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.
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.
My mom thought American Vandal was real, even though every time she talked about it, I referred to the characters as "actors" - somehow she still didn't grasp at any point that it was a joke.
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.
It was also really good at randomly subverting its running jokes, like the episode where Phineas asks his usual line of "Where's Perry?" But Perry was just sitting slightly off screen and it wasn't the usual scene switch to showing Perry as a secret agent.
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. 😁
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.
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.
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.
There was an actor on the godawful show Gotham who ostensibly played the role of Harvey Dent/Two-Face, he was credited as a central cast member for maybe three seasons despite having virtually no scenes. I thought "This guy must laugh so hard when he gets his royalty checks." And wondered if he was owed some kind of favor or had dirt on one of the show's producers.
Okay, this is where we see if any of your viewers cross-over to the RUclips 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!
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.
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.
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.
Saw one of a few from Haunting of Hill House today. "Beer and tomato juice..." "What?" "For a hangover, you mix beer and tomato juice together." "And that works?" "Not as well as smack." "So you're saying the best hangover cure there is... is heroin?" "By a *mile."*
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.
The contrarian in me wants to be a downer and be like "This sounds kinda lazy" but honestly I've seen this done right too many times to be so negative about it. I feel like Christopher Nolan and the Cohen brothers write like this a lot.
@futurestoryteller I highly appreciate your opinion. Yeah, there can be sitiations where it seems lazy. But I think that humor can be rather subtle and thus surprising. It hits harder when you stumble into a humorous description or a humorous thought than getting hit by it from the get go. I laughed my head off on a regular basis when reading King books for example. Sometimes he rushes around the corner and hits you with a very funny description or metaphor that seems kinda "outta place", but it does the job really well. I have a lot of absurd humor and put that in my stories as well.
@@schlumbl84 I forgot to add that Nolan seems to have a similar modus operandi, but doesn't really use it for humorous effect. Nolan and the Cohen Brothers aren't really similar filmmakers either though, so I thought it was a good example of how versatile this approach can be.
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.
My favorite book series is He Who Fights with Monsters. In my opinion, it manages to be consistently very funny, but also knows when to dial it back. It has a running joke that started with a scene where Clive, a magical researcher, is looking for Jason, the protagonist. Jason is really witty and uses fast talk to confuse people a lot of times. When Clive finds Jason, Jason immediately starts apologizing, saying he didn't know that the woman he slept with was married to Clive. The joke is that the story and Clive's wife were complete fabrications, but it confused Clive long enough for Jason to run away. I think every book (it's up to 11 now) has had at least one joke about Clive's wife.
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".
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 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?”
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.
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.
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.
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.
I see your Bridesmaids insult scene and raise you the doctors office scene in Horns. The fact that a child has those specific thoughts is both extremely disturbing and utterly hilarious
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 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
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.
@ Monty Python was deadpan sketch humor. Each scene was its own stand-alone comedy bit. Most of it was funny because of how ridiculous everything was but how serious it was taken. You are correct to say that it wasn’t natural dialogue.
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.
There is a big difference between the author trying to be funny or the author trying to make a character say or do funny things. I try to write realistic stories (at least as realistic as it can be in the world I built), and this rules out any type of absurd humor like e.g. in Hitchhiker's Guide or the Airplane! movie and limits humor mostly to dialogue.
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 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?"
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...
“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
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."
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.
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.
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.
I think a lot of these examples (the movies) aren’t actually funny. That is the problem with most American movies. The british can do better humor. I think the start was well said that comedy is created by the situations. I think Koreans and Germans can do excellent comedy that actually makes me laugh out loud.
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!
Unfortunately my ideas are funnier when I write other people's characters. Like this line I came up with, for a fan fiction I never wrote. "Hey sis, Have you seen my pink scrunchie?" "Maybe the new girl has it... I hear she's got _eeeverything."_ "Huh. You know I think I did let her borrow it this morning. Thanks, sis!" "I live to serve."
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 RUclips videos.
The number of books you write doesn't equate to either being a good author, or a good teacher, or neither, see Stephen King. This reminds me of a friend of mine who was in IT at John's Hopkins where a doctor, with an office full of medical textbooks he had written, was talking down to him, yet this friend was there for the fifth time to show him how to use his email.
