Humor can fascinate, educate, and critique. As a child I always read the syndicated column by the great American "humorist" Erma Bombeck who chronicled her life as a Midwestern housewife, which was published in 900 newspapers. I loved her book "The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank." My mother loves Andy Borowitz, but for me Bombeck still stands out as the kind of expert about real life who made us laugh because she showed us how absurd it all truly is in an elegant way. I hope you have success and that out there somewhere are people who rely more out keen observation than grossness.
Many thanks, D.P. You're right. Erma was a keen observer of the human condition and made me laugh too. Who can forget 'My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.'
Yes! I remember that! I am reminded of the marvelous Phyllis Diller, whose book "Phyllis Diller's Housekeeping Hints", I read as a small girl and who, along with Bombeck, were like a little girl's guide for young feminists. Diller: "Cleaning the house while the kids are still growing / Is like shoveling the walk while it's still snowing."
Ah, me! All those politically incorrect jokes and humor columns we used to cherish and share. One of my favorites used to be this one-line ethnic joke:
Q: On their wedding day, a Polish groom gives his bride something long and hard. What is it?
I think it was Erma Bombeck who was satirizing the 1980s fitness craze in a column. An aerobics teacher was saying to the class, "Listen to your body" - - and Erma's narrator was telling her body to stop listening.
Yes, it's true, Doug. My poetry chapbook "Vampire Ventures" got several nasty reviews, thanks to my adding HUMOR to vampire poems. A few GoodReads reviewers even said, "I don't know if the author did this intentionally but...." or "Did the poet realize she was being so FUNNY?"
Yes, she did. The sly humor, witty epigrams, and flashes of unconscious irony were carefully scripted.
What lesson can we learn from this?
Does the modern reader want their horror untainted by humor once in awhile?
Too many modern readers have their craniums inserted where the sun don't shine and thus never see that there is a world of variation available in all genres. And you're spot on with 'The sly humor, witty epigrams, and flashes of unconscious irony were carefully scripted.' As I said in my article, somehow the craft needed for successful humour writing is considered low-brow.
Here's the epigram for my long narrative vampire poem, for example: "The Tale of the Vintner’s Daughter" - - Bram Stoker meets Jane Austen in a marriage plot poem gone rogue!
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a foreign bachelor,
in possession of a drafty castle, must be in want of a wife.”
God, I so want to be funny, but I am so serious. And I write about very dark things in my memoir which I fear to be unreadable without some wit. I admire people with a good sense of humor. How does one develop it? and do it tastefully? I like kind humor, warm humor, clever humor, kind that doesn’t berate or insult, but pokes fun at self with humility.
The kind of humour you describe is what we're aiming for at Witcraft. How one develops that skill is fraught with debate. But I've always liked the saying that comedy is tragedy plus time.
Polly, if you want to develop it, start reading the authors who do it well (in your opinion).
My sense of writing wry comedy vastly improved after I wrote two full-length stageplays on Mae West. I refused to use her well-worn movie lines in my stage dramas - - - but the challenge was writing dialogue that sounded like Mae West, which is to say being very amusing but in a timeless and accessible way.
Living: Ben Widdicombe is hilarious. Check out his book: "Gatecrasher: How I Helped the Rich Become Famous and Ruin the World." (Gatecrasher was his long ago column.)
I often say I don't like comedy, but what I really mean is I don't understand the appeal of the "comedians" who just swear and insult people for cheap laughs. When someone puts effort into actually understanding humor, I thoroughly enjoy it. It's just that so much of what people find funny isn't all that funny; I think they just enjoy feeling like they can listen to or read something they wouldn't be allowed to as kids.
Have you ever noticed when searching for an agent or publisher, whenever they list what they're looking for, if they list humor it is only nonfiction humor they want to see? I have yet to find an agent or publisher willing to consider humorous fiction stories. I'm not sure what that says about society today, but it is curious and different from all previous times in literary history.
