My favorite running gag is in a story called "Omniscient Reader's veiwpoint" where characters are given monikers like 'Steel blade' or 'Poison queen' and people know him as 'the ugly king'. If you know you know.
I think one of the best examples of repeated gags is the show Phinaes and Ferb. This show succeeded at what most consider to be impossible. It had the same plot every episode and people found it hilarious.
I think good jokes follow the rule of pranks. Confuse or amuse, but don't abuse. Another thing I expected you to talk about was taking a ridiculous character or situation seriously which leads me to my favorite gag. Hyacinth Bucket and her never ending quest to make everyone pronounce her last name as Bouquet in Keeping Up Appearances. Just Hyacinth in general is such a hilarious person. No one else in that show had to be funny, they just had to take her as seriously as she took herself.
Favorite running joke from Pilot of Firefly (maybe only used three times) was every time somebody mentioned taking the cargo to Patience somebody would say to Mal, “Didn’t she shoot you?”
@ I try to rewatch the entire show every year in late December. Will do so this weekend or next. BTW, I haven’t rewatched Serenity the movie since I bought the DVD.
Thank you so much for this! I’m writing a horror novel and have added a couple for a touch of comedic relief…loosely based on my aunt Burt and uncle Wendy. 😁
My favourite running gag ran for 11 years on the Morecambe & Wise show. Peter Cushing kept turning up to get paid for his appearance in the first series.
I always add humor in a subtle way. My characters have unique catchphrases they use. But not to crack a joke, but to show their type of character. And I use descriptions, parables and show how a character thinks and sees the things and situations around him to add humor.
“You say that as though you don’t talk the same way, you and all your big words and perfect grammar.” “I suppose we’re perfect for each other.” “Are we perfect, or are we suitable, or ideal, or complementary, or utopian, or fresh out of Eden?” “Funny.” “Do you know Mr. Merriam and Mr. Webster personally, or do you just read their literature?” a joking bit of dialogue from my manuscript, which is also a jab at the fourth wall. the other characters will point out that the 1st person narrator/mc uses big words and talks kinda formally (which is a dig at my own writing style since he’s “narrating” the text). in this scene he makes fun of his gf for using complicated words and she claps back abt his fancy vocab habits
Jess Walter’s The Financial Lives of the Poets is the funniest book I’ve ever read. As funny as Pete Dexter’s Spooner was, Walter has exceeded it by creating a character so incredibly introspective yet amazingly self-unaware (if that is a word) as to be side-splitting. My wife has to shush me whenever I re-read it.
Okay, this is where we see if any of your viewers cross-over to the TH-cam channel Tasting History. My favorite running gag (the one that sprang to mind almost immediately) is Max Miller inserting his hardtack clip (*clack clack*) into all relevant episodes! It just gets funnier every time!
The funniest thing I ever read-which had me busting a gut-was from a web novel called The Wandering Inn. There's a scene several volumes into the story where a humanoid ant character confronts an entire city of people prejudiced against his species, and he defeats them by playing into their own absurd stereotypes. He challenges them with a completely straight face, and they take him seriously. It's glorious. If you know, you know :p
Great video! I would have loved to see some more examples of funny moments in very serious works. I think it's a very different skill to inject humour and levity into serious stories rather than works that are primarily humorous or humorous by nature. Your advice is great, though, and I especially think having a facetious character is a classic way to inject levity into dark or austere settings. One such character that comes to mind for me is Alistair in the video game Dragon Age: Origins. It's quite a dark world involving many brutalities yet Alistair is always making flippant remarks, yet his character is complex and his humour is a way of dealing with his own insecurities as well as the difficulties of life in such a world.
The problem with humor is the audience connection, like some of the people in this comment section. "None of that was funny." So, don't laugh. But, it's your right to laugh or not, and it's nobody's fault if you do or don't. Comedy is more difficult than writing a beautiful scene or a heartwarming dialogue, because it takes two to make it work (writer and reader). Then, it still won't work for many readers who are not in the same mental frame, at the time of reading. If you can get someone to laugh, you have done something extraordinary, and can only hope that it happens more often. I think it's easier in written form, though. To a degree, a stand-up comic needs to be born funny, but if the jokes are written well and told well, people will still laugh for someone giving their best effort. Just the sincere effort can be enough to bring an audience on board.
Vimes reading "Where's my Cow" to little Sam consistently in "Thud!" by Terry Pratchett. It's funny but also serves as a great character and plot device.
I like the Cabo example, although I feel it’s incomplete. Beach vendor: “Jewelry?” Bookfox: “No.” Beach vendor: “Pipe?” Bookfox: “No.” Beach vendor: “Weed?” Bookfox: “You take PayPal?”
ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS - It start with a humorous title, continues breaking the fourth wall multiple times with absurd characters and their traits-It's a gold mine! A few topic about the movie: 1. Robin draws an arrow, unrolls a belt of five arrows. 2. Pumping airmax before a fight. 3. Abbot's staff hits the camera. 4. Peasants toss ears at Robin. 5. Blind man hands Robin a beer, while Robin fights a guard behind his back. 6. Staff fight, staffs breaks in half, repeatedly till they fight with tiny sticks. 7. Key to my "heart" or her 'Everlast' chastity belt.) The movie lasts 1:44 hours. try finding a moment when there's not a minute without humor.
In my novel that's about a post ww1 veteran with ptsd he has flashbacks and those are flashbacks showing life in the trenches and the trench-humor. I don't do it often but in one FB the joke is: my MC has a new soilder that he shows everything. Now they go to a friend of my MC and the conversation goes to the point where they ask themselves, when they can go back to germany. My MC says: they told us, we'll be back home on Christmas but sadly they forgot to tell which one. 1917 or 1933 it's still uncertain. And they both laugh and the new soilder looks at them and thinks they are not from this world anymore. I would say it's my best joke in the novel
You’re writing about a World War One German soldier? Oh my gosh, I thought I was the only one since like All Quiet on the Western front. Oh how I adore trench humor! “Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow you are dead!” I like that one.
Thank you for this video, it’s outstanding. Personal favourite humorous writer:James Thurber, hard to choose the best but his short stories ‘A box to hide in’ and ‘an outline of scientists’ I have always been a bit bothered by how funny his work is and been unable to quite describe exactly what he’s doing, but you’ve actually mentioned a few things that rang a bell. Also I’m going to track down some of the examples you used that I haven’t read, thanks!! Favourite running gag: the character Corporal Freidkin in the American version of the tv adaptation of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency.
i write more seriously, for the most part, because if humor comes to me organically then i'll gladly include it. off the top of my head, one scene i've written has a young woman debating with her mother about one or the other of them doing something physically strenuous and she says that she should do it since she's younger and hasn't been sick a day in her life, to which the mother says, "Bullshit. Do you have any idea how many times I stayed home to take care of you when you were down with the flu?"
in my novel, the humor comes from my secondary main character and her relationship with her brothers. They joke around and have funny insults "He says it was an accident," Gien said with a shrug. "Accident what you have for face." Paige laughed, but then got serious again. "He could have killed any of us."
i know it's a lot on one character, but my main protagonist, who is also sometimes the view point character and sometimes first person narrator (otherwise it's varying levels of third person, and i hear "head hopping's" bad, or "god's eye view", but i'm evaluating those where they come up) is also frequently the comic relief, what little i have in my deep, dark, drowning in molasses schtick. the funniest parts, to me are when he lying to himself. he's also clumsy, occasionally phrases things awkwardly, and he's not a tough guy, so there's a real funny scene in which he's trying to not be in a fight, he consistently overestimates his strength. also, in general, i get a lot of my low key humor out of disconnects in communication. like there was this old comic strip, zippy, not ziggy, zippy. there were these two dudes having two entirely different conversations. it was great. or like that one cheech and chong movie where, ooh boy! they were both writing a song about mexicans. don't blame me, cheech went along with that, lol, but yeah, the disconnect
I've done the funny name thing in one story I'm writing, where a centaur has the last name Lollipop, which is a word in the centaur language that means something badass.
The TV series "Suits" had several running lines that were meant to be taken seriously by the viewer. But when two or more of them were used in every episode, it became obvious they were used as a running gag by the writers. Once I caught on to them, I wrote them down. They are: "How dare you?" (outrage, sometimes faked); "What are you doing here?" (when someone shows up unexpectedly or out of context); "What do you want?" (used as a resignation: when the gig is up and you're cornered); "Get out!" (i.e., out of your office when you can no longer bear someone's presence); "You'll regret it the rest of your life." (either threatening or counseling someone); "What are you talking about?" (used when you're blindsided); "I'll be in touch." (Maybe); and "You're out of your mind!" (Well . . .). I think my list is missing one or two, but you get the idea.
i don't think of myself as a notably funny person but i got my boyfriend to laugh with a dialogue line that i didn't even plan to write until it was already on the page: "Ross asked his name, but I don't think you could *torture* a sentence out of him. Just said 'M.' It's all he responds to." "Just the letter?" "Yeah. Mysterious." "Maybe that's what it stands for." edit: this detail is actually part of a subtler joke that only makes sense once you know which character they're talking about; he did NOT, in fact, say 'm.' he said 'em,' which is his actual nickname. everyone just assumed he meant the letter.
Father Ted: "The money was just resting on my account!" Father Jack: "Feck! Arrrse! Dddrrrrrink! Girrrls!" Mrs. Doyle: "Go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on..."
