Let's talk about writing silly stories · 6:26pm Sep 12th, 2015
Humor is weird. When you’re trying to write something that’s supposed to be funny, it seems like total common sense that at least to start off you should write something you find funny. You should use yourself as a gauge. If you laugh while writing it, it’s funny and you should leave it in. If you don’t laugh, cut it out. Makes sense. Simple stuff.
But what happens when you do that, write something you think is funny, and then someone else comes along and looks at it and says, ‘This isn’t funny’?
I don’t know anyway to respond except, ‘Well, you see, actually it is funny, because I giggled while writing it, and if it wasn’t funny I wouldn’t have giggled. I’m not saying you don’t get it, but I am saying you’re wrong.”
Even if the person can explain exactly why the joke isn’t funny, the joke is still funny. Because I laughed.
The laugh is the equivalent of God parting the skies, sticking his glorious bare ass down out of the clouds, and farting in your face while angels sing hallelujah, glory be to Him. After it happens, all arguments are moot. God is real and the joke is funny.
So humor is weird, but that sucks and I don’t like it at all. Writing things that are supposed to be funny is the only time I can stick my fingers in my ears and say, la la la not listening, because senses of humor are so subjective. But that attitude is stupid, and I don’t like the idea that it isn’t possible to get down into the nuts and bolts of comedy and figure out exactly what isn’t working and why.
There is such a thing as the study of humor, and theories of humor, and literary criticism focusing on what’s funny and why. But studying humor always feels to me more like trying to learn how to be funny to the largest number of people possible. I guess that’s important if you’re making a career out of humor, because then your livelihood depends on how many people think you’re funny.
I also guess that’s really the same as everything else. If you’re studying how to write a good story, you’re really just learning to write a story that the highest number of people will read and say, “This is good.” Or whatever arbitrary qualifier for ‘good’ you’re using.
Except humor is different, because no other time can you just say, ‘Well, I think my story is good, so therefore it is good.’
I can absolutely say, though, ‘I laughed and so this is funny.’ Because the laugh is all that really matters in humor. The whole point is to make someone laugh. The whole deal is that as soon as someone laughs, it’s been confirmed funny.
So, I can’t figure out how the hell to write about or think about humor, or how to improve the humor I write, because I laugh when I write things and that screws everything up.
Here’s a silly story I’m posting tomorrow:
I love that way of putting it.
I feel the same way. Maybe part of our confusion is because of stand-up comedy culture. The real experts on humor are stand-up comics, but like stage magicians, they have a culture of secrecy. They don't teach classes at colleges; they don't usually give seminars or write how-to books.
Glad to see you back!
I think you hit on every reason I don't try to write humour, and told me why I'm being dumb. Thanks for that, I might be able to get past some writers block now.