A Bit On The Funny Side Of Writing

I thought it was funny. In fact, I still like my own little joke; but it fell flat. Totally.
I’ll have to tell it to you now; fully expecting that a few of you might also think it funny, but many of you probably won’t. Ah well; here goes.
I was in the car with my parents-in-law and husband one day, many years ago now. As we passed through Bethlehem and Judea – two little towns I didn’t even know we had in New Zealand – I suddenly thought of my father who was, at that time, in Israel.
“I should phone Dad,” I said. “It should be cheaper from here!”
No response. Not even a hint of a chuckle. No comment at all, in fact. My husband gave a look as if to ask – ‘was that supposed to be funny?”
Well of course; why not? It was a joke, after all.
Okay; maybe it wasn’t the funniest joke in the world.
Writing with humour is such an individual thing. Some of your readers will be laughing uproariously; while others will be wondering what you are on about.
Written comedy is different from comedy you hear; and that is different again from hearing and seeing a comedian tell a joke, or a seeing a comic act.
In written humour, you can’t rely on your facial and/or verbal expressions to help convey your meaning. Your words have to do all the work.
Humour can very effectively connect with your readers, enabling you to comfort them (showing they’re not alone in their tough situations) or confront them – perhaps with unpalatable truths.
Here are some guidelines to help your humorous writing endeavours:
· Learn not to take yourself too seriously. Learn to laugh at yourself, and you will help others see the funny side in their own situations.
· In the Book of Proverbs in the Bible, we are told: ‘A cheerful heart does good like a medicine’. Lighten up and enjoy a laugh just for the good it will do you; then pass on this same enjoyment of life to your readers.
· Be cautious about using other people’s horrid experiences or situations in your humour. Even if they’ve come to the point of ‘seeing the funny side’; your reader’s sympathy for the sufferer may backfire and make readers angry at you for telling about it. It is better to tell about your own bad experiences if you want to use them for humour.
· Use other people’s names only if you are absolutely sure this is acceptable to that person. You can tell about a silly situation without naming names of course; but if the event or situation could be recognisable to the person – then it is probably best not to publish it yet, if at all.
· Avoid all racist or sexual jokes – they’re bad taste.
· Like baking powder in a cake – a little humour can go a long way.
· Keep the punch line till last.
· Make sure you include sufficient detail for the reader to see what is funny. It’s all too easy to be laughing so much at your own joke (of course – I wouldn’t do a thing like that, would I?), that you forget to tell the reader some vital piece of information.
· If you want to gain more expertise in writing with humour, find the writings of other humourists and learn from them.
Writing on the funny side can help you and your readers lighten up and enjoy life more.