I am depressed having just learned I'll be doing chemo for two years (truth) and this is the only one here that made me laugh out loud! Might have something to do with age but I can think of a few other human pee problems. I mean a man squirming in his seat during that all important meeting regretting his date over the weekend. "You alright, Johnson?"" "Um ah washed my um undergarments on hot, sit, I mean, sir."
I'm working on a running gag where the characters in a group will look up all at once. It will be for different reasons. A cloud, an airplane, a satellite. I want to make an allusion to Chicken Little.
The biggest difference between the Ghostbusters movies is that the 2016 version TRIED to be funny whereas the 1st one simply was funny through natural dialogue.
Excellent advise on writing humor. I've always been a fan of One-liners. I'm also fond of Reactionary humor One-liners are not just puns or a play on words but also attentive observations and laconic responses. The trick with One-liners (I've learned not just in writing but also in life) is the character has to be actively listening to another person and make a joke based on what they said. 1930's comedy is an absolute treasure trove not only good material but also the art of One-Liners as well. Groucho was an absolute master and Mae West was a goddess with zingers. My Favorite line from Groucho "You know I-aught-ah join the club and beat you over the head with it." Too many favorites of Mae West but one example is a man walks up to her and says, "I've changed my mind." Mae "Is this one any better?" Reactionary Humor, as it says on the tin, isn't about what's going on but everyone's reaction to it. This leans heavily on the absurd but the actual punchline is the reaction to the absurd. examples: 1) five star restaurant with guests pleasantly chatting and eating their meals. Suddenly a man rushes with a wheelbarrow, grabs the food off of tables, muttering "no time to explain" and runs away. While comical in of itself, but have everyone stop what their doing to watch the absurdity and stare at the man leaving. Give them six seconds of silence with someone saying "What the hell?" or "Did that just happen?" as the punchline. Never seen it but the idea still makes me giggle. 2.) A fellow has a stroll in the English countryside in June. Rain falls just around him for an instant with fish, frogs, and snakes as well. Once the surprise and novelty has worn off, the man look around, scratches his head and says "Guess the Lord needs a plumber as well".
stay here and guard 'im what? 'im? not 'im, the prince of course, right, i thought it was rather daft me havin' to guard 'im, 'im being a guard and all
7:21 Says this literally right after showing dialogue from Catch-22, the book where the vast majority of dialogue IS funny. I’m only about half way through it, so it might not stay that way.
My favorite gag is the whole "A Platypus" *puts on a hat* "PERRY THE PLATYPUS" from Phineas and Ferb. Another would be "Why is the rum gone?" or "Jack Sparrow" "CAPTAIN" from Pirates of the Caribbean.
Can you make a video for people like us who are perfectionists and are not able to write cause they think this can be better, every time they try to write something.
Fun stuff! Comedians are storytellers, and the one who kills me is Gabriel Iglesias, who punctuates his tales with sound effects. A running gag I love is "would you like a yogurt" thing in Burn Notice; it often breaks the tension just a bit before the characters head out to face death. I created a character as a secondary sidekick to my MC. Physically, he was modeled on a co-worker of mine who I barely knew (no idea of his personality). As I started writing him, he took on a life of his own, and funny lines for him would just pop into my head. Characters will also say things that are funny when they're angry, and the contrast makes it work. I can't imagine the Ministry of Silly Walks would be so hilarious of Cleese wasn't dressed in a suit, with a brief case, umbrella, and bowler hat.
i'm hoping to weed out the intellectually lazy, no relation, before i get to the parts where my characters become extremely bad examples, because they say and do things i don't endorse. that being said, as much asd i've tried not fall prey to a certain squeemishness which can lead to unintentional obfuscation of graphic events, i found some of my characters to experience, and have had to deal with the concept of the unspeakable, which is different things for different characters, so i work with a lot of colorful euphemisms, which often are a source of humor, and try to balance that with clarity, except when i prefer for that to come out more slowly. it doesn't spare the readers, though, not my intention. my intention is more to show my readers what a lie looks like. these weren't my original intentions, per se, but they fell out over time, as if inherent, and where i've seen these things, where it fits, i've leaned into what's trying to come through and how i choose to frame it
why can't a hot dog vender be a philosopher? a philosopher is a lover of wisdom, which doesn't in itself make the right, but it's not the sole domain of those wjo can afford to pay to attend claases rather than have to work in the service industry
You missed the big topic. If you have been trained by your family or your viewing preferences, or just made an effort to learn how to be funny, your mind makes those connections more easily. Most of your viewers are not likely to practice that lifestyle, and you failed to say how to do it clearly. method one. Write your standard text and then ask yourself, 'What could go wrong?' Usually you are asking this question to challenge the character, but here you are trying to go with the unpredictable. It helps to do this with a friend or group because then you get into a competition of suggesting even more absurd things. For example, what could go wrong with descending a staircase? The steps could end without reaching the landing. The steps could change into a slide. The staircase could end in a wall (dead end). The steps could end in a huge pile of diapers. method two. Similar to one, but here ask what is not an appropriate response. This would work better for dialogue. A: 'I get home at 6 tonight.' B: 'I'll be in Hawaii.' or 'Finally, I got the jar open.' or 'I don't like the number six.' or 'The neighbours are insisting I do something with that pile of diapers outside my door.' Another example, 'Remember to take the garbage out when we leave [at four]. Answer: 'Remind me at five.' (Or whatever time works best for you.) I like language jokes. So one of my characters says 'My name is Birute.' The other answers, 'Oh, like "Et tu, Brute."' And the first, who does not know Latin, understands the first two words as 'It too', (i.e., it is also) and her first name mispronounced. She could then ask who the first Birute was. Responding to the absurd is an easy way to create humour.
