Uncategorized

So … You Want to be Funny?

So do I. Really. I\’m just … not. Not when I want to be, anyway. Every now and then I end up in situations where my friends almost choke because they thought I was so hilarious. Those situations usually involve some joke I didn\’t understand and thus provoked a ridiculous reaction. I could tell you the tea bag story (I really just wanted some hot tea), but … never mind. The point is that it\’s American humor, and I\’ve only lived in this country for close to eight years now, so sometimes I still don\’t get it. Give me a break!

But seriously, I wish I could  be funny and come up with stuff  that you find in books by Bill Bryson or John Scalzi. I can\’t remember how often I\’ve read I\’m a Stranger Here Myself (\”Why Everyone is Worried\” is my absolute favorite) or Old Man\’s War (I would marry John Perry if I could … really) and couldn\’t stop laughing, even in public places. No, it does not count as being funny when other people laugh at you just because you act like an idiot in public :P.

Of course, it does not always have to be so elaborate. I would be perfectly happy if I were able to come up with stuff you see in the catalogs that appear in your mailbox every year around Christmas time (What on Earth and Signals.com being two of my favorites). I mean, how hard can it be to come up with lines such as these:

\"itired\"

\"tense\"

 

 

 

 

Who came up with that? Certainly not the catalog people? I have no idea, and that\’s not really the point. The point is that they made me laugh regardless, and that\’s always a good thing on a cold Sunday morning. But it got me thinking: How hard can it really  be to be funny? Because, when you think of it, I doubt that even masters like Bill Bryson, Dave Barry and others walk over to their desks, sit down, merrily scribble something on paper and toss the pen into a corner after maybe twenty minutes, get up to do something else? I really doubt it works that way (and if it does, please don\’t tell me and destroy my hope that even these writers actually have to work on their stories to perfect them). So I think at the end of the day it\’s really damn hard to be funny.

Despite my admiration for the above mentioned writers, I would never try to copy their style, or even attempt to. Mainly because I could not, even if I quit my job and locked myself up for the rest of my life and read nothing but their books. It just would not happen. More importantly though I think I am okay with my own style (or what it is shaping up to be). I just would like to make people giggle every now and then. After all, humor is one of the three things that provoke reactions in people, at least according to Eve Mayer, and that\’s what writers strive for (okay, the reactions should be positive, too, but that\’s beside the point).

So, the next time you read something that I\’ve written, and it elicits a smile or maybe even a giggle, let me know. It will make my day, I promise!

3 Comments on “So … You Want to be Funny?

  1. This is old. And yes it’s me. I could have easily answered all that about being funny. I think I knew you plenty well enough.

    Although….. I wouldnt recommend doing stand up 🙂

    You should contact me soon….. Major surgery for me on June 20th. I’m scared to hell, but even then, I can find ways to joke about it.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *