How Learning to Write Funny Improved All of My Writing by LA Bourgeois
Let’s welcome back LA Bourgeois as she shares with us “How Learning to Write Funny Improved All of My Writing.” Enjoy!
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When I began to study humor writing (which, full disclosure, happened after I began writing humorous essays for my Diary of a Lesbian Housewyfe newsletter and book), I discovered that incorporating those techniques into my craft improved it beyond helping me write funny lines. And that’s why The Elements of Humor: The Tools of Comedy that Make You Funnier, Happier, and Better Looking by Scott Dikkers made it onto the list of our Books for Thriving Creatives series.
The thing about Dikkers’ books about humor writing is that they give you solid, actionable tools that work every single time. And this newest book from him, geared toward the casual humorist, is filled with encouragement as well. As he writes, “Everyone is funny. Many of us just haven’t developed the skill.”
This book teaches the skill. And the magician’s trick in all of this is that, when you focus on injecting humor into your writing, you automatically improve it.
Scenes become visceral as you capture the feeling the hero has as he slips on that classic banana peel.
Situations sparkle as you transform that banana peel into an original whoopsie-doodle.
Word choice zings as you eliminate the unnecessary and find new ways to inject resonance for your readers.
Here are a few ways to get started with humor writing:
It’s a Cliché but…Get Rid of the Clichés
Uncovering clichés in writing and getting rid of them means discovering new ways to say old things and questioning typical word choices.
“In almost all cases, you have a choice,” Dikkers says. “You can communicate plainly or you can communicate humorously.”
By making the decision to communicate humorously, finding an original way to write the sentence automatically creates a resonance with the audience.
Play with Your Writing
“A writer or performer needs to riff on a comedy take to find new jokes that build on each other to expand on the initial concept and build out the humorous, askew world,” says Dikkers.
Once you’ve made the decision to pop some humor into a scene, play around with the concept.
Move words and sentences around.
Streamline the work.
Play with word choice.
Read it aloud to friends and family to discover where people laugh.
Make It Positive
And, as you play, make it positive!
Dikkers writes, “A key formula to remember when creating humor is ‘comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.’”
By incorporating positive energy into your piece, the reader automatically begins to smile with the experience… and it’s easier to bring a reader from a smile to a laugh!
Thinking Differently with Funny Filters
Dikkers’ “Funny Filters” gave me a toolset to look at stories from a variety of perspectives.
Thinking differently about any subject cracks your mind and allows new inspiration to seep inside.
“When the humor works, this single incongruity, the thing that makes this new world different, is funny,” he says. Using these filters consistently helps me write delightful pieces with unusual points of view–and gets people subscribe (and pay!) for my Diary of a Lesbian Housewyfe newsletter and respond to freelance writing pitches.
Whether or not you plan on writing humor, learning this writing technique improves writing overall. Plus, the tools of comedy make it easier to write pithy social media posts, engage folx over email, and create sparkling art that enchants.
Encourage your inner comedian and level up your writing…in the funniest way possible!
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If you haven’t read The Elements of Humor yet, visit your local library or bookstore (or order online) and pick up a copy.
The next book in our Books for Thriving Creatives series is Choose Your Life Purposes: A Step-by-Step Guide to Self-Awareness, Empowerment and Success by Eric Maisel, PhD. Practically speaking, this book can be read over a series of visits to the bathroom since its chapters are only 2-3 pages long. What the what?! Talk about an easy read! This series of short essays rebukes the notion that we only have one life purpose, and leads you through a process to identify core values and foster personal growth. Grab a copy and begin reading today!
Need tips on finishing those pesky craft books? Read How to Finish Reading A Book. And for those who want to make sure they learn those lessons, check out How to Remember What You Read!
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ABOUT LA BOURGEOIS
LA (as in tra-la-la) Bourgeois is a Kaizen-Muse Certified Creativity Coach and author who helps clients embrace the joy of their creative work and thrive while doing it.
Get more of her creativity ideas and techniques by subscribing to her newsletter at https://subscribepage.io/unlockyourcreativity.