Hey Bookfox! Once when I get your courses and stuff, would you like to proofread/edit a Web-novel that I've been kinda working on? Been on a roll watching your videos so genuinely curious and wanna seek your guidance
So I don't copy editing -- Danielle at Bookfox does that. I stick to developmental editing alone. You can always reach out with word count and I can give you a quote for that.
Thanks for responding, @@Bookfox I think I've figured out what to do, now we just gotta wait till I have enough money to spend on expenses like that...
why'd you say that? i almost feel like you just dared me to work a knock knock joke in my stuff, and to not have it suck for all that... i'll think about it
That bride's maid movie wasn't funny to me but maybe I wasn't the demographic. I am not white or upper middle class. I think the humor was more tailored to experiences of these types of people in a general way.
No one will care unless you're hyper-marketed and corporately backed. No exceptions. Your work could be the funniest thing ever or even the most dramatic and gripping story in decades, but it wouldn't matter. Be rich if you want to win. No exceptions.
It’s important to remember that this man has published precisely one novel and one book on how to write. Maybe he’s a fantastic editor. But I’d prefer to get my advice from someone of more merit. And those people are probably too busy writing to make TH-cam videos.
what about non funny jokes? those are the funniest. if i take on your challenge of incorporating a knock knock joke into a scene, especially if it's a googled one, i certainly ain't gonna guarantee it'll be a funny joke, but i'll at the very least i'll see how funny i can make that, again, if i do it
Hey, I’m just replying here because I felt lead to share the gospel. I pray that you feel well and better. Consider believing in Jesus, He can set you free from whatever you are dealing with. To anyone reading this, There is a loving God who wants to know you and save you. Jesus died on the cross and resurrected so we can be forgiven of our sins and be saved. Repent and believe the Gospel! Please consider the state of your soul. Believe in Jesus, turn away from your sin and follow Him so you may have salvation. Life is short, please make the right choice today!
My favorite running gag is in a story called "Omniscient Reader's veiwpoint" where characters are given monikers like 'Steel blade' or 'Poison queen' and people know him as 'the ugly king'. If you know you know.
Dude was renamed and demoted to the ugly squid 😭
The cabbage guy from Avatar the Last Airbender is one of the funniest running jokes.
A favorite running movie gag (75 years or so?) for me is the famous Wilhelm Scream, heard in so many serious, and not so serious films.
I think one of the best examples of repeated gags is the show Phinaes and Ferb. This show succeeded at what most consider to be impossible. It had the same plot every episode and people found it hilarious.
I think good jokes follow the rule of pranks. Confuse or amuse, but don't abuse. Another thing I expected you to talk about was taking a ridiculous character or situation seriously which leads me to my favorite gag. Hyacinth Bucket and her never ending quest to make everyone pronounce her last name as Bouquet in Keeping Up Appearances. Just Hyacinth in general is such a hilarious person. No one else in that show had to be funny, they just had to take her as seriously as she took herself.
- You killed Kenny.
- You bastard!
One of the best videos on humor I've seen. I'm working up to comedy writing.
0:40 I laughed lol
me too lol
Favorite running joke from Pilot of Firefly (maybe only used three times) was every time somebody mentioned taking the cargo to Patience somebody would say to Mal, “Didn’t she shoot you?”
Oh, yes! Great example. Gosh, it's been forever since I watched Firefly. What a fantastic show.
@ I try to rewatch the entire show every year in late December. Will do so this weekend or next.
BTW, I haven’t rewatched Serenity the movie since I bought the DVD.
Thank you so much for this! I’m writing a horror novel and have added a couple for a touch of comedic relief…loosely based on my aunt Burt and uncle Wendy. 😁
My favourite running gag ran for 11 years on the Morecambe & Wise show. Peter Cushing kept turning up to get paid for his appearance in the first series.
