How Do I Start “Writing Funny”? by Anna Staniszewski
I hear a lot of people say that they’d love to write something funny, but they’re not sure where to start. It can be overwhelming to set out to “write funny” because it puts a lot of pressure on you and on your story. Here are a few suggestions on how to get started.
1. Remember that first drafts are rarely funny.
It’s easy to give up on a story when your initial draft feels flat. But guess what? That probably means you’re doing it right. My first drafts have maybe one chuckle in them, and the rest is booooring. For me, most of the humor comes in during revisions.
2. Create over-the-top situations.
One way to help infuse humor into a story early on is to approach it with an over-the-top attitude. If you think a scenario is amusing, exaggerate it. Make the “what if?” of your story as big as you can. Setting up a situation that’s inherently funny will give you lots to work with later on.
3. Invent interesting characters.
Writing a funny character can also be a daunting task, but one place to start is with the character’s voice. Does s/he have a unique way of speaking or seeing the world? Try playing around with it and pushing it as far as you can. Journaling in your character’s voice, for example, can help bring out her quirks.
4. Focus on the details.
One of the “tricks” of writing humor is that the subject matter is often less important than how it’s conveyed. That’s why using unexpected details in your writing can help create another layer of humor that makes the story feel unique. Also, if your character is noticing interesting details around her, that will help add to her personality.
5. Have fun with it.
This might sound obvious, but if you approach humor as a chore (“I have to make this funny!”) then it probably won’t be funny. And if you’re not having fun writing the story then, chances are, your audience won’t have fun reading it. Don’t be afraid to throw in things that are totally wacky, even if you’re not sure they’re usable. You have to be willing to take big risks in order to get big laughs.
Bio:
Born in Poland and raised in the United States, Anna Staniszewski grew up loving stories in both Polish and English. Currently, she lives outside Boston with her husband and their crazy dog. When she’s not writing, Anna spends her time reading, daydreaming, and challenging unicorns to games of hopscotch. She is the author of the My Very UnFairy Tale Life series and the Dirt Diary series. Her newest book, The Prank List, released on July 1st from Sourcebooks. You can visit Anna at www.annastan.com.
I hear a lot of people say that they’d love to write something funny, but they’re not sure where to start. It can be overwhelming to set out to “write funny” because it puts a lot of pressure on you and on your story. Here are a few suggestions on how to get started.
1. Remember that first drafts are rarely funny.
It’s easy to give up on a story when your initial draft feels flat. But guess what? That probably means you’re doing it right. My first drafts have maybe one chuckle in them, and the rest is booooring. For me, most of the humor comes in during revisions.
2. Create over-the-top situations.
One way to help infuse humor into a story early on is to approach it with an over-the-top attitude. If you think a scenario is amusing, exaggerate it. Make the “what if?” of your story as big as you can. Setting up a situation that’s inherently funny will give you lots to work with later on.
3. Invent interesting characters.
Writing a funny character can also be a daunting task, but one place to start is with the character’s voice. Does s/he have a unique way of speaking or seeing the world? Try playing around with it and pushing it as far as you can. Journaling in your character’s voice, for example, can help bring out her quirks.
4. Focus on the details.
One of the “tricks” of writing humor is that the subject matter is often less important than how it’s conveyed. That’s why using unexpected details in your writing can help create another layer of humor that makes the story feel unique. Also, if your character is noticing interesting details around her, that will help add to her personality.
5. Have fun with it.
This might sound obvious, but if you approach humor as a chore (“I have to make this funny!”) then it probably won’t be funny. And if you’re not having fun writing the story then, chances are, your audience won’t have fun reading it. Don’t be afraid to throw in things that are totally wacky, even if you’re not sure they’re usable. You have to be willing to take big risks in order to get big laughs.
Bio:
Born in Poland and raised in the United States, Anna Staniszewski grew up loving stories in both Polish and English. Currently, she lives outside Boston with her husband and their crazy dog. When she’s not writing, Anna spends her time reading, daydreaming, and challenging unicorns to games of hopscotch. She is the author of the My Very UnFairy Tale Life series and the Dirt Diary series. Her newest book, The Prank List, released on July 1st from Sourcebooks. You can visit Anna at www.annastan.com.