3 things I do not find amusing 1. barking dogs 2. going to the dentist 3. flying
3 things I do find amusing 1. watching kids play. They are so funny and authentic 2. being silly with my sisters 3. watching some comedy shows.
1. Barking dogs - Stuck in the arf arf mode they cannot convey their message to their owners and so keep trying and trying the same old thing - Why is this not working?
2. Where else do we get someone else's complete undivided attention so consistently? a place to go to get acknowledged. (Picture of dentist and assistant smiling compassionately as they bring out the drill.)
3. The pilots racing from point A to point B as fast as they can, urged on by the flight attendants who must constantly attend to demanding passengers' every whim.
It was much harder for me to think of three things that amuse. Are we so stressed out that humor is harder to access or is it just me? And trying to find something amusing in something that annoys is even harder. It almost takes a change of scene and perspective.
Good questions! Especially about the stressed out.
I wonder about letting them sit a bit. Maybe a re-read of humourous elements.. and see if anything does the velcro thing and sticks.
Would be fun to have a bit o' brainstorming here.
One thing that pops into my head is that when a dog's bark is perfectly in time it drives me so much more out of my mind, especially while trying to write. I've at times left my house and gone in search of said dog, calling up and down the street. (Yes, I'm embarrassed to say I have done this! but...) and wishing he'd just be a little off the beat now and then.
Change of perspective might be a neighbour seeing this... and running commentary on the street-wandering, raving one...
Yes, it definitely can be harder to find humor in situations when we're stressed!
We have our adult children (our son, one daughters, and one daughter-in-law) visiting with us over Thanksgiving weekend. Yesterday, we were joined by our other daughter and daughter-in-law, and our too-small house was full. My husband (who does a lot of the cooking and cleaning for Thanksgiving) was getting totally stressed out at the amount of work involved cooking dinner that was tasty, but also gluten-free (one daughter has celiac) and vegetarian except for the turkey (one daughter and one daughter-in-law are vegetarian). I was also stressed, because even with the kids' help, the sheer amount of work was overwhelming, and somehow it still seemed as though my husband and I were doing the bulk of it! But then I would hear a wave of laughter coming from the kids in the living room, and smile to myself, remembering that we don't have them all together very often these days, and likely even less often in the near future, with our first two grandchildren expected in 2023.
Today, we're done to just five of us, a lot of the clearing up is done, and we're on to the next round of family visits, so all is well.
This is so good, following on your other comments you've posted...especially the one about imagery/visuals...and what else can constitute "imagery." Here, I feel a whole lot about your holidays--and I envision my own version! Then the sound of that laugh comes through (yes, you've got a "setting!") and the story is there. So is all the human stuff. Very good. Enjoy your next round!
1. Self-deprecation — Notes on why: Isn’t hurtful to anyone else
2. Neuroticism — Notes on why: Can identify with this attribute and find it funny
3. Sarcasm — Notes on why: May be hurtful but humor takes the sting out of it
I’m late with the November prompt, and only tried this out of guilt at being a bad community member! I’ve been focused on writing for NaNoWriMo this month (to the extent that I’ve been focused on any writing at all) and so have been a lurker. I disapprove of lurking. OK, on to my notes about this prompt.
I started out thinking of unamusing things like “terrorism,” “climate change,” and “crime,” but knowing I would eventually have to come up with something amusing about terrorism stopped me from making that list. I decided to list types of humor instead. I found typing out these two lists and making my notes on the second one to be both quick and easy.
Obviously, my lists and notes show that I'm a sweet-natured, tender-hearted person. I don't see the humor in others’ falling down, having their feelings hurt, or getting their noses tweaked (or whatever it is that Moe does to Larry and Curly that seems so funny to my husband, and everyone else who loves the Three Stooges.)
But having to think about the times that I've been amused by the types of humor on my first list was hard.
1. Prat Falls –– Well, yes, I’ve laughed when I’ve seen prat falls in movies or on the stage (Who hasn’t, right?). I’m sure it’s only because I knew them to be prat falls (i.e. No one’s really getting hurt.)
2. Mean Girls – Ugh, bullying. I hate it. There’s nothing funny about it at all. It’s terrible to be bullied. There’s no way it should be seen as amusing. But, years ago, one or both of my daughters finally made me watch the movie Mean Girls with them when they were watching it for the umpteenth time, and yes, I laughed. Often. While cringing, but still, I laughed. I laughed at Revenge of the Nerds and at Napoleon Dynamite, and I’m sure many other funny movies with bullying as a theme, too. I am a terrible person.