I always add humor in a subtle way. My characters have unique catchphrases they use. But not to crack a joke, but to show their type of character. And I use descriptions, parables and show how a character thinks and sees the things and situations around him to add humor.
Cornetto trilogy is a masterclass in the rule of three. Hot Fuzz has a bunch of sharp witted quips in triads and it lands
Dude! I am laughing from just hearing you SAY we're not laughing 😂😂😂😂❤❤❤ love your videos ❤❤
“You say that as though you don’t talk the same way, you and all your big words and perfect grammar.” “I suppose we’re perfect for each other.” “Are we perfect, or are we suitable, or ideal, or complementary, or utopian, or fresh out of Eden?” “Funny.” “Do you know Mr. Merriam and Mr. Webster personally, or do you just read their literature?”
a joking bit of dialogue from my manuscript, which is also a jab at the fourth wall. the other characters will point out that the 1st person narrator/mc uses big words and talks kinda formally (which is a dig at my own writing style since he’s “narrating” the text). in this scene he makes fun of his gf for using complicated words and she claps back abt his fancy vocab habits
"We were on a break!" between Ross and Rachel on Friends
Jess Walter’s The Financial Lives of the Poets is the funniest book I’ve ever read. As funny as Pete Dexter’s Spooner was, Walter has exceeded it by creating a character so incredibly introspective yet amazingly self-unaware (if that is a word) as to be side-splitting. My wife has to shush me whenever I re-read it.
Okay, this is where we see if any of your viewers cross-over to the TH-cam channel Tasting History. My favorite running gag (the one that sprang to mind almost immediately) is Max Miller inserting his hardtack clip (*clack clack*) into all relevant episodes! It just gets funnier every time!
The funniest thing I ever read-which had me busting a gut-was from a web novel called The Wandering Inn. There's a scene several volumes into the story where a humanoid ant character confronts an entire city of people prejudiced against his species, and he defeats them by playing into their own absurd stereotypes. He challenges them with a completely straight face, and they take him seriously. It's glorious.
If you know, you know :p
My favorite running gag is the MD plates in The Hot Rock.
Great video! I would have loved to see some more examples of funny moments in very serious works. I think it's a very different skill to inject humour and levity into serious stories rather than works that are primarily humorous or humorous by nature. Your advice is great, though, and I especially think having a facetious character is a classic way to inject levity into dark or austere settings.
One such character that comes to mind for me is Alistair in the video game Dragon Age: Origins. It's quite a dark world involving many brutalities yet Alistair is always making flippant remarks, yet his character is complex and his humour is a way of dealing with his own insecurities as well as the difficulties of life in such a world.
The problem with humor is the audience connection, like some of the people in this comment section. "None of that was funny." So, don't laugh. But, it's your right to laugh or not, and it's nobody's fault if you do or don't. Comedy is more difficult than writing a beautiful scene or a heartwarming dialogue, because it takes two to make it work (writer and reader). Then, it still won't work for many readers who are not in the same mental frame, at the time of reading. If you can get someone to laugh, you have done something extraordinary, and can only hope that it happens more often. I think it's easier in written form, though. To a degree, a stand-up comic needs to be born funny, but if the jokes are written well and told well, people will still laugh for someone giving their best effort. Just the sincere effort can be enough to bring an audience on board.
Vimes reading "Where's my Cow" to little Sam consistently in "Thud!" by Terry Pratchett. It's funny but also serves as a great character and plot device.
Cool video, this is something I struggle with
"That's what she said."
Also already mentioned Monty Python. Masterfully written exaggerations I love.
I like the Cabo example, although I feel it’s incomplete.
Beach vendor: “Jewelry?”
Bookfox: “No.”
Beach vendor: “Pipe?”
Bookfox: “No.”
Beach vendor: “Weed?”
Bookfox: “You take PayPal?”
I was about to seek more writing funny stories on youtube yesterday-
SpongeBob naming his pet seahorse. “I’ll name her Majesty, Mystery, …or Debbie.”
Geralt naming all of his horses Roach :D
ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS - It start with a humorous title, continues breaking the fourth wall multiple times with absurd characters and their traits-It's a gold mine!
A few topic about the movie:
1. Robin draws an arrow, unrolls a belt of five arrows.
2. Pumping airmax before a fight.
3. Abbot's staff hits the camera.
4. Peasants toss ears at Robin.
5. Blind man hands Robin a beer, while Robin fights a guard behind his back.
6. Staff fight, staffs breaks in half, repeatedly till they fight with tiny sticks.
7. Key to my "heart" or her 'Everlast' chastity belt.)
The movie lasts 1:44 hours. try finding a moment when there's not a minute without humor.
Hey Blinkin!
@@j.munday7913 Master Robin, is that you?
The repeated "pocketa-pocketa-pocketa" sound of various machinery in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty."
