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Printed from https://writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/12245-Record-Breaking-Inspiration.html
Comedy: November 01, 2023 Issue [#12245]




 This week: Record Breaking Inspiration
  Edited by: Lornda Author IconMail Icon
                             More Newsletters By This Editor  Open in new Window.

Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

The rumors are true. It's not easy writing humor into a story but with the right resource, you can find funny facts to add some comedy gems.


Word from our sponsor

ASIN: 0997970618
Amazon's Price: $ 14.99


Letter from the editor

“I have a Guinness World record entry as the most watched person on television; now I have a new entry as the only man who has a crab named after him.”
~David Hasselhoff


         My reaction to the above quote was a mix of emotions. Should I laugh or judge it as a untrue fact? After careful research, to my horror, it’s true. According to the Guinness World Records LTD, Hasselhoff from the 90s show Baywatch, had a crab named after him. He even had competition for the honorary title. James Bond actor Sean Connery was also in the race for the title. All the scientists agreed there was a clear winner. What was the winning factor? Chest hair. Since Hasselhoff was on the screen the most, he won the title and a little crab with a furry underside was named the Hoff. I imagine it’s because the Hoff sounded better than the Conn or Sean crab.

         After researching the Guinness World Records website to confirm the crab claim was real, I dug deeper into other records posted. I found many comedy gems to use as inspiration for a story. Here's a few that I thought had the potential to be weaved into any story.

Bruce Masters from the U.K. visited over 46,000 pubs sampling brews throughout his lifetime. Imagine the people he would meet a long the way. It would be fun to read about all the characters with quirky personalities, like a 97-year-old who is the world's oldest motorcycle racer. Maybe Bruce meets the woman of his dreams. She collects thousands of rubber ducks and keeps them in her basement in a giant pond. They run into a big problem, though. She doesn't like beer or travelling to pubs because the duck would be lonely. The novel would be a bestseller.

Or how about a lady from Texas who has the longest fingernails on record. She would make a hilarious character as an administrative assistant who can type 53 WPM. To think of other nail raising situations about her would be comical.

For a humorous children’s book, consider this comedy gem based on a world record. A therapy pig named Joy from Fort Worth, Texas can perform thirteen tricks in one minute. The kids would laugh at how she can roll out a carpet, jump over hurdles, and push a shopping cart. Hire an illustrator and the book is good to go!


         For further inspiration, ponder what funny records you probably break on a daily bases. Mine would include, watching the most viewed cat videos on YouTube. Loading the dishwasher with ninja speed and packed like a can of sardines. I challenge anyone to beat me on this one record. I have the uncanny ability to choose the wrong line at the grocery store. At times, I jump over three different lines and still wait the longest. It's probably a record I'll hold throughout my lifetime.

         The next time you need a comedy gem to punch up a story, consider checking out the Guinness World Records. It’s updated every year, so the material will never end. For fun, if you want to break a record, consider tossing your name or chest hair out there. Just think, you might be the next person to name a sea creature.

A sig for the best genre in the world--Comedy!

*Vignette6* Reference Links:

David Hasselhoff  Open in new Window.

Sean Connery  Open in new Window.

The Hoff Crab  Open in new Window.

Guinness World Records  Open in new Window.



Editor's Picks

Try writing a humorous poem:
Image Protector
The Humorous Poetry Contest Open in new Window. [18+]
The contest where the rating doesn't matter! ~ Next TBA~
by Lornda Author Icon


 Autumn Tradition + Weather Joy Open in new Window. [ASR]
Haiku-esque poem in the comedy genre
by Nobody’s Home Author Icon


 Some Rules for Writing Comedy Open in new Window. [18+]
Rules for comedy that I learned as a Hollywood script writer
by Riverd0g Author Icon


 Invalid Item Open in new Window. []

by A Guest Visitor


 Overachiever Open in new Window. [E]
Poem for writer's cramp
by catdok Author Icon


 
Image Protector
Yellow Open in new Window. [13+]
Harry is given a new partner. HM, Whatever Contest, July.
by Beholden Author Icon


 Beginning of School Open in new Window. [13+]
The first few days of school can be traumatic for everyone involved.
by Jtpete 1986 Author Icon


 Invalid Item Open in new Window. []

by A Guest Visitor


 Crossed Wires Open in new Window. [ASR]
Comic science fiction. After the latest debacle on Triton, Alice is sent back to Earth.
by Jed Hirst Author Icon


 
Image Protector
The Designated Driver Open in new Window. [E]
Flash fiction Contest Entry WC=300
by Bedrock - The Lurker King Author Icon


 
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Word from Writing.Com

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Ask & Answer

*Questiong* Question: What funny thing would you do to break a Guinness World record?