3. The Three Stooges – I’m not actually all that familiar with the Three Stooges, so I’m casting aspersions based on prejudice and in almost complete ignorance of the Three Stooges canon. My husband, and obviously many, many other people find the Three Stooges hilarious. Why not me? Did I only turn away from the humor of the Three Stooges out of snobbishness (because physical humor is beneath me)? Did I actually see myself in Moe (surrounded by fools) and was subconsciously jealous that he could poke people in the eye to get his way all the time, when my only options were to reason with people or just do things myself? Moe just seemed mean, and that's not funny to me.
But I’ve been told Duck Soup is one of the funniest movies of all time, so one of these days – after November 30th, when NaNoWriMo is over – I’m going to find that movie and watch it. I’ll probably find myself laughing (and cringing) at the humor of the Three Stooges, just as I already have with prat falls and mean girls.
So thanks so much for this prompt, Alison…as if I didn’t hate myself enough already!
(Seriously, writing for this prompt has made me want to inject humor into my NaNoWriMo novel project, in which my characters – and I – all take ourselves too seriously. I love reading serious novels that contain humor, but aren’t, over all, humorous novels. That’s the kind of book I want to write!)
Laurie! I am so late to get to your wonderful response/post here! I'm sorry.
These are thoughtful notes. There's a sense of understanding what you are about, but also of pushing--albeit gently!--to see where the push might take you! So good. And I appreciate the resolution to reconsider the quality/quantity/nature of humour in your novel!
So you might want to re-do this list... for each of the characters in your novel. What would THEIR responses be? What is the fingerprint of their humour? That might be fun to pay with. (And it takes the onus off you! The humour is theirs, not yours.
Report back about Duck Soup? I've not seen it. I LOVED Napolean Dynamite. (And also love that the narrator of my memoir had a role in it :)
Sarcasm--can come with and without humour... so it's thought-provoking to think of it "with."
Lots to mull here--thank you. I do appreciate how interactive you are with comments! In spite of my tardiness about responding to this particular one!
3 things I do not find amusing 1. barking dogs 2. going to the dentist 3. flying
3 things I do find amusing 1. watching kids play. They are so funny and authentic 2. being silly with my sisters 3. watching some comedy shows.
1. Barking dogs - Stuck in the arf arf mode they cannot convey their message to their owners and so keep trying and trying the same old thing - Why is this not working?
2. Where else do we get someone else's complete undivided attention so consistently? a place to go to get acknowledged. (Picture of dentist and assistant smiling compassionately as they bring out the drill.)
3. The pilots racing from point A to point B as fast as they can, urged on by the flight attendants who must constantly attend to demanding passengers' every whim.
It was much harder for me to think of three things that amuse. Are we so stressed out that humor is harder to access or is it just me? And trying to find something amusing in something that annoys is even harder. It almost takes a change of scene and perspective.
Good questions! Especially about the stressed out.
I wonder about letting them sit a bit. Maybe a re-read of humourous elements.. and see if anything does the velcro thing and sticks.
Would be fun to have a bit o' brainstorming here.
One thing that pops into my head is that when a dog's bark is perfectly in time it drives me so much more out of my mind, especially while trying to write. I've at times left my house and gone in search of said dog, calling up and down the street. (Yes, I'm embarrassed to say I have done this! but...) and wishing he'd just be a little off the beat now and then.
Change of perspective might be a neighbour seeing this... and running commentary on the street-wandering, raving one...
Let's keep this going!
Yes, it definitely can be harder to find humor in situations when we're stressed!
We have our adult children (our son, one daughters, and one daughter-in-law) visiting with us over Thanksgiving weekend. Yesterday, we were joined by our other daughter and daughter-in-law, and our too-small house was full. My husband (who does a lot of the cooking and cleaning for Thanksgiving) was getting totally stressed out at the amount of work involved cooking dinner that was tasty, but also gluten-free (one daughter has celiac) and vegetarian except for the turkey (one daughter and one daughter-in-law are vegetarian). I was also stressed, because even with the kids' help, the sheer amount of work was overwhelming, and somehow it still seemed as though my husband and I were doing the bulk of it! But then I would hear a wave of laughter coming from the kids in the living room, and smile to myself, remembering that we don't have them all together very often these days, and likely even less often in the near future, with our first two grandchildren expected in 2023.