Yes, I have noticed that, GK, because I'm trying to find a publisher for a Witcraft annual anthology. I think it reflects an attitude within publishing that humour is low class writing and there's no market for it. Of course they've never tested that market. ;-)
Two humor publishers that might be able to give you advice, and who unless I missed it are not on the list, are Jennifer Top of TulipTree Review. She publishes a fall/winter humor anthology annually in which I've had a Pushcart-nominated story appear. The anthology is tied in with a contest and the grand prize winner wins cash, other top placers are published. She also publishes another annual anthology in Spring/Summer called "Stories That Need to Be Told," and she published one of my humor stories in it, too. I'm not sure if it's publish on demand, or how she arranges it. In England, Chris Fielden publishes what is now a bi-annual humor anthology (used to be annual before he got married and became a step-father), called To Hull & Back (also not on the list). All stories must contain a humorous element. The winner gets a cash and can choose to take a long ride with Christopher on his Harley Davidson motorcycle to Hull (a town in England) and back to - well, I forget where it starts and finishes. The winner gets a picture of themself and Chris on the bike that appears on that year's anthology cover. Chris is a good guy and he might also have some useful information for you. I met him once when he came to a book store on Sunset Strip called Book Soup where I, along with others, was reading one of my humorous stories from a now defunct anthology ("Dang I Wish I Hadn't Said That"). He was in LA recording with his band. Chris has a great list (humorous and otherwise) of writing competitions on his website.
If you'd like, I'd be happy to give them a heads up if you want to contact them.
Finally, thank you for publishing my short story, "Larry," last year. I sincerely believe the world needs more literary humor. You are to be commended.
Both publishers' anthologies are available on Amazon.
Doug, I'm happiest when I'm writing humor, but unless the Funny Bone God is hanging around, it can be harder to get in the groove than writing more serious stuff. I've visited Witcraft before and now will hang out there more like a teenage boy at cheerleader practice...hoping for... I don't know. Look for a submission about a futuristic definition of "elon" soon. Thanks for the article. And thanks Becky, again.
I'm not particularly funny in my writing (a skill I don't have) but I do enjoy a humor piece and admire those who can make people laugh (without punching down). Though I do enjoy toilet humor and jokes about genitals and body fluids -- provided again, that they aren't punching down.
I thinks there's a difference between witty, which I associate with clever word play, and funny, which is wry, sarcastic, edgy. word play is banal, funny is a machete.
I agree, David, that there is a humour spectrum and I too have a love for true wit, which for me includes wry. And I agree that sarcasm is the lowest form of 'wit'.
I agree with your take on humor to the point I just subscribed to Witcraft. I look forward to delving into it. I just watched "The Front Fell Off." I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. In absurdity, it's right up there with the Monty Python dead parrot sketch.
Thanks for subscribing, Liz, and enjoy the wide range of humour that we share with the world. John Clarke was a satiric genius and I miss him greatly. Check out some of his other clips on YouTube. He did an entire series satirising the Sydney Olympics, which included a segment about the 100 metre track having a bend at the end to fit into the stadium.
I wonder if Witcraft would like to see some of my Rants in the Pants. I love the idea of this magazine. Gives writers and readers a place for real wit instead of the imitation wit we get alongside our imitation dinners.
Good wit is one of the toughest things to write. I know I can't do it. Then again, I'm not that fond of puns, either, which may be a factor. I appreciate well-written wit, but dang, sure can't produce it.
The other thing? I miss the sort of humor you're talking about--Erma Bombeck, Peg Bracken, and other writers of that ilk.
I think you're reinforcing my point about the skill required to be truly witty, Joyce. Like any writing skill, you're not going to get the hang of it at the start but it's worth having a go, even just for the change. Witcraft is a home for humour writers of all skill levels. PS - Confession - I'm a punaholic. :-)
Thank you for this. I emailed you two more mags that I know well. And yes, humor is hard, it's much easier to be brooding, but nothing beats a good bite! I wish I leaned more on my funny bone. I tend to reserve it for friends and family, and substack, occasionally.
Humor can fascinate, educate, and critique. As a child I always read the syndicated column by the great American "humorist" Erma Bombeck who chronicled her life as a Midwestern housewife, which was published in 900 newspapers. I loved her book "The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank." My mother loves Andy Borowitz, but for me Bombeck still stands out as the kind of expert about real life who made us laugh because she showed us how absurd it all truly is in an elegant way. I hope you have success and that out there somewhere are people who rely more out keen observation than grossness.
Many thanks, D.P. You're right. Erma was a keen observer of the human condition and made me laugh too. Who can forget 'My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.'
