A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to….

Writing Humor

by Sheila Wipperman

 

It’s a known fact that everyone loves to laugh and that includes editors.  They are well aware that their readers, whether an adult or child audience, enjoy having their funny bones tickled.  Consequently, submissions with a humor component are always well received and may even have a competitive edge.  Here are some ideas on how to take advantage of life’s funny moments.

 

Tune In.  The first step is to keep your eyes and ears open.  Observe and listen to what is happening around you.  Humorous incidents are occurring during the course of every day.  You have to look no further than your own home and family.  Incidents mentioned by your spouse, children, siblings, extended family members, etc. can translate into sellable material, with their permission, of course!  Funny things are said or done at graduations, reunions, weddings, birthdays, vacations, church, camp and the list goes on!  Don’t neglect other avenues as well, such as happenings in the workplace with co-workers, with friends and neighbors, or even tales overheard by strangers in waiting rooms, line-ups, etc.  Also, search your memory bank for past events of a humorous nature that you can write up and sell today. 

 

 

Take Note.  Once you’ve encountered some funny, take the time to record these stories in your writing journal.  They can take the form of a simple joke or anecdote complete with an unexpected punch line.  There are a number of markets that will buy these short fillers of 100 – 300 words.  Perhaps the incident could spark a humorous article or essay in the 500 -1,000 word range.  A piece such as this could find a home in a print or online magazine, a humor anthology such as a Chicken Soup edition, or perhaps could be entered in a humor contest, for example the Erma Bombeck Writing Competition.  Another possibility is the incident could fuel ideas for a work of fiction in the area of character development, plot, or story line, either for children or adults.

 

 

Target.  Look at your collection of humorous tales and check out appropriate markets.  An excellent resource for finding publications to send your material is of course Writer’s Market, as well as The Canadian Writer’s Market.  You can also find listings through online writer’s newsletters such as C. Hope Clark’s Funds for Writers, Ronnie Smith’s Writer’s Relief, Writing for Dollars, and many others.  Jokes and anecdotes can be sent to publications such as Reader’s Digest, Saturday Evening Post, and Mature Living, to name a few.  Last December, I sold an anecdote to Reader’s Digest concerning a humorous incident that happened to our daughter at church.  Five years earlier, they purchased an anecdote about a funny tale my husband recalled that occurred on the job forty years earlier.  Article, essay, and story markets can be found through a writer’s forum such as Absolute Write, in writer’s newsletters mentioned above, or simply by searching Google.  Humor writing contests can be found in these ways, as well.  Also, local or regional newspapers, radio stations, and even television networks have been known to sponsor such a contest.

 

As discussed, humor is of great value.  In today’s challenging world, people appreciate the opportunity to release their concerns and relieve stress levels through the avenue of laughter.  To compete in a tough economic climate, your writing submissions need a competitive edge, and employing humor is an excellent strategy you can use to get an editor’s attention.  And that will ensure an increased chance of having your work accepted.  Your funny times just might pave the way to publication.  Have fun writing and selling!