This week: It Wasn't Funny At The Time Edited by: GeminiGem of House Lannister  
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Happy Almost Spring! Hey, I heard my first Western Meadowlark of the season singing the other day, so that means spring is here whether the Rocky Mountains know it or not. (They do not.)
My question to you is this: are you aware of how much you steal, I mean, "borrow" from RL (Real Life) when you write? Did an elderly couple you observed picking out some new tighty whities in the men's underwear aisle of Wal-Mart become characters in a scene you wrote, or did your ex-sister-in-law's favorite saying end up in some dialog? Bits and pieces of RL have a way of finding their way into our creative process.
So, how do you take an event that was irritating or unfortunate in RL and use it to add humor in your writing? If it was an event you were personally involved in, using a healthy dose of self-deprecation should work. Being able to find the absurd or ironic in any event is essential. You have to mentally step back and look at what happened from a different angle. You could also physically step back, but I'm not sure how that would helpful that would be.
For this story, let's hop in our time machine and go back a few years, about 10 should do it. My husband and I were in Wyoming on a motorcycle, heading back home after a long week of travel. It was hot and windy (from my experience, the only other weather option in Wyoming is cold and windy). Have you ever been there? The majority of the state is treeless and wide-open grassland used for ranching. My usually practical husband decided to blow by the last gas station for a few hundred miles in favor of filling up the bike's tank in Cheyenne. This decision, apparently, had something to do with "outrageously high" gas prices in that tiny town we cruised by.
Did I mention it was windy? You have to believe me when I tell you that a Harley packed for a week-long trip for two people gets less than ideal gas mileage when riding straight into those strong winds
I bet you can guess what happened next. Yep, we ran out of gas, right about 20 miles outside of Cheyenne. I don't know about you, but I was not up to taking a 20-mile stroll in 95-degree weather wearing heavy leather motorcycle boots. We had our cell phones, so we called the local police station on speakerphone to ask for help.
"Where are you?" the person answering the phone asked.
That seemed like a reasonable question. My husband and I looked at each other and shrugged. We knew we were not on the interstate but we had no idea the name of the two-lane highway we were on or exactly where on that highway we were. There wasn't one single landmark to be found within our visual range.
"Um...dunno, exactly," came the unhelpful answer. "Let's see, we saw some cows a ways back. Black ones, I think." We looked at each other and nodded. "Yeah, they were definitely black." We could practically hear the eye roll on the other end of the line.
They used their fancy police technology to pinpoint our location from our cell phones then called a towing company to take us some gas. It took some time for him to show up, naturally. We waited, sitting on the side of the highway by the bike. We knew it would be too much to hope that those black cows would wander our way and provide some company for us (or even some shade) while we waited.
The tow truck driver finally showed up with the cutest little gas can I had ever seen, designed to hold exactly one gallon. He charged us per mile he had to drive that big tow truck to deliver that adorable little container of gas.
At 80 dollars, I believe it was the highest price ever paid for a single gallon of gas.
Even though the irony of the price of the gas wasn't lost on us, we didn't have a laugh about it until long after we were home. Time and distance made all the difference because it definitely was not funny at the time.
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"Comedy Newsletter (January 13, 2021)"
From: Lilith of House Martell 
There's a time and place for silly humor - anytime and everywhere!
Thank you for the trinket and fun read!
And it is for anyone, as well. You are welcome for both 
From: dragonwoman 
Thanks for including my story about Norm in your picks.
My pleasure!
From: Quick-Quill 
I can do with some comedy now.
We all could use some comedy relief. Sometimes we have to look for that comedy, though.
"Action/Adventure Newsletter (December 30, 2020)"
From: Angel
Thank you Gemini for an entertaining and thought provoking newsletter. I am pondering the questions, quite challenging because you don't have to be writing an adventure or action story for these points to apply. So, very useful tools to have. 😺
You are welcome. I am pleased you found the newsletter helpful. 
From: jolanh
I love me a good action sequence. I learned through a style of text battling called T1. The goal was to use your words to logically force your opponent into a corner. Judges would score actions and hits it was a big thing
.
The rules were
1. Declare your weapons and abilities before you entered the ring. Anything you didn't declare could not be used
2. No god modding. If you wrote yourself in a way leaving you open to attack. You got hit.
3. If your character dies it dies period.
Anyway, there were more rules depending on who was judging and description was key.
I'm not sure what "god modding" is, but I'm pretty sure I'm too tired to try it.
"Fantasy Newsletter (January 6, 2021)"
From: BIG BAD WOLF is hopping 
Sometimes one has to look no further than outside your own door. Reason is, one knows their own hometown best.
No amount of research can surpass having that knowledge of your own stomping grounds.
From: s
Apparently I'm a Ghost... which does explain my ability to walk through walls and why I am ignored everywhere...
Well, my greatest talent is walking into walls, so you've got me there. |
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Comedy: March 10, 2021 Issue [#10654]
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