Funny short stories to write about how to#
Funny short stories to write about cracker#
Funny short stories to write about full#

Think ocelot, ottoman, ostrich think cummerbund, crinkly, caravan, corset think banana, baboon, boudoir. Stand-ups will tell you that O-words, B-words and C-words tend to be among those that are funnier than average. The same is true of people’s names, place names, indeed of all sorts of nouns, adjectives and verbs. Comically speaking, an aubergine will always trump a lettuce, and wedges and mules are funnier than court shoes and slip-ons. Poodle is funnier than Labrador, for instance, and a merengue is funnier than a foxtrot. Some words and phrases are naturally funnier than others. Play with funny words, sounds and phrases. As Muriel Spark said: ‘I have a great desire to make people smile-not laugh, but smile. The smile is a response to a style of humour that’s more observational, less punchline-driven, and what it lacks in fireworks it can make up for in emotional staying power. So when you write go for smiles, not belly-laughs. In fiction, humour often stems more organically from dialogue, situation, and character. Big laughs rely on shock tactics and are quickly forgotten. You want to create something that will even bear re-reading. When you write a story, you want to deliver a subtle pleasure that will stay with the reader. Your job isn’t to shoehorn three gags into every paragraph (though some will try). Writers of fiction aren’t stand-up comedians. Don’t try to analyse too much why it’s funny, but be true instead to that initial amused reaction. If it makes you laugh, and you can work it into your story, go for it. So, always be taking note of things that make you laugh as you go through your day: unusual turns of phrase, anecdotes, strange street moments. How often, after all, have you heard someone say something inadvertently hilarious on a bus or train and thought, ‘I must remember that.’ Often the best humour doesn’t have to be invented it just needs to be observed and packaged for the reader.

Funny short stories to write about full#

Observe and curate your comedy.Įveryday life is full of funny stuff. Here are a few ideas… 9 Ways To Bring The Funny In Your Fiction 1. You may think that you aren’t naturally a funny writer, but in fact there are lots of things you can do to inject more amusement into your words. But along with talent and inspiration, craft and persistence play a massive part in any successful comic writer’s work. It sometimes seems to be one of life’s great unfairnesses that some people are just naturally funnier than others. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it.’ White put it, ‘Analysing humour is like dissecting a frog. (I told you about the groans.)Īnyway, today I’m only writing about humour so I don’t have to be funny (as I’ve just demonstrated). Sample joke: Why are Greeks such fun people? Because they have a great sense of hummus. The judges said I deserved to win because ‘Mr Brotzel got the biggest groans’.

Funny short stories to write about cracker#

I should perhaps also add that I was Asda Christmas cracker joke-writing champion in 2004. My mum thought it was quite good, though she found the title a bit disgusting.

I’ve written sketches for BBC comedies, written humorous features and columns for newspapers and magazines, and am the co-author of Kitten on a Fatberg, a new comic novel in email form about an eccentric writers’ group.

I’m just someone who’s spent a lot of time trying to raise a smile with my writing.

Funny short stories to write about how to#

Here are a few practical thoughts about how to increase your humour quotient in your writing. We all like the idea of making people laugh with our stories. Our guest blogger shares nine ways to bring the funny in your fiction.