Yes! I remember that! I am reminded of the marvelous Phyllis Diller, whose book "Phyllis Diller's Housekeeping Hints", I read as a small girl and who, along with Bombeck, were like a little girl's guide for young feminists. Diller: "Cleaning the house while the kids are still growing / Is like shoveling the walk while it's still snowing."
Phyllis Diller used to call her husband "Fang," if I recall it correctly.
Yep
Ah, me! All those politically incorrect jokes and humor columns we used to cherish and share. One of my favorites used to be this one-line ethnic joke:
Q: On their wedding day, a Polish groom gives his bride something long and hard. What is it?
A: His surname!
I think it was Erma Bombeck who was satirizing the 1980s fitness craze in a column. An aerobics teacher was saying to the class, "Listen to your body" - - and Erma's narrator was telling her body to stop listening.
Thanks for bringing us Witcraft, and for giving all kinds of writers, including me, a chance to show our work. Keep it going, Doug. 😁💖
Many thanks, Lee. I certainly will. :-)
Yes, it's true, Doug. My poetry chapbook "Vampire Ventures" got several nasty reviews, thanks to my adding HUMOR to vampire poems. A few GoodReads reviewers even said, "I don't know if the author did this intentionally but...." or "Did the poet realize she was being so FUNNY?"
Yes, she did. The sly humor, witty epigrams, and flashes of unconscious irony were carefully scripted.
What lesson can we learn from this?
Does the modern reader want their horror untainted by humor once in awhile?
Too many modern readers have their craniums inserted where the sun don't shine and thus never see that there is a world of variation available in all genres. And you're spot on with 'The sly humor, witty epigrams, and flashes of unconscious irony were carefully scripted.' As I said in my article, somehow the craft needed for successful humour writing is considered low-brow.
Thank you, Doug!
Here's the epigram for my long narrative vampire poem, for example: "The Tale of the Vintner’s Daughter" - - Bram Stoker meets Jane Austen in a marriage plot poem gone rogue!
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a foreign bachelor,
in possession of a drafty castle, must be in want of a wife.”
Love it. :-)
Thanks for your kind words, my friend!
And heaven humors the humor-writers! :-)
God, I so want to be funny, but I am so serious. And I write about very dark things in my memoir which I fear to be unreadable without some wit. I admire people with a good sense of humor. How does one develop it? and do it tastefully? I like kind humor, warm humor, clever humor, kind that doesn’t berate or insult, but pokes fun at self with humility.
The kind of humour you describe is what we're aiming for at Witcraft. How one develops that skill is fraught with debate. But I've always liked the saying that comedy is tragedy plus time.
Tragedy plus time. Good one.I've heard it said somewhere that you can make anything funny. But I doubt that's true of many topics.
Polly, if you want to develop it, start reading the authors who do it well (in your opinion).
My sense of writing wry comedy vastly improved after I wrote two full-length stageplays on Mae West. I refused to use her well-worn movie lines in my stage dramas - - - but the challenge was writing dialogue that sounded like Mae West, which is to say being very amusing but in a timeless and accessible way.
Which humorists do you like?
Living: Ben Widdicombe is hilarious. Check out his book: "Gatecrasher: How I Helped the Rich Become Famous and Ruin the World." (Gatecrasher was his long ago column.)
Deceased humorist: Dorothy Parker.
Over-rated by far: David Sedaris
Spot on. Thanks for the article.
I often say I don't like comedy, but what I really mean is I don't understand the appeal of the "comedians" who just swear and insult people for cheap laughs. When someone puts effort into actually understanding humor, I thoroughly enjoy it. It's just that so much of what people find funny isn't all that funny; I think they just enjoy feeling like they can listen to or read something they wouldn't be allowed to as kids.
Nailed it I think, Michael.
An article so nice I wish I could like it twice. (Wait, can I?)
...
((No I cannot.))
Anyhoo, Doug Jacquier is a delight to work with. If you're reading, thank you for all you do!
I am reading, Jennifer, and I am overwhelmed by your lovely comment. Fond regards, Doug.
Have you ever noticed when searching for an agent or publisher, whenever they list what they're looking for, if they list humor it is only nonfiction humor they want to see? I have yet to find an agent or publisher willing to consider humorous fiction stories. I'm not sure what that says about society today, but it is curious and different from all previous times in literary history.
