Writing Funny Stuff

There's a certain egotism in writing -- even when I tell a story where the joke's on me, the subtext is "I have something worthwhile to say, so listen up!"  I have a healthy ego, but it's still nice to get compliments on my writing, especially the funny stuff.  I've done my job if every now and then a reader laughs out loud and spits his or her drink all over the keyboard.  That's the goal.

How does this writing process work?  I'm not sure I can explain, but I can offer an example.

The Harrigan siblings (my two brothers, sister, and I) email humorous items to each other on occasion.  Sometimes it's a link to an article on The Onion (theonion.com), or a goofy picture of our kids with a clever caption.  Almost any straight note or request among us calls for a funny response.

I got an email from my brother a couple of weeks ago, and I wanted to respond with something around the word "crazy".  A Google search for "crazy" didn't do the trick -- too much variety.  I tried "crazy sayings" -- still no good.  Then a search for "crazy as a" led me to the expression "Crazy as a monkey house shit-fight."  There it is!

Let's analyze this saying, ignoring E. B. White's warning ("Humor can be dissected as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process and the innards are discouraging to any but the pure scientific mind."):

• It's nice and short -- "monkey house shit-fight" is only four words and five syllables.
  
• It's a vivid image, to say the least, although "monkey house" is an outdated term.
• A little vulgar, which is OK on occasion.
• Lots of hard consonants, the k and the t's, and a good rythym.
• Plus: Monkeys!  Monkeys are funny!

Short, vivid, vulgar, good rythym, monkeys.  Pure gold!  So I used it in the note I sent back to Ed, knowing it would make him laugh, and it did.

In our email exchanges it was Rob who started with the haikus, I think.  Ed's recent cable service interruption at home (due to his dog's digging in the backyard) elicited these:

Original:

Bad dog eats cable

Owner contemplates dog pound

Cable safe for now

Response:

Better times ahead

Comcast guy comes out today
PetSmart sells restraints

Dog's Point of View:

Comcast must be stopped

Not enough doggie channels

Get DirectTV!

Finally, Closure:

Happy days are here

Comcast guy came yesterday

We are back on line

There's something about the stilted 5-7-5 syllable haiku form that, when used with mundane topics, makes us laugh.  Among us I think I'll be getting these (and sending) for a long time.

Well, there it is.  Re-reading this entry I'm not sure how instructional it was about writing humor, but it says something about how I think -- and what odd brothers/sister I have.  I suppose I could share this with a psychiatrist, but I'm afraid he'd just say I'm as crazy as a...well, you know.

Pat