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Comedy Stories
Writing your own Comedy Stories

How to make your writing funny


TED-ed. (2013). Become a slam poet in five steps - Gayle Danley. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f8VcV8v2LE

Styles of humour writing

 
When it comes to humour, we all have a personal style. There are many different types/styles of humor;
  • anecdotal - humorous personal stories, which may be slightly embellished for comedic effect
  • burlesque - involves caricature and imitation, often with exaggerated characteristics
  • dark/gallows - ivolves death and other types of misfortune, often with a comically pessimistic viewpoint
  • dry/deadpan - using a lack of emotion or expression to deliver funny material
  • farcical/screwball - uses skits/satire of highly improbably circumstances, with exaggerated reactions and frantic movements
  • high/highbrow - involves cultured or intelligent topics/themes
  • hyperbolic - uses excess and exaggeration for comedic effect
  • ironic - often involves either a split from normalcy or a situation in which the audience knows more than the characters know
  • satirical - the plot points out a person's or society's weaknesses and downfalls with comedic effect
  • self-deprecating - humor is derived from the comedian or storyteller making fun of himself/herself
  • slapstick - mock violence/bodily harm are acted out through physical comedy

What is your story about?

  • Brainstorm ideas.
  • Choose a setting that makes sense for the characters and your plot. 
  • Think about what your story is going to say to the reader.

How to write humorous stories


Humorous stories need a point of view

 
Choose a point of view.                           
Who is going to tell your story?
How are they going to tell it (first person, second person, and third person). 
  • First person - this is where a story is told using "I," "me," and "mine." It's one character's subjective take on the events of your story, and the narrator is usually either the protagonist (the main character) or a close secondary character telling the protagonist's story.
  • Second person - a story told in second person is told directly to "you" (without any "I," except in dialogue). The reader imagines herself as being part of the plot, with the action written in the following manner: "You follow him down the stairs, and you're surprised at what you see."
  • Third person omniscient - this is where an omniscient (all-seeing and all-knowing) narrator delivers the story, without ever referring to an "I" or addressing the reader as "you." The reader comes to understand the events, thoughts, and motivations each character experiences.
  • Third person limited - while told in a similar narrative style as third person omniscient, third person limited only offers insights into the thoughts/feelings of one character. The narrative follows the protagonist and delivers the world as he/she experiences it.

Set up funny situations

Now set up funny situation within your setting. 

Show, don't tell; it means that there is more power and strength in describing a situation or setting to the reader, rather than simply telling the reader what's happening. For example, instead of using the old line, "It was a dark and stormy night" to tell the reader that it was raining outside, you might describe the sound of the raindrops hitting your roof, the squeak your car's wiper blades make, and the way a flash of lightning lit up the hillside as though it were daylight.

  • Use specific details that illustrate the point you're trying to make. Instead of telling the reader a character is sad, show him crying and running off to be alone.
  • Let the reader assemble the pieces of the scene or event on her own. This will help the reader feel your emotions more genuinely.
  • Be specific and use concrete descriptions. Avoid the abstract or intangible, and instead focus on something the reader can imagine seeing, hearing, touching, or feeling.

Funny stories still need a conflict

You need a conflict and/or tension.  

Remember that something has to happen (not just have a series of funny events).

The conflict and tension drive the plot of a funny story or movie.

Your story needs a conflict (that could be funny), that creates tension.

Create some kind of stakes. 

Sketch out the rising (build-up) action, climax (high point), and falling (relieve) action.

Jerry Seinfeld - How to Write a Joke


Write an engaging first sentence and paragraph. A strong start is important - it doesn't have to be funny. Try adding something unusual or unexpected. The best humor comes from the ordinary - something everyone has experienced.

Character

Develop your characters. 

Bring them to life by describing their appearance, mannerisms, and other facets of their personalities.
Flesh out the character in your head before you begin writing so that he or she will feel real to you and to the reader.
Brainstorm what your character looks like, hobbies, temperament, phobias, faults, strengths, secrets, defining moments/memories, etc.
The big 4 character qualities you must talk about are a character's appearance, actions, speech, and thoughts. 

Create funny characters

Create funny characters. 

Funny stories need good characters. Why might they be funny -   the way they look, the way the talk/behave, or the situations that they find themselves in?

Remember that there are many different kinds of humor. Your characters might be sarcastic, silly, observant, and so on.

You don't need a character backstory but you need to know what your characters look like and how they behave.

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