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Printed from https://writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/6704-Running-Jokes.html
Comedy: December 10, 2014 Issue [#6704]

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Comedy


 This week: Running Jokes
  Edited by: Storm Machine Author IconMail Icon
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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

“So, to say Obama is progress is saying that he’s the first black person that is qualified to be president,” he says. “That’s not black progress. That’s white progress. There’s been black people qualified to be president for hundreds of years.” (Chris Rock on politics from Rolling Stone.)

“Comedians kill themselves. Talk to 100 comedians this week, everybody knows somebody who killed themselves. I mean, we always say ignorance is bliss. Well, if so, what’s the opposite? Some form of misery. Being a comedian, 80 percent of the job is just you notice shit, which is a trait of schizophrenics too. You notice things people don’t notice.” (Chris Rock on Robin Williams from New York Magazine on Vulture.)


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Letter from the editor

Running is something that isn't funny; it's a serious business. So is humor.

Chris Rock, in a recent interview, said comedy is about finding the questions that weren't asked. In a way, this is something about the way all of us look at the world.

As you look at the world, do you take the same view as the people around you? Or do you find a way to keep things fresh as they go through your reader's mind?

Each of the people within the story has a part to play. One series I read that I never really resonated with much was by Gayle Greeno. They had telepathic cats and people working together (yes, fantasy) but I did love one part where they made up their own swear words. It became a joke between a couple of the characters, something that got funnier when they created dirty-sounding words for the laugh. It worked, because of the characters and the way it had been woven into the story.

It's hard in flash fiction to create these layers, but it is worth it to explore the ideas and ask for something deeper. The characters find what's going to resonate with the reader and leave them something within their heads. You want your reader to try to explain this to their friends and share the story because it's amazing, and not be downplaying it as another take on whatever easy joke is running through the elementary schools.


Editor's Picks

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Don't sign your life away...
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Mother Nature Said No Open in new Window. (18+)
A humorous story of my backpacking trip in the Sierras. What else could possibly go wrong?
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The Sound Open in new Window. (13+)
"That sound is driving me crazy."
#1795955 by Tom Buck Author IconMail Icon

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The Identity Crisis Open in new Window. (13+)
A man walked into a bar ...
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Ask & Answer

Shadowstalker-- Covid free Author Icon
I agree timing can be a hard thing to get down. But sometimes in comedy, those awkward silences or long drawn out moments where the punchline "should" be, can become part of the joke. Look at a bunch of Monty Pythons comedy, his timing is all over the place--yet it still works most of the time. Also, you can't forget the old adage, "timing isn't everything". I think the most important part of a joke is the punch at the end. Sometimes it needs to be spot on to give that snarky comeback feel. Other times it needs the lull and buildup from the passage of time to give that funny comeback quip by throwing words used earlier back in a persons face--only with new meaning.
         New meaning is always good.

taliah_l
You know the problem with Irish jokes? The timing.

Wow, it is really difficult to write that kind of joke down—image the punchline being really rushed:

You know the problem with Scottish jokes the timing.

Eh. To be honest, it wasn't that funny when I first heard it anyway... Thanks for the newsletter!
         We all do what we can.

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 Monsters Versus Aliens Sequel Open in new Window. (13+)
Looks like the Monsters have been sent on another Mission. 6,400+ Views
#1865058 by BIG BAD WOLF is Howling Author IconMail Icon

Have a laugh.
         Thanks.

emi5794
What type of Superpower would you have and why?
         What was the one about the guy who wanted to live forever but forgot to ask for eternal youth and shriveled into a cricket?

blunderbuss
To complicate things further ... it's the way you say it, when telling a joke, that often makes it funny! So - it's even harder to produce comedic effect when you are writing it.
Enjoyed your newsletter and glad to provide feedback. Think nice thoughts!
         I feel good. I feel great. I feel wonderful. *Cheshire*

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