Today, we're done to just five of us, a lot of the clearing up is done, and we're on to the next round of family visits, so all is well.
This is so good, following on your other comments you've posted...especially the one about imagery/visuals...and what else can constitute "imagery." Here, I feel a whole lot about your holidays--and I envision my own version! Then the sound of that laugh comes through (yes, you've got a "setting!") and the story is there. So is all the human stuff. Very good. Enjoy your next round!
1. Prat falls
2. Mean girls
3. The Three Stooges
1. Self-deprecation — Notes on why: Isn’t hurtful to anyone else
2. Neuroticism — Notes on why: Can identify with this attribute and find it funny
3. Sarcasm — Notes on why: May be hurtful but humor takes the sting out of it
I’m late with the November prompt, and only tried this out of guilt at being a bad community member! I’ve been focused on writing for NaNoWriMo this month (to the extent that I’ve been focused on any writing at all) and so have been a lurker. I disapprove of lurking. OK, on to my notes about this prompt.
I started out thinking of unamusing things like “terrorism,” “climate change,” and “crime,” but knowing I would eventually have to come up with something amusing about terrorism stopped me from making that list. I decided to list types of humor instead. I found typing out these two lists and making my notes on the second one to be both quick and easy.
Obviously, my lists and notes show that I'm a sweet-natured, tender-hearted person. I don't see the humor in others’ falling down, having their feelings hurt, or getting their noses tweaked (or whatever it is that Moe does to Larry and Curly that seems so funny to my husband, and everyone else who loves the Three Stooges.)
But having to think about the times that I've been amused by the types of humor on my first list was hard.
1. Prat Falls –– Well, yes, I’ve laughed when I’ve seen prat falls in movies or on the stage (Who hasn’t, right?). I’m sure it’s only because I knew them to be prat falls (i.e. No one’s really getting hurt.)
2. Mean Girls – Ugh, bullying. I hate it. There’s nothing funny about it at all. It’s terrible to be bullied. There’s no way it should be seen as amusing. But, years ago, one or both of my daughters finally made me watch the movie Mean Girls with them when they were watching it for the umpteenth time, and yes, I laughed. Often. While cringing, but still, I laughed. I laughed at Revenge of the Nerds and at Napoleon Dynamite, and I’m sure many other funny movies with bullying as a theme, too. I am a terrible person.
3. The Three Stooges – I’m not actually all that familiar with the Three Stooges, so I’m casting aspersions based on prejudice and in almost complete ignorance of the Three Stooges canon. My husband, and obviously many, many other people find the Three Stooges hilarious. Why not me? Did I only turn away from the humor of the Three Stooges out of snobbishness (because physical humor is beneath me)? Did I actually see myself in Moe (surrounded by fools) and was subconsciously jealous that he could poke people in the eye to get his way all the time, when my only options were to reason with people or just do things myself? Moe just seemed mean, and that's not funny to me.
But I’ve been told Duck Soup is one of the funniest movies of all time, so one of these days – after November 30th, when NaNoWriMo is over – I’m going to find that movie and watch it. I’ll probably find myself laughing (and cringing) at the humor of the Three Stooges, just as I already have with prat falls and mean girls.
So thanks so much for this prompt, Alison…as if I didn’t hate myself enough already!
(Seriously, writing for this prompt has made me want to inject humor into my NaNoWriMo novel project, in which my characters – and I – all take ourselves too seriously. I love reading serious novels that contain humor, but aren’t, over all, humorous novels. That’s the kind of book I want to write!)
Laurie! I am so late to get to your wonderful response/post here! I'm sorry.
These are thoughtful notes. There's a sense of understanding what you are about, but also of pushing--albeit gently!--to see where the push might take you! So good. And I appreciate the resolution to reconsider the quality/quantity/nature of humour in your novel!
Did you get a chance to read the post about humour? https://unschoolforwriters.substack.com/p/humour-in-writing-for-children
So you might want to re-do this list... for each of the characters in your novel. What would THEIR responses be? What is the fingerprint of their humour? That might be fun to pay with. (And it takes the onus off you! The humour is theirs, not yours.
Report back about Duck Soup? I've not seen it. I LOVED Napolean Dynamite. (And also love that the narrator of my memoir had a role in it :)
Sarcasm--can come with and without humour... so it's thought-provoking to think of it "with."
Lots to mull here--thank you. I do appreciate how interactive you are with comments! In spite of my tardiness about responding to this particular one!