Okay … What’s So Funny?

Okay … What’s So Funny?


“Dying is easy. Comedy is difficult.”
Edmond Gween


Comedy - the creation or presentation of humor with the intention of provoking laughter.
Wikipedia

I tried writing comedy a couple of times. When it didn't work, I quit “trying.”

I started a novel in 2005 because my girlfriend encouraged me to write a book. She said she loved my writing. Turns out, it was me she loved. The novel was so bad, everyone told me it was good. I know they didn't want to see a grown man cry, but haven't they ever read The Emperor's New Clothes?

I spent the next year and a half taking courses at the community college, rewriting, devouring “How To” books, rewriting, engaging in critique groups, rewriting, reading “real” novels, rewriting, and then ... rewriting some more. Now, almost three years later, it’s under consideration by an agent. But that’s not why I’m here.

In the course of rewriting the novel, I decided it needed a little humor to vary the tone. That turned out to be a whole new learning experience. Writing comedy is not so easy it seems.

And what IS comedy anyway? Is it mirth? … amusing? … humorous? … funny? … hilarious? … hysterical? … a scream? … ROTFLMAO? … laughing so hard tears pour from your eyes and you can’t breath?

What?

Turns out, it’s all of those things. What makes comedy so hard is the individual sense of humor. What one person finds amusing, someone else finds hysterical. What one person finds hysterical, another finds nothing funny about it. And therein, lies the key.

You can’t write to make someone else laugh. You must write to make yourself laugh. Add to that, the approach. Some writers lace humor throughout the story, dropping little tidbits here and there. Some write a story with a punch line, waiting until the very end to drop the bomb. Both are equally effective depending on style and, above all else, delivery, or "timing".

Then, there are different kinds of humor. Personally, I find potty humor absolutely gut busting and so does my son. You can imagine what fun we have. His wife, on the other hand, finds it gross and disgusting; which makes it even funnier for us.

A couple of Super Bowls ago, my son and I saw (as did uncounted millions) an employment agency ad that used a human male and a room full of chimpanzees in business suits. The man attended a meeting with the chimps and one of the primates put a whoopee-cushion on his chair. He sat down and activated the cushion. The chimps ex-PLOD-ed as only chimpanzees can. So did we. The tears flowed. His wife didn’t crack a smile.

Then she said: “I don’t see what’s so funny.” She may as well have thrown gasoline on a fire. We ROARED! … sliding off the couch onto the floor. The more we laughed, the madder she got. The madder she got, the harder we laughed. It was perpetual. It was self-sustaining. It was GREAT!

And … it’s recurring. I’m laughing at this writing as I think about it. To me, that’s comedy.

Get the picture?

Comedy is a very personal thing.
If you want to make people laugh, make yourself laugh first. The rest (that are like you—and there’s lots of them) will follow.

When I tried to write “funny” in the novel, it didn't work. I became frustrated. Frustration has a way of killing momentum. The way I recovered my momentum was to try something new. I started writing short stories of personal experiences.

When my girlfriend suggested I write something, I decided to write about our first date. I tried to make it interesting. I didn’t “try” to make it funny. Following is an excerpt:

I arrived at the motel (in Virginia) where I would be staying. It was a long drive back to Baltimore.
“Are you entitled to any discounts?” the check-in clerk asked.
"What discounts are available? Corporate? Frequent Flier?”
“A.A.R.P.”
“A.A.R.P.? You have to be retirement age for that. I don’t think I qualify.”
The clerk looked at my license and grinned. “No problem.”

This was, to my mind, the first thing I ever wrote that came out funny (to a small degree). It was also the first time I wrote in first person. I found it easier. Additionally, the event actually happened. The moment popped into my head while writing the story and I exaggerated it; not because I had to or wanted to, but because of the rhythm of the prose. It just “felt” like it had to be written like that. If you ask any stand-up comedian how to make the commonplace funny, he’ll tell you: “timing, and exaggeration.” Well, the good ones will.

There are also behaviors and characteristics people and groups have that everyone knows about and can easily recognize. These are fair game. Use them.