In my novel that's about a post ww1 veteran with ptsd he has flashbacks and those are flashbacks showing life in the trenches and the trench-humor. I don't do it often but in one FB the joke is: my MC has a new soilder that he shows everything. Now they go to a friend of my MC and the conversation goes to the point where they ask themselves, when they can go back to germany. My MC says: they told us, we'll be back home on Christmas but sadly they forgot to tell which one. 1917 or 1933 it's still uncertain. And they both laugh and the new soilder looks at them and thinks they are not from this world anymore. I would say it's my best joke in the novel
You’re writing about a World War One German soldier? Oh my gosh, I thought I was the only one since like All Quiet on the Western front. Oh how I adore trench humor! “Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow you are dead!” I like that one.
Thank you for this video, it’s outstanding.
Personal favourite humorous writer:James Thurber, hard to choose the best but his short stories ‘A box to hide in’ and ‘an outline of scientists’
I have always been a bit bothered by how funny his work is and been unable to quite describe exactly what he’s doing, but you’ve actually mentioned a few things that rang a bell.
Also I’m going to track down some of the examples you used that I haven’t read, thanks!!
Favourite running gag: the character Corporal Freidkin in the American version of the tv adaptation of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency.
i write more seriously, for the most part, because if humor comes to me organically then i'll gladly include it. off the top of my head, one scene i've written has a young woman debating with her mother about one or the other of them doing something physically strenuous and she says that she should do it since she's younger and hasn't been sick a day in her life, to which the mother says, "Bullshit. Do you have any idea how many times I stayed home to take care of you when you were down with the flu?"
in my novel, the humor comes from my secondary main character and her relationship with her brothers. They joke around and have funny insults
"He says it was an accident," Gien said with a shrug.
"Accident what you have for face." Paige laughed, but then got serious again. "He could have killed any of us."
i know it's a lot on one character, but my main protagonist, who is also sometimes the view point character and sometimes first person narrator (otherwise it's varying levels of third person, and i hear "head hopping's" bad, or "god's eye view", but i'm evaluating those where they come up) is also frequently the comic relief, what little i have in my deep, dark, drowning in molasses schtick. the funniest parts, to me are when he lying to himself. he's also clumsy, occasionally phrases things awkwardly, and he's not a tough guy, so there's a real funny scene in which he's trying to not be in a fight, he consistently overestimates his strength. also, in general, i get a lot of my low key humor out of disconnects in communication. like there was this old comic strip, zippy, not ziggy, zippy. there were these two dudes having two entirely different conversations. it was great. or like that one cheech and chong movie where, ooh boy! they were both writing a song about mexicans. don't blame me, cheech went along with that, lol, but yeah, the disconnect
okay, sometimes i do three, a lot of times, but there are times i do two or four. it's, well, it's fitting for my voice used judiciously
I've done the funny name thing in one story I'm writing, where a centaur has the last name Lollipop, which is a word in the centaur language that means something badass.
The TV series "Suits" had several running lines that were meant to be taken seriously by the viewer. But when two or more of them were used in every episode, it became obvious they were used as a running gag by the writers. Once I caught on to them, I wrote them down. They are: "How dare you?" (outrage, sometimes faked); "What are you doing here?" (when someone shows up unexpectedly or out of context); "What do you want?" (used as a resignation: when the gig is up and you're cornered); "Get out!" (i.e., out of your office when you can no longer bear someone's presence); "You'll regret it the rest of your life." (either threatening or counseling someone); "What are you talking about?" (used when you're blindsided); "I'll be in touch." (Maybe); and "You're out of your mind!" (Well . . .). I think my list is missing one or two, but you get the idea.
Sounds like lazy cheesy writing tbh
Inconceivable -- by the time we get to Iocaine powder it's very very funny.
For me, it's friendly banter. Nothing's funnier than a well-timed flick-on-the-nose type comment.
i don't think of myself as a notably funny person but i got my boyfriend to laugh with a dialogue line that i didn't even plan to write until it was already on the page:
"Ross asked his name, but I don't think you could *torture* a sentence out of him. Just said 'M.' It's all he responds to."
"Just the letter?"
"Yeah. Mysterious."
"Maybe that's what it stands for."
edit: this detail is actually part of a subtler joke that only makes sense once you know which character they're talking about; he did NOT, in fact, say 'm.' he said 'em,' which is his actual nickname. everyone just assumed he meant the letter.
Running gag from American Psycho: I have to return some videotapes.
Father Ted: "The money was just resting on my account!"
Father Jack: "Feck! Arrrse! Dddrrrrrink! Girrrls!"
Mrs. Doyle: "Go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on..."
I don't want my readers to snort coffee. I want them to pee!
