by Gina Ardito | Jun 20, 2013 | Advice Whether You Want it or Not, Christopher Reeve, Fashionably Late, Little Miss Sunshine, Mel Brooks, OJ Simpson, Olivia Goldsmith, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Edge of Reason, Writing Humor
We’ve covered the ten elements of writing humor. Now, here are a few tips to strengthen your newfound humor muscles:Abandon logic. Your character can do or say anything, regardless of how illogical, if it fits their personality and situation. Bend the facts,...
by Gina Ardito | Jun 17, 2013 | Advice Whether You Want it or Not, George Carlin, Juno, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Universal truth, Writing Humor
The last key element I’ll discuss to help you add humor is Universal truth: a manner of discussing a well known fact, but in an abstract way. These usually begin with something like, “Did you ever notice…?” or “If…then what?” Consider George Carlin’s “If...
by Gina Ardito | Jun 15, 2013 | Chasing Adonis, Exaggeration and Understatement, Real Men of Genius, The Naked Gun, Writing Humor
We’re looking at the ten basic elements of writing humor. Number nine is Exaggeration and Understatement. Budweiser’s Real Men of Genius commercials were a great example of humorous exaggeration. Saluting such heroes as “Mr. Tiny Dog Clothing...
by Gina Ardito | Jun 14, 2013 | A Little Slice of Heaven, Advice Whether You Want it or Not, Blades of Glory, Contrasted Reality, Legally Blonde, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Shrek, This is Spinal Tap, Writing Humor
The eighth element of humor is Contrasted reality: Go out the other side by replacing normal reality with a direct contrast. Consider professional assassins living as man and wife in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, a ditzy fashion major becoming an ace student at Harvard Law in...
by Gina Ardito | Jun 11, 2013 | Advice Whether You Want it or Not, Feelings of Superiority, Robert DeNiro, The Fockers, The Office, Writing Humor
Your characters can add humor when they’re feeling superior to others and not quite pulling it off as well as they think.Jack Burns (played by Robert DeNiro) has feelings of superiority in Meet the Parents,Meet the Fockers, and Little Fockers, which get him and...
by Gina Ardito | Jun 10, 2013 | Abbott & Costello, Advice Whether You Want it or Not, Airplane!, Malapropisms, Play on Words, Puns, The Marx Brothers, Writing Humor
We’re halfway through the list of ten elements you can use to add humor to your manuscript. Number six?Plays on Words: Puns, malapropisms, mispronunciations, even dialects can get a laugh. In the...