For example:

An old girlfriend noticed it first.
“You’re becoming compulsive.”
“Whaddaya mean?”
“I mean, you’re beginning to do odd things.”
“Am not.”
“Are too.”
“Am not.”
“You are too. You’re getting just like that OCD cop on TV. You’re developing little compulsive behaviors.”
“Such as?”
“Such as tucking in the sheets every time you’re in the bedroom. You straighten them and tuck them in—hospital corners, of course. Then you adjust the comforter so it’s exactly even. Back and forth, back and forth, from one side to the other until it’s perfect. I half expect you to pull out a tape measure before long.”
“That’s ridiculous, Joanne. I might smooth the blanket on occasion, but I’m not as bad as all that.”
“Oh, yes you are. I went to the bathroom last night. When I got back, the bed was made. You’re Monk!”

This is an example of a relationship. I’m sure anyone reading this can identify, and that’s the point. People have commonplace, everyday things in common. Two lines, from two separate women in my life inspired this piece. From those utterances, I wrote a story that incorporated both. And it’s funny … at least according to its reviews.

The trick is the setup. In the above, the inspiring lines were: “You’re Monk!” and “The bed was made when I got back.” Two different people said those words to me over the span of fifteen years. It doesn’t matter who said them or when. YOU’RE the writer. If it stikes you funny, use it!

Women make good comedic material; and by the same token, so do men (the behaviors and characteristics I mentioned earlier). My belief is good comedy pokes fun at both, depending on your persuasion. Here are some examples:

Women:

Maggie never pretended to understand football. But she always made the effort while watching Raven’s games with me.
“What's a down?”
“Why is the ball shaped like an egg?”
“If they have four downs, why do they only use three?”
“That one team has prettier uniforms.”
“If the field is a hundred yards long, why does it only go up to fifty?”
“What makes special teams special?”
“If it's down, why do they call it a play?”
“Do these jeans make me look fat?”

What Maggie actually said was: “He kicked (the ball) from where nobody would bother him.”
From that one line, “Honey, Why Do They A Call It A Pigskin” was born.


Men:

My son is getting married in a couple of weeks and my girlfriend wanted to get something new for the wedding. Oh, woe is me. She asked if I’d go shopping.

“Me? You talkin’ to me?”
“I want your opinion.”
“Okay ... you look good in everything.”

---

“There’s nothing here. Let’s go back. I want to look at one I saw upstairs again.”
Now, it’s uphill. Two landings. I hate stairs. She decides “we” need to go to another store. We pass Sears.
“Let’s try here.”
“Sears? You need power tools?”

---

Eventually, she settled on (a dress) she liked.
Finally. "You look great. Let's go home."
“I need accessories.”
“Accessories? What? … like an A/C adaptor?”
(Back to Payless Shoes) “Why didn’t you just get the handbag when we were here the first time?”
“The handbag has to match the shoes.”
“Don’t the dress match the shoes?
“Yes.”
“So? …”
“So the handbag has to match the shoes.”
“????”

Again, the line that inspired was: “The handbag has to match the shoes,” and an entire story formed.


I hope you see what I mean. Men and women are constantly at odds with each other comically. At home, at work, with the kids, with each other; it’s inherent in the species. It’s an endless source of comic material. If you want to write “funny,” start there. You can’t miss.

Humor is highly subjective as I’ve stated before. If you have a creative (right-brained) mind, things will just “come” to you. I firmly believe you can’t force humor. It must be spontaneous. Inspired. All of the short comedy pieces I’ve written were inspired by a single sentence spoken to me by others. A single sentence! Relax. Reflect on actual happenings. Use your imagination. Exaggerate. These are the tools of comedy.

To make this daunting task easier, you need any two of the following three things: A really funny girlfriend or boyfriend (whatever the case may be. Need permission from wife or husband), an unlimited supply of pizza, and vodka. Lots of vodka. It worked for Steven King. It can work for you.

Keep writing, keep laughing, see the humor in the everyday—and in yourself.

Live Long and Prosper.

Best regards,
Bernie Thomas