Freelancing for Pleasure and Profit

Issue #49

Seinfeld amused audiences for years with his sitcom about nothing. Leno garners roars each weeknight with his stellar monologue. Bombeck immortalized housekeeping and rearing children. So what can you do?

Well, er-I can balance a penny on the end of my nose. Sorry. That simply won't cut it. And neither will writing an e-book of knock-knock jokes. Today's humor writer has to capture their reading audience with an interesting topic-something timely or one to which most folks can relate. And then he or she needs to pick the topic to shreds.

Why shreds? Shreds will result in the inner-most complexities of a humorous situation. Shreds will disregard debris and concentrate on the gold mine.

Most familiar situations in our society can easily be reduced to such shreds. A practiced humor writer can do this in their sleep.

On paper, for instance, the notion of a clogged toilet is boring. Who wants to read about something like that? But add the element of humor to an every-day, mundane situation, and you may just find yourself rolling on the floor in laughter.

Human beings are fallible creatures. We mess up-a lot! What better way is there to deal with typical daily struggles than to laugh in the face of adversity-be it great or small? We've all experienced a grouchy boss, a cranky baby, and socially inept bag boys at the grocery store. Will that ever end? Certainly not! These are some of life's little givens, and we have two choices with the givens we're given. We can harbor feelings of inadequacy, resentment, annoyance, and displeasure, or we can simply say, "That's life."

If we choose to find the humor in every day situations we live happier, more content lives. Laughter has been known to reduce stress and lower blood pressure. So as writers of humor, we are contributing to people's peace of mind, as well as to the tickling of their funny bones.

Try some of your ideas out on friends and family. Don't tell them you're writing about a specific situation, but rather relay the story to them as though it really happened. No need to come right out and ask, "Am I funny, Honey?" Instead watch their reactions closely. Do they nod in agreement or acknowledgment of the situation? Do they laugh and shake their heads in disbelief about your reaction to it? If so, it's time to fine tune your story-telling abilities and then put the words on paper.

Give the following exercise in humor writing a try:

Choose a common occurrence that typically annoys you or someone you know. Write a short story about the lighter side of this situation. Make it clear that there is more than one way to look at the problem. And make your readers laugh!