I am depressed having just learned I'll be doing chemo for two years (truth) and this is the only one here that made me laugh out loud! Might have something to do with age but I can think of a few other human pee problems. I mean a man squirming in his seat during that all important meeting regretting his date over the weekend. "You alright, Johnson?"" "Um ah washed my um undergarments on hot, sit, I mean, sir."
Great, way to make me feel worse about myself, BookFox, I don't have a funny bone in my body!
I'm working on a running gag where the characters in a group will look up all at once. It will be for different reasons. A cloud, an airplane, a satellite. I want to make an allusion to Chicken Little.
The biggest difference between the Ghostbusters movies is that the 2016 version TRIED to be funny whereas the 1st one simply was funny through natural dialogue.
Excellent advise on writing humor. I've always been a fan of One-liners. I'm also fond of Reactionary humor
One-liners are not just puns or a play on words but also attentive observations and laconic responses. The trick with One-liners (I've learned not just in writing but also in life) is the character has to be actively listening to another person and make a joke based on what they said. 1930's comedy is an absolute treasure trove not only good material but also the art of One-Liners as well. Groucho was an absolute master and Mae West was a goddess with zingers.
My Favorite line from Groucho "You know I-aught-ah join the club and beat you over the head with it."
Too many favorites of Mae West but one example is a man walks up to her and says, "I've changed my mind." Mae "Is this one any better?"
Reactionary Humor, as it says on the tin, isn't about what's going on but everyone's reaction to it. This leans heavily on the absurd but the actual punchline is the reaction to the absurd.
examples:
1) five star restaurant with guests pleasantly chatting and eating their meals. Suddenly a man rushes with a wheelbarrow, grabs the food off of tables, muttering "no time to explain" and runs away. While comical in of itself, but have everyone stop what their doing to watch the absurdity and stare at the man leaving. Give them six seconds of silence with someone saying "What the hell?" or "Did that just happen?" as the punchline. Never seen it but the idea still makes me giggle.
2.) A fellow has a stroll in the English countryside in June. Rain falls just around him for an instant with fish, frogs, and snakes as well. Once the surprise and novelty has worn off, the man look around, scratches his head and says "Guess the Lord needs a plumber as well".
stay here and guard 'im
what? 'im?
not 'im, the prince
of course, right, i thought it was rather daft me havin' to guard 'im, 'im being a guard and all
Running gag: "Also, I'm not crazy. My mother had me tested."
Now of all time, I don't have a joke to start this off.
You sir, you are the joke
7:21
Says this literally right after showing dialogue from Catch-22, the book where the vast majority of dialogue IS funny.
I’m only about half way through it, so it might not stay that way.
That's what she said.
My favorite gag is the whole "A Platypus" *puts on a hat* "PERRY THE PLATYPUS" from Phineas and Ferb. Another would be "Why is the rum gone?" or "Jack Sparrow" "CAPTAIN" from Pirates of the Caribbean.
Can you make a video for people like us who are perfectionists and are not able to write cause they think this can be better, every time they try to write something.
Killer klowns from outer space : “Another door?!”😮
8:57 about this.. My story is about 3 aliens who crash on earth and two of them have some insane names that I just came up with out of the blue
who correctly named the three most played songs in America, Happy birthday to you, Auld Lang Syne and In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Fun stuff! Comedians are storytellers, and the one who kills me is Gabriel Iglesias, who punctuates his tales with sound effects. A running gag I love is "would you like a yogurt" thing in Burn Notice; it often breaks the tension just a bit before the characters head out to face death. I created a character as a secondary sidekick to my MC. Physically, he was modeled on a co-worker of mine who I barely knew (no idea of his personality). As I started writing him, he took on a life of his own, and funny lines for him would just pop into my head. Characters will also say things that are funny when they're angry, and the contrast makes it work. I can't imagine the Ministry of Silly Walks would be so hilarious of Cleese wasn't dressed in a suit, with a brief case, umbrella, and bowler hat.
i'm hoping to weed out the intellectually lazy, no relation, before i get to the parts where my characters become extremely bad examples, because they say and do things i don't endorse. that being said, as much asd i've tried not fall prey to a certain squeemishness which can lead to unintentional obfuscation of graphic events, i found some of my characters to experience, and have had to deal with the concept of the unspeakable, which is different things for different characters, so i work with a lot of colorful euphemisms, which often are a source of humor, and try to balance that with clarity, except when i prefer for that to come out more slowly. it doesn't spare the readers, though, not my intention. my intention is more to show my readers what a lie looks like. these weren't my original intentions, per se, but they fell out over time, as if inherent, and where i've seen these things, where it fits, i've leaned into what's trying to come through and how i choose to frame it
I liked how you showed a photo of Paul Beatty so no karens would get upset with the idea of a white person writing about slavery
Oh, a white person would definitely not be allowed to write that book! It could have only been him.
