Comedy Writing: Readers Love When Humor Comes Close To Home
Comedy writing is about being able to tell a story or express an opinion that your audience can relate to. The more emotional the connection, the more fun it becomes, especially if there is alcohol involved. The challenge is to write humorous pieces that strike a chord with your readers. The best way is to come up with a premise that contains the truth, or at least part of it, for your target audience.
A premise is basically a statement that will be your foundation of trust. For example, marriage is like prostitution in the long run. Married men, who are the sole breadwinner in the family, will enthusiastically say, “Of course I do!” to this bold statement. Women will probably be offended. Of course, it’s a bit of a stretch, but it does have an emotional impact, be it negative or positive. It’s also striking, which is half the battle in comedy writing. The premise should grab the attention of readers, kind of like hailing a cab during rush hour. Once you get inside, you can take them for a walk.
A good premise can be based on, among other things, the following:
1. Bread. Everyone can relate to pain because we have all felt it. You can talk about heartbreak, lousy jobs, shattered dreams, obesity, or any kind of agony. Just stay away from terminal illnesses.
3. Experience. Stories can be funny, but you have to structure them in a way where there is a real joke. So the key is to talk about something that actually happened to you, but to add a bit of exaggeration and disorientation to make it fun, so that your reader gets nervous saying, “That’s so funny because it’s so true! Me too! ! “
Four. Stating the obvious. Sometimes just saying something like it is can be fun. Everybody thinks so, but nobody has the guts to say it. Like if you were writing about Michelle Obama looking like a Ferengi from Star Trek, that would be hilarious. Or maybe it’s just you who thinks that. You might be surprised how afraid people are of pointing out the obvious.
So to reiterate, when writing comedy material, come up with an observation or premise that is authentic and spice it up with how you feel about it. Then bring that idea up and explore the different facets that make it fun. The rest will follow.
