can't take yourself too seriously and write humorous scenes. To write humor, you need to be able to laugh at yourself, find humor in your own foibles. Otherwise, how can you write comedic scenes if you haven't experience similar moments yourself? A large part of writing is about conveying emotion. Humor is another emotion you can use to touch the reader and bring them into your story.
Dave Barry, syndicated humor columnist and best selling author, wrote an fun piece about writing humor: http://www.learner.org/catalog/extras/interviews/dbarry/db02.html.
A few more resources for humor writing ideas:
http://www.jimforeman.com/Books/WriteHumor/humor_menu.htm
http://humorblogging.com/blog/secret-to-writing-humor/
http://www.humorwriters.org/
http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/may02/hornung.htm
Remember, humor is another tool in your arsenal to hook readers. Plus, isn't it a great feeling to know that you made someone smile?
And to make you smile today, here are some one liners from the old school version of Hollywood Squares sent to me via e-mail from Ma (this one was a keeper):
These great questions and answers are from the days when the "Hollywood Squares" game show responses were spontaneous, not scripted, as they are now. Peter Marshall was the host asking the questions ...
Q. Paul, what is a good reason for pounding meat?
A. Paul Lynde (About fifteen seconds later): Loneliness!
Q. Do female frogs croak?
A. Paul Lynde: If you hold their little heads under water long enough.
Q. If you're going to make a parachute jump, at least how high should you be?
A. Charley Weaver: Three days of steady drinking should do it.
Q. True or False, a pea can last as long as 5,000 years.
A. George Gobel: Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes.
Q. You've been having trouble going to sleep. Are you probably a man or a woman?
A. Don Knotts: That's what's been keeping me awake.
Q. According to Cosmopolitan, if you meet a stranger at a party and you think that he is attractive, is it okay to come out and ask him if he's married?
A. Rose Marie: No wait until morning.
Q. Which of your five senses tends to diminish as you get older?
A. Charley Weaver: My sense of decency.
Q. In Hawaiian, does it take more than three words to say 'I Love You'?
A. Vincent Price: No, you can say it with a pineapple and a twenty.
Q. What are 'Do It,' 'I Can Help,' and 'I Can't Get Enough'?
A. George Gobel: I don't know, but it's coming from the next apartment.
Q. As you grow older, do you tend to gesture more or less with your hands while talking?
A. Rose Marie: You ask me one more growing old question Peter, and I'll give you a gesture you'll never forget.
Q. Paul, why do Hell's Angels wear leather?
A. Paul Lynde: Because chiffon wrinkles too easily.
Q. Charley, you've just decided to grow strawberries. Are you going to get any during the first year?
A. Charley Weaver: Of course not, I'm too busy growing strawberries.
Q. In bowling, what's a perfect score?
A. Rose Marie: Ralph, the pin boy.
Q. It is considered in bad taste to discuss two subjects at nudist camps. One is politics, what is the other?
A. Paul Lynde: Tape measures.
Q. During a tornado, are you safer in the bedroom or in the closet?
A. Rose Marie: Unfortunately Peter, I'm always safe in the bedroom.
Q. Can boys join the Camp Fire Girls?
A. Marty Allen: Only after lights out.
Q. When you pat a dog on its head he will wag his tail. What will a goose do?
A. Paul Lynde: Make him bark?
Q. If you were pregnant for two years, what would you give birth to?
A. Paul Lynde: Whatever it is, it would never be afraid of the dark.
Q. According to Ann Landers, is there anything wrong with getting into the habit of kissing a lot of people?
A. Charley Weaver: It got me out of the army.
Q. It is the most abused and neglected part of your body, what is it?
A. Paul Lynde: Mine may be abused, but it certainly isn't neglected.
Q. Back in the old days, when Great Grandpa put horseradish on his head, what was he trying to do?
A. George Gobel: Get it in his mouth.
Q. Who stays pregnant for a longer period of time, your wife or your elephant?
A. Paul Lynde: Who told you about my elephant?
Q. When a couple have a baby, who is responsible for its sex?
A. Charley Weaver: I'll lend him the car, the rest is up to him
Q. Jackie Gleason recently revealed that he firmly believes in them and has actually seen them on at least two occasions. What are they?
A. Charley Weaver: His feet.
Q. According to Ann Landers, what are two things you should never do in bed?
A. Paul Lynde: Point and laugh
"Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep, and you weep alone." —Ella Wheeler Wilcox
I keep a collection of joke e-mails and funnies sent to me that particularly get me rolling on the floor. I enjoy comedians and writers who can find a joke in a tense situation (Joss Whedon comes to mind.). I try to weave humor into my stories because I enjoy breaking up particularly tough moments with lighthearted ones—part of the whole roller coaster experience the reader will go through in my stories. Plus, it helps me relate to my characters more. Sharing a laugh with someone—either a real or imaginary someone—is a great way to create a bond, just like sharing a cry, except you feel way better after.
