Is it possible to learn to be humorous?
Isn’t a sense of humour something that your born with?
Can any of us understand the basic comedy writing secrets?
These are questions that are not very easily answered, simply because the correct response might be both yes and no.
Truth be told, if a individual is graced from birth having a little bit of humour, then they probably have the capability to learn how to be funnier. However, if the individual in question has been a sourpuss from day 1, then it is doubtful they will ever make it as a standup comic. Truly they will never master the required comedy writing secrets to be effective.
Here’s the deal, learning to become humorous is one of the most difficult comedy writing skills to learn.
We all are gifted from birth with the sufficient sense to become confused, scared, moody, frustrated, serious, and angry: all elements that a good writer uses effectively. You’ll note that ‘funny’ is not on that list. If you are not born with it, then it needs to be in your environment as you grow up, or else it won’t be on hand later in life when you begin to create comedy.
However, I believe anybody who possesses at least a small sense of humor, anybody who likes jokes and likes to laugh, can educate themselves to become funnier. And as a result, they can understand to write much more powerful comedy.
Here is a list of 4 key comedy writing secrets guidelines:
Let The Joke Come Out Of the Character Or Scenario.
Here’s what I mean: a scene should be fleshed out first of all, using the jokes put in later as they seem appropriate. If you try to create the scene around the joke, the scenario is nearly sure to fail. More frequently than not, the joke will ruin the flow of the dialogue, and may even stop the scene in its tracks. The most effective jokes are the ones that grow organically from the scene. The best humor usually comes from fully developed characters with particular (and most likely quirky) traits which are dealing with some sort of conflict.
Words Having a Hard ‘K’ Sound Are Funny
I initially heard this maxim uttered on the Rockford Files. Jim Rockford was trying to help a (rather lame) comedian in a likely murder scenario. It was a funny episode featuring a would-be comedian who explained to Rockford about the ‘K’ sounds. He actually understood some of the fundamental theory behind good comedy. And he was correct! As proof, you just need to watch any great comedy movie or any classic sitcom. If you listen carefully you’ll discover the majority of the jokes rely on the use of a term with these sounds. Neil Simon recognized this truism in his classic movie, The Sunshine Boys. To quote his main character,Willie Clark: Pickle is humorous, Chicken is funny, Alka-Seltzer is humorous. And, he’s right. Comedy writers as a rule don’t search their brains for ‘K’ or ‘C’ sound words to end their jokes, but when hearing the jokes, our minds instinctively select to laugh at words with those consonants
Be Particular
A specific allusion may be the best point for a successful comedy routine. The more famous the allusion, the bigger the laugh. Frequently individuals attempting comedy for the first time will violate this rule on a regular basis. They’ll use the word ‘dog’ rather than Schnauzer, or Poodle, or Chihuahua. As you can see, the particular breed is funnier than the general term dog.
An additional good example of specific humor comes from The Producers. Do you remember the part where Max Bialystok tries to convince Leo Bloom how poor and needy he is? He screams at Leo, ‘I’m wearing a CARDBOARD belt!’ Flimsy belt, crummy belt, discount belt, none of these are as particular as ‘cardboard.’ It’s part of what makes the joke so funny.
Put The Humorous Word At The End
This rule is so fundamental that a lot of writers forget to implement it, to their detriment. If there’s a humorous sounding word within the punch line, you ought to arrange the sentence so that the funny term falls at the end of the joke. Why? Nobody truly knows. A lot of what makes us laugh is mysterious, and perhaps it is beyond our ability of understanding. Even hardened, cynical comedy writers can’t always explain why some jokes work and others fall flat. The most likely guess is that it has to do with rhythm and sound. If a humorous sounding term ends up being last thing the audience/reader hears, it seems to strengthen the joke.
I hope you liked this article. Please visit How To do Standup Comedy for more fascinating tidbits about the world of comedy!