⛪️💸 Father Ted: "The money was just resting on my account!" 🧓🥃 Father Jack: "Feck! Arrrse! Dddrrrrrink! Girrrls!", and "That would be an ecumenical matter". 👵🫖 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..."
The cabbage guy from Avatar the Last Airbender is one of the funniest running jokes.
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.
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.
My mom thought American Vandal was real, even though every time she talked about it, I referred to the characters as "actors" - somehow she still didn't grasp at any point that it was a joke.
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.
Also, the running gag of Phineas being questioned "Aren't you too young to be a..." and everyone being completely fine with it!
@@vianney7035 This show is 90% Running gags
It was also really good at randomly subverting its running jokes, like the episode where Phineas asks his usual line of "Where's Perry?" But Perry was just sitting slightly off screen and it wasn't the usual scene switch to showing Perry as a secret agent.
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.
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.
One of the best videos on humor I've seen. I'm working up to comedy writing.
SpongeBob naming his pet seahorse. “I’ll name her Majesty, Mystery, …or Debbie.”
Did you set it to Wombo?
"That's what she said."
Also already mentioned Monty Python. Masterfully written exaggerations I love.
"We were on a break!" between Ross and Rachel on Friends
Cornetto trilogy is a masterclass in the rule of three. Hot Fuzz has a bunch of sharp witted quips in triads and it lands
The repeated "pocketa-pocketa-pocketa" sound of various machinery in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty."
So happy hitchhikers guide and Catch-22 were mentioned. These books had me laughing so hard it's prime comedy at this point.
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. 😁
Dude! I am laughing from just hearing you SAY we're not laughing 😂😂😂😂❤❤❤ love your videos ❤❤
Inconceivable -- by the time we get to Iocaine powder it's very very funny.
- You killed Kenny.
- You bastard!
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.
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.
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.
There was an actor on the godawful show Gotham who ostensibly played the role of Harvey Dent/Two-Face, he was credited as a central cast member for maybe three seasons despite having virtually no scenes. I thought "This guy must laugh so hard when he gets his royalty checks." And wondered if he was owed some kind of favor or had dirt on one of the show's producers.
Okay, this is where we see if any of your viewers cross-over to the RUclips 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!
It's such a good bit!!
My favorite running gag is the MD plates in The Hot Rock.
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.
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?
Always a pleasure to see/hear David Foster Wallace mentioned.
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.
Saw one of a few from Haunting of Hill House today.
"Beer and tomato juice..."
"What?"
"For a hangover, you mix beer and tomato juice together."
"And that works?"
"Not as well as smack."
"So you're saying the best hangover cure there is... is heroin?"
"By a *mile."*
@futurestoryteller Great example! It occurs to me that horror is also a great source of levity in darkness.
@@PenSwordTheFirst Perhaps. Although not unlike most of Mike Flanagan's work Hill House is generally pretty dour.
For me, it's friendly banter. Nothing's funnier than a well-timed flick-on-the-nose type comment.
I was about to seek more writing funny stories on youtube yesterday-
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.
The contrarian in me wants to be a downer and be like "This sounds kinda lazy" but honestly I've seen this done right too many times to be so negative about it. I feel like Christopher Nolan and the Cohen brothers write like this a lot.
@futurestoryteller I highly appreciate your opinion.
Yeah, there can be sitiations where it seems lazy.
But I think that humor can be rather subtle and thus surprising.
It hits harder when you stumble into a humorous description or a humorous thought than getting hit by it from the get go.
I laughed my head off on a regular basis when reading King books for example.
Sometimes he rushes around the corner and hits you with a very funny description or metaphor that seems kinda "outta place", but it does the job really well.
I have a lot of absurd humor and put that in my stories as well.
@@schlumbl84 I forgot to add that Nolan seems to have a similar modus operandi, but doesn't really use it for humorous effect. Nolan and the Cohen Brothers aren't really similar filmmakers either though, so I thought it was a good example of how versatile this approach can be.
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.