*Thought2* Feedback from my last newsletter, "Sweet, Mr. CandyOpen in new Window.. I asked the question: Which comedy movie is like your life? Do you have a favorite John Candy movie?

Annette Author Icon: "The comedy movie of my life is
Encore  Open in new Window.. I only saw it once in a theater in Berlin when it came out. (It's a French movie). The funniest part about it is that the trailer shows a part that is not in the movie. A group of friends walks down the street. One in the group gets his attention caught by something and he stops looking forward until he walks straight into a light pole. Cue the movie title: Encore? Which does not mean "sing another song" but simply "Again?"

I don't have a favorite John Candy movie. When his movies came out, I still lived in Germany. We did get most American movies, but they were usually dubbed. Between American and German humor not being the same and puns getting lost, I was aware of his movies, but I didn't "get" them."

Sounds like something from my life too. *Laugh* I know what you mean. There's a few comics in movies where the humor flies right over my head. *Wink* Thanks for the comment!

Beholden Author Icon: "Thank you very much for including my short story, The Love Song of Billy Thornton, among your Editor's Picks section.
That's a difficult question you asked this time. Well, both are, since you asked two of them. As for which comedy film is like my life, I have to answer none that I know of. Although that may not be entirely true as I tend to sleep through a lot of movies these days. And my life would definitely send me to sleep quicker than anything else.
Regarding John Candy, I'd not heard the name before you mentioned it. Even though I've seen all three of the movies you reference. My problem is that I don't care about actors' names. Apart from a tiny minority who eventually break through my indifference by sheer persistence, that is. And it seems that John Candy didn't cross that threshold for me. Not really into comedy movies anyway."

You're welcome for the story highlight, and thanks for the comments. *Bigsmile* No problem with not watching comedy movies, but if you ever change your mind, try a John Candy one. *Laugh* *Wink*

*Tower* Comments From the Newsfeed. Thanks for your comments!

TheBusmanPoet Author Icon : "Uncle Buck."

Dave Ryan Author Icon: "Considering what I posted earlier today, I'm tempted to say my school days resembled Tootsie.
Sorry...gallows humour. *Smile*
My favourite John Candy movie is Planes, Trains and Automobiles, with Splash being a close second."

jackson Author Icon : " I have no favorites. Uncle Buck comes to mind, pretty good movie."

Madelyn Silver & Gold Stone Author Icon : "Summer Rental
Nothing says family time with John Candy at the beach like a bunch of mishaps, a guy you love to hate, and a competition that causes our main character to grow a little. Plus, there is a song by Jimmy Buffett that is pretty hard to find except in this movie. Rip Torn and John Larroquette, plus Kerri Green (from another favorite - Goonies!) I love this movie." *HeartG*

WakeUpAndLive Author Icon : "I loved Brewster's Millions with John Candy in it. I sure hope it's resembling my life because I still intend to win the lottery!"

Gretchen Writes Author Icon : "Uncle Buck, The Great Outdoors, Planes, Trains &Automobiles, of course! I don't know about a comedy...? Maybe, "Groundhog's Day?" Because of the recursive nature of crappy crap in my life?" *Headbang*

s Author Icon : "Not the biggest fan of John Candy, but probably Stripes."

tj-Merry Mischief Maker Author Icon : "It would be more like this":
From SNL - Down By the River  Open in new Window.

John & James Wegner Author Icon : We'd say "Step Brothers" is like our life. As for our favorite John Candy movie, we're going to have to go with "Spaceballs". Good post. \m/ Forge on! \m/.

Louis Williams Author Icon : "Favorite comedy movie depends on the day. Sometimes I'm more Ferris Beuler's Day Off, sometimes I'm more Tommy Boy."

keyisfake Author Icon : My favorite John Candy movie is Uncle Buck. I wish I had an uncle like him. He had those kids' backs and didn't back down when they pushed back.


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