Do you have to be a funny person to write funny fiction?
I debate this question often. People's humor run the gamut from Jerry Seinfeld to Jerry Lewis. Some prefer slapstick. Others like the dark comedies of the Coen brothers. I believe that you need to have a sense of humor to write humor. I also believe that you can't take yourself too seriously and write humorous scenes. To write humor, you need to be able to laugh at yourself, find humor in your own foibles. Otherwise, how can you write comedic scenes if you haven't experience similar moments yourself? A large part of writing is about conveying emotion. Humor is another emotion you can use to touch the reader and bring them into your story.
Dave Barry, syndicated humor columnist and best selling author, wrote an fun piece about writing humor: http://www.learner.org/catalog/extras/interviews/dbarry/db02.html.
A few more resources for humor writing ideas:
http://www.jimforeman.com/Books/WriteHumor/humor_menu.htm
http://humorblogging.com/blog/secret-to-writing-humor/
http://www.humorwriters.org/
http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/may02/hornung.htm
Remember, humor is another tool in your arsenal to hook readers. Plus, isn't it a great feeling to know that you made someone smile?
And to make you smile today, here are some one liners from the old school version of Hollywood Squares sent to me via e-mail from Ma (this one was a keeper):
These great questions and answers are from the days when the "Hollywood Squares" game show responses were spontaneous, not scripted, as they are now. Peter Marshall was the host asking the questions ...
Q. Paul, what is a good reason for pounding meat?
A. Paul Lynde (About fifteen seconds later): Loneliness!
Q. Do female frogs croak?
A. Paul Lynde: If you hold their little heads under water long enough.
Q. If you're going to make a parachute jump, at least how high should you be?
A. Charley Weaver: Three days of steady drinking should do it.
Q. True or False, a pea can last as long as 5,000 years.
A. George Gobel: Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes.
Q. You've been having trouble going to sleep. Are you probably a man or a woman?
A. Don Knotts: That's what's been keeping me awake.
Q. According to Cosmopolitan, if you meet a stranger at a party and you think that he is attractive, is it okay to come out and ask him if he's married?
A. Rose Marie: No wait until morning.
Q. Which of your five senses tends to diminish as you get older?
A. Charley Weaver: My sense of decency.
Q. In Hawaiian, does it take more than three words to say 'I Love You'?
A. Vincent Price: No, you can say it with a pineapple and a twenty.
Q. What are 'Do It,' 'I Can Help,' and 'I Can't Get Enough'?
A. George Gobel: I don't know, but it's coming from the next apartment.
Q. As you grow older, do you tend to gesture more or less with your hands while talking?
A. Rose Marie: You ask me one more growing old question Peter, and I'll give you a gesture you'll never forget.
Q. Paul, why do Hell's Angels wear leather?
A. Paul Lynde: Because chiffon wrinkles too easily.
Q. Charley, you've just decided to grow strawberries. Are you going to get any during the first year?
A. Charley Weaver: Of course not, I'm too busy growing strawberries.
Q. In bowling, what's a perfect score?
A. Rose Marie: Ralph, the pin boy.
Q. It is considered in bad taste to discuss two subjects at nudist camps. One is politics, what is the other?
A. Paul Lynde: Tape measures.
Q. During a tornado, are you safer in the bedroom or in the closet?
A. Rose Marie: Unfortunately Peter, I'm always safe in the bedroom.
Q. Can boys join the Camp Fire Girls?
A. Marty Allen: Only after lights out.
Q. When you pat a dog on its head he will wag his tail. What will a goose do?
A. Paul Lynde: Make him bark?
Q. If you were pregnant for two years, what would you give birth to?
A. Paul Lynde: Whatever it is, it would never be afraid of the dark.
Q. According to Ann Landers, is there anything wrong with getting into the habit of kissing a lot of people?
A. Charley Weaver: It got me out of the army.
Q. It is the most abused and neglected part of your body, what is it?
A. Paul Lynde: Mine may be abused, but it certainly isn't neglected.
Q. Back in the old days, when Great Grandpa put horseradish on his head, what was he trying to do?
A. George Gobel: Get it in his mouth.
Q. Who stays pregnant for a longer period of time, your wife or your elephant?
A. Paul Lynde: Who told you about my elephant?
Q. When a couple have a baby, who is responsible for its sex?
A. Charley Weaver: I'll lend him the car, the rest is up to him
Q. Jackie Gleason recently revealed that he firmly believes in them and has actually seen them on at least two occasions. What are they?
A. Charley Weaver: His feet.
Q. According to Ann Landers, what are two things you should never do in bed?
A. Paul Lynde: Point and laugh
posted by J.T. Bock at 4:17 PM
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