My favorite book series is He Who Fights with Monsters. In my opinion, it manages to be consistently very funny, but also knows when to dial it back. It has a running joke that started with a scene where Clive, a magical researcher, is looking for Jason, the protagonist. Jason is really witty and uses fast talk to confuse people a lot of times. When Clive finds Jason, Jason immediately starts apologizing, saying he didn't know that the woman he slept with was married to Clive.
The joke is that the story and Clive's wife were complete fabrications, but it confused Clive long enough for Jason to run away. I think every book (it's up to 11 now) has had at least one joke about Clive's wife.
Running gag from American Psycho: I have to return some videotapes.
OMG that's one of my favorites too hahaha. Makes me laugh every time even on a rewatch
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".
Cool video, this is something I struggle with
0:40 I laughed lol
me too lol
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."
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?”
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.
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 😭
Killer klowns from outer space : “Another door?!”😮
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.
Great, way to make me feel worse about myself, BookFox, I don't have a funny bone in my body!
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.
0:17: "This video contains zero knock knock jokes."
11:16 : "I knock in a joke about that"
Yessir, I'm a prankster.
I see your Bridesmaids insult scene and raise you the doctors office scene in Horns. The fact that a child has those specific thoughts is both extremely disturbing and utterly hilarious
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 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
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
Buckwheat, Tombstone, and The Slug
Check out any of the flashman books by George McDonald Frasier. If I was trapped on a desert island I'd want these books to keep my spirits up
who correctly named the three most played songs in America, Happy birthday to you, Auld Lang Syne and In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
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.
All you're really saying is they had different styles of comedy. I don't see anything "naturally" funny about Monty Python, for example.
@ Monty Python was deadpan sketch humor. Each scene was its own stand-alone comedy bit. Most of it was funny because of how ridiculous everything was but how serious it was taken. You are correct to say that it wasn’t natural dialogue.
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.
That's what she said.
There is a big difference between the author trying to be funny or the author trying to make a character say or do funny things. I try to write realistic stories (at least as realistic as it can be in the world I built), and this rules out any type of absurd humor like e.g. in Hitchhiker's Guide or the Airplane! movie and limits humor mostly to dialogue.
Running gag: "Also, I'm not crazy. My mother had me tested."
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.
My Cabbages!!
Pain is a constipation joke leaving the body.
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?"
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...
Geralt naming all of his horses Roach :D
“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
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
Denny crane.
If you know you know.
I'm amused that I just watched the video on "writing women" only to be treated to "boy" humour.
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.
This doesn't even make sense, bro
@@futurestoryteller what part?
@@Ian-hm4ld The part where he can only show the author who actually wrote it either way. So there can't be any ulterior motive behind it.
@@futurestoryteller or he could not show a picture at all, right? There's that possibility too. But it was a joke, glad I could explain it to you
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."
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
Where Zoro ends up.
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.
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.
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.
"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...
I think a lot of these examples (the movies) aren’t actually funny. That is the problem with most American movies. The british can do better humor. I think the start was well said that comedy is created by the situations. I think Koreans and Germans can do excellent comedy that actually makes me laugh out loud.
99% of my books humor is dark humor
It's good to have a funny character, but don't make that the _only_ trait of the character.
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.
would you make me a sandwich?
no!
thats the joke, of course a constipation joke just wont come out.
Unfortunately my ideas are funnier when I write other people's characters. Like this line I came up with, for a fan fiction I never wrote.
"Hey sis, Have you seen my pink scrunchie?"
"Maybe the new girl has it... I hear she's got _eeeverything."_
"Huh. You know I think I did let her borrow it this morning. Thanks, sis!"
"I live to serve."
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 RUclips videos.
It’s evident that you’ve got very high standards and are more intelligent than the rest of us.
@ thank you!
The number of books you write doesn't equate to either being a good author, or a good teacher, or neither, see Stephen King.
This reminds me of a friend of mine who was in IT at John's Hopkins where a doctor, with an office full of medical textbooks he had written, was talking down to him, yet this friend was there for the fifth time to show him how to use his email.
All that humor was lame
⛪️💸 Father Ted: "The money was just resting on my account!"
🧓🥃 Father Jack: "Feck! Arrrse! Dddrrrrrink! Girrrls!", and "That would be an ecumenical matter".
👵🫖 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..."