WRITING TO TICKLE THE FUNNY BONE
by Lois W. Stern
On the fourth year of my Tales2Inspire "Authors Helping Authors"
contest, I got a headache. From stories of animals to ex-cons, each collection
up until then had hit the mark, with stories that everyone seemed to think were
fabulous - including me. Then one day I woke up with a brainstorm. “Humor
uplifts our spirits so why not create a collection of funny stories?” I almost rue the day I awakened with that
thought! Whereas in past years the author/judges were pretty much in agreement
when it came to scoring the story submissions, this time was different. What
tickled one judge’s funny bone left another one flat. What struck one judge as
hysterical, struck the next as a shaggy dog story. And yet author/judges did
agree on some, which left me to ponder, What was the magic ingredient to
those stories with more universal appeal?
In looking more closely, I began to see
some patterns to successful humor stories, and began to record my hunches. High
on the list were stories with self-deprecating humor, where the author was
willing to show their vulnerability, even laugh at their own insecurities. Next
came relatability. If the storyteller’s situation or predicament was not
simply funny, but one often experienced by others, the writer/judges were
likely to give it higher scores. And third came stories that showed the innocence of childhood, or from
protagonists of any age who took words too literally or altogether
misinterpreted them. Finally, judges seemed to enjoy stories with unexpected
twists or outcomes.
What makes one story tickle the funny
bone of pretty much everyone who reads it, while others tend to fall flat?
Think Seinfeld, your favorite sit-com, or laugh-aloud stories closer to home.
Put it into a one sentence definition of ‘your take’ on universal humor. NOTE:
I will be including some of your responses in an article for the blog, Writing
in the Modern Age, so only respond if you are giving me permission to
include your quote, name and photo.
"A story is genuinely funny when one or more
characters experience things that readers relate to, what the characters are
experiencing, both inside and out. Physical humor and pratfalls are corny."
- Jenny Lykins, LinkedIn group: Indie authors
".
. . What is funny to me is often just the right side of tragic. The two -
comedy and tragedy are closely connected. For example, as I write this the TV
is reporting the FIFA affair. I know the FIFA case is very serious. On the
other hand, what could be funnier than the FIFA team of self-important
self-justifying crooks, mouthing lies and platitudes, claiming to be acting in
the general interest while being shown up for all to see as world class
organized criminals.
What makes a story funny is a sudden
unexpected turn in events or an unexpected contrast in someone's actions. One
of the funniest stories of the last month was the viral story of the local
mayor who went to the bathroom in the middle of a council meeting, forgetting
that her microphone was still on and connected to the loud speaker. I don't
know anyone who didn't find that funny - the unexpected contrast between
municipal dignity and basic human functions."
- Chris Payne, LinkedIn group: Writers World
"Any funny story that actually manages to transport
the readers/listeners away, away from their here and now, even if for only a
few minutes, and get them to actually envisage the story being told: that is
the story that will make them laugh."
- Venkatesh Lyer, LinkedIn group: Writers World
"Japanese
and Chinese humor because 1) is intellectual content, 2) its slips of the
tongue, 3) it plays on English grammar and 4) its freshness and innocence
compared to western humor."
- Delicious Vodka DeBlair, LinkedIn group: Check it out
"I
feel it begins with being self-deprecating and being able to make fun of
ourselves. Then looking at the increasing absurdity that is passed off as truth
like global warming is a God hoax and making satire at how truth is subjugated
to dog poop and lies that divide people are integrity."
- Jeffrey Winters, LinkedIn group: Check it out
"Writing
humor is all in the rhythm and timing, and so is the delivery when it's oral.
But I agree with Rhonda and Adofo that vulnerability plays a huge role in both."
- Rita Robinson, LinkedIn group: Writers World
"For me, universal humor is anything that
"surprises your body". As humans, we're constantly predicting what
comes next. When you're expecting one thing and you get something entirely
different, it tends to make you laugh. Try this theory on anything that you
found particularly funny in the past, and you'll see what I mean."
- Michael Lunsford, LinkedIn group: Two Bits
"Writing
comedy can be quite challenging, I think. You have to see the absurdity in the
commonplace."
- Jeanne Gassman, LinkedIn group: Literature Lovers - - Readers and Writers
By the time this
article appears, the humor category might be closed, so if you think
you might want to enter the Tales2Inspire contest,
you should first
do two things:
Check out my video What’s In It For You?
Scamper over to www.tales2inspire.com
to check out the
Tales2Inspire theme for the
next book collection.
Free to enter. No submission fees.
Thanks for stopping by, Lois, with this positive food for thought!
Guest Blogger Bio
After
twenty years as an active educator, Lois W. Stern continued to pursue her love
of writing, soon becoming co-editor of a popular Long Island web-zine. As she created
and authored her column Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives, she
solidified her special niche of investigative journalism and put those same
talents to work while writing two books on aesthetics, Sex, Lies and
Cosmetic Surgery and Tick, Tock, Stop the Clock – Getting Pretty on
Your Lunch Hour to address many of the less invasive paths to
beauty.
After
these forays into writing, Lois began creating what she calls ‘Inner
Beauty’ stories - inspiring stories to touch the heart and soul. She initiated
her Tales2Inspire™ “Authors Helping Authors” project/contest as a means
of sharing inspirational messages written by authors from across the globe. One
of her goals has been to help talented authors build solid platforms on their
individual paths to discovery. "Tales2Inspire™ began a whole new
chapter in my life,” says Lois.
Author Links:
Website/Blog: www.tales2inspire.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LoisWSter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MyFabBeautyBlog
LinkedIn: http://tinyurl.com/odtw2wt
YouTube: https://youtu.be/FuDgXkYMHvo
Amazon Author Central page: http://www.amazon.com/Lois-W.-Stern/e/B005HOO640/
Books:
I think funny is a real good thing to have in a book, even books that are on the serious side! Right now reading Weepers by Nick Chairkas and this is a great book, very serious as it is a thriller, but there are parts that lighten up the read and they work! Best book I've read lately, nickchairkas.com is his site. If nothing else a great thriller!
ReplyDeleteBecky, thanks for the tip on Weepers, which I'll put on my "to do" list. Selecting winning stories for my latest Tales2Inspire book was a bit of a challenge because it was not always easy to agree on the ones with themes of universal humor. But as Professor Higgins sang in My Fair Lady, "I think we did it."Wallah, The Crystal Collection, which is now alive and well. Maybe I take special pride in this one because of the challenges I met along the way, something like the wayward child who grows up to become a world renown brain surgeon!
ReplyDeleteBecky, thanks for the tip on Weepers, which I'll put on my "to do" list. Selecting winning stories for my latest Tales2Inspire book was a bit of a challenge because it was not always easy to agree on the ones with themes of universal humor. But as Professor Higgins sang in My Fair Lady, "I think we did it."Wallah, The Crystal Collection, which is now alive and well. Maybe I take special pride in this one because of the challenges I met along the way, something like the wayward child who grows up to become a world renown brain surgeon!
ReplyDelete