Pain is a constipation joke leaving the body.
Where Zoro ends up.
why can't a hot dog vender be a philosopher? a philosopher is a lover of wisdom, which doesn't in itself make the right, but it's not the sole domain of those wjo can afford to pay to attend claases rather than have to work in the service industry
My Cabbages!!
you mean, the dude
Denny crane.
If you know you know.
You missed the big topic. If you have been trained by your family or your viewing preferences, or just made an effort to learn how to be funny, your mind makes those connections more easily. Most of your viewers are not likely to practice that lifestyle, and you failed to say how to do it clearly.
method one. Write your standard text and then ask yourself, 'What could go wrong?' Usually you are asking this question to challenge the character, but here you are trying to go with the unpredictable. It helps to do this with a friend or group because then you get into a competition of suggesting even more absurd things. For example, what could go wrong with descending a staircase? The steps could end without reaching the landing. The steps could change into a slide. The staircase could end in a wall (dead end). The steps could end in a huge pile of diapers.
method two. Similar to one, but here ask what is not an appropriate response. This would work better for dialogue. A: 'I get home at 6 tonight.' B: 'I'll be in Hawaii.' or 'Finally, I got the jar open.' or 'I don't like the number six.' or 'The neighbours are insisting I do something with that pile of diapers outside my door.'
Another example, 'Remember to take the garbage out when we leave [at four]. Answer: 'Remind me at five.' (Or whatever time works best for you.)
I like language jokes. So one of my characters says 'My name is Birute.' The other answers, 'Oh, like "Et tu, Brute."' And the first, who does not know Latin, understands the first two words as 'It too', (i.e., it is also) and her first name mispronounced. She could then ask who the first Birute was. Responding to the absurd is an easy way to create humour.
Hey Bookfox!
Once when I get your courses and stuff, would you like to proofread/edit a Web-novel that I've been kinda working on?
Been on a roll watching your videos so genuinely curious and wanna seek your guidance
So I don't copy editing -- Danielle at Bookfox does that. I stick to developmental editing alone. You can always reach out with word count and I can give you a quote for that.
Thanks for responding, @@Bookfox
I think I've figured out what to do, now we just gotta wait till I have enough money to spend on expenses like that...
Are your children's book prompts free to use? Can I publish books based on them?
Sure!
You may have just jumpstarted my career as a writer. Thank you so much@@Bookfox
why'd you say that? i almost feel like you just dared me to work a knock knock joke in my stuff, and to not have it suck for all that... i'll think about it
google knock knock jokes you say.... you're really pushing it
That bride's maid movie wasn't funny to me but maybe I wasn't the demographic. I am not white or upper middle class. I think the humor was more tailored to experiences of these types of people in a general way.
No one will care unless you're hyper-marketed and corporately backed. No exceptions. Your work could be the funniest thing ever or even the most dramatic and gripping story in decades, but it wouldn't matter. Be rich if you want to win. No exceptions.
It’s important to remember that this man has published precisely one novel and one book on how to write. Maybe he’s a fantastic editor. But I’d prefer to get my advice from someone of more merit. And those people are probably too busy writing to make TH-cam videos.
It’s evident that you’ve got very high standards and are more intelligent than the rest of us.
@ thank you!
what about non funny jokes? those are the funniest. if i take on your challenge of incorporating a knock knock joke into a scene, especially if it's a googled one, i certainly ain't gonna guarantee it'll be a funny joke, but i'll at the very least i'll see how funny i can make that, again, if i do it
or it may be a funny joke told in a very unfunny way and make that funny. idk, so many possibilities
It's good to have a funny character, but don't make that the _only_ trait of the character.
"I'm trying to make a constipation joke...and it's just not coming out."
🙄 Boooo! 😬
No, 'Poo'
or, no poo
You're pushing too hard...
thats the joke, of course a constipation joke just wont come out.
None of the jokes in this video are funny, really. Not even close. But that's just me today.
It’s gonna be okay, buddy!
Hey, I’m just replying here because I felt lead to share the gospel. I pray that you feel well and better. Consider believing in Jesus, He can set you free from whatever you are dealing with.
To anyone reading this, There is a loving God who wants to know you and save you. Jesus died on the cross and resurrected so we can be forgiven of our sins and be saved. Repent and believe the Gospel! Please consider the state of your soul. Believe in Jesus, turn away from your sin and follow Him so you may have salvation. Life is short, please make the right choice today!
@@Mykal06Thanks but that's a bit off-topic. And I'm not just saying that because I'm more of a Lucifer guy
@@Mykal06Appreciate the thought - but it's a bit off topic, and I'm not just saying that because I disagree
@@Mykal06 I don't get it.
All that humor was lame
Very few things make me laugh. Slasher films make me giggle though.