How to make your writing funnier
Contents
Finding The Funny
Who, What, When, Where, Why and How? All great writers including comedy have been asking these questions for a very long time now. Almost since 1sr century BC. The interesting thing is that none of those questions can be answered with a Yes or a No. There is need for details and specifics. The more there are details and specifics the funnier will be the outcome.
WHO: the character, the archetype – someone, who the story is based around, a very typical representation of a person or a thing, example – the know-it all, the loser, the rude boss, the neurotic one etc. a fun fact here is that, these characters are all found in – Commedia Dell’Arte or the artists comedy of the late renaissance Italy. The rule here is to – “Find the Flaw” and play it up. Or one could play with the opposites, for example – smartest guy doing a stupid thing, or a dumb one outwitting the brainiacs. These are funny because no one saw that coming and playing out the way it did. The surprise element. Aristotle said – “The Secret to Humor is Surprise”.
Inconggruity Theory Of Humor
The surprise element. The things that are out of place makes one laugh. They way to find incongruencies is – drawing connections with the help of a mind map. Write a word and then make connects to the word with what makes of think of that particular word or what relates to it. One could also make use of one’s imagination – what if? The idea might be seen as over done or even dumb, still jot it down. Because it might be an obvious idea to you, but not really for another person. The reverse or the opposite of the dumb idea could actually turn out to be a smart idea.
Comedy more often than not revolves around things that have the tendency to irritate, humiliate or frustrate us. As Will Rodger states – “Everything is funny as long as it is happening to someone else”.
The Rule or Three or Zig Zig Zag: Set up a pattern that is expected – Zig Zig and turn it around or just flip it – Zag
Punchline Rule: put the punch at the end of the line
“k” sounding words rule: Words with a K sound catch the attention faster, example – disco, coconut, pickles etc.
One should understand that comedy is subject, what is funny to you might not be funny to someone else. Writing and rewriting, trying, and finding details, incongruities, using “k” words and writing funny.
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