Yes, I have noticed that, GK, because I'm trying to find a publisher for a Witcraft annual anthology. I think it reflects an attitude within publishing that humour is low class writing and there's no market for it. Of course they've never tested that market. ;-)
Two humor publishers that might be able to give you advice, and who unless I missed it are not on the list, are Jennifer Top of TulipTree Review. She publishes a fall/winter humor anthology annually in which I've had a Pushcart-nominated story appear. The anthology is tied in with a contest and the grand prize winner wins cash, other top placers are published. She also publishes another annual anthology in Spring/Summer called "Stories That Need to Be Told," and she published one of my humor stories in it, too. I'm not sure if it's publish on demand, or how she arranges it. In England, Chris Fielden publishes what is now a bi-annual humor anthology (used to be annual before he got married and became a step-father), called To Hull & Back (also not on the list). All stories must contain a humorous element. The winner gets a cash and can choose to take a long ride with Christopher on his Harley Davidson motorcycle to Hull (a town in England) and back to - well, I forget where it starts and finishes. The winner gets a picture of themself and Chris on the bike that appears on that year's anthology cover. Chris is a good guy and he might also have some useful information for you. I met him once when he came to a book store on Sunset Strip called Book Soup where I, along with others, was reading one of my humorous stories from a now defunct anthology ("Dang I Wish I Hadn't Said That"). He was in LA recording with his band. Chris has a great list (humorous and otherwise) of writing competitions on his website.
If you'd like, I'd be happy to give them a heads up if you want to contact them.
Finally, thank you for publishing my short story, "Larry," last year. I sincerely believe the world needs more literary humor. You are to be commended.
Both publishers' anthologies are available on Amazon.
www.tuliptreepub.com
www.christopherfielden.com/short-story-competition/
Thanks so much, GK. Will follow up these leads. Have already corresponded with Chris on other matters and he's very helpful.
Great. Good luck, Doug.
Doug, I'm happiest when I'm writing humor, but unless the Funny Bone God is hanging around, it can be harder to get in the groove than writing more serious stuff. I've visited Witcraft before and now will hang out there more like a teenage boy at cheerleader practice...hoping for... I don't know. Look for a submission about a futuristic definition of "elon" soon. Thanks for the article. And thanks Becky, again.
Many thanks, Patrick.
I'm not particularly funny in my writing (a skill I don't have) but I do enjoy a humor piece and admire those who can make people laugh (without punching down). Though I do enjoy toilet humor and jokes about genitals and body fluids -- provided again, that they aren't punching down.
I'm glad you enjoy humour, River, but we part company on your likes. :-)
I thinks there's a difference between witty, which I associate with clever word play, and funny, which is wry, sarcastic, edgy. word play is banal, funny is a machete.
I agree, David, that there is a humour spectrum and I too have a love for true wit, which for me includes wry. And I agree that sarcasm is the lowest form of 'wit'.
Saw this humor hierarchy today, although it's apparently missing a few types of humor:
https://substack.com/@joeljmiller/note/c-61547891
Missing bits and totally disagree with some of the levels but an interesting concept nonetheless.
Really interesting. I submitted yesterday (with your help).
I agree with your take on humor to the point I just subscribed to Witcraft. I look forward to delving into it. I just watched "The Front Fell Off." I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. In absurdity, it's right up there with the Monty Python dead parrot sketch.
Thanks for subscribing, Liz, and enjoy the wide range of humour that we share with the world. John Clarke was a satiric genius and I miss him greatly. Check out some of his other clips on YouTube. He did an entire series satirising the Sydney Olympics, which included a segment about the 100 metre track having a bend at the end to fit into the stadium.
You're welcome, Doug! I'll check out more of those videos.
I wonder if Witcraft would like to see some of my Rants in the Pants. I love the idea of this magazine. Gives writers and readers a place for real wit instead of the imitation wit we get alongside our imitation dinners.
Submit away, Ira. :-)
Good wit is one of the toughest things to write. I know I can't do it. Then again, I'm not that fond of puns, either, which may be a factor. I appreciate well-written wit, but dang, sure can't produce it.
The other thing? I miss the sort of humor you're talking about--Erma Bombeck, Peg Bracken, and other writers of that ilk.
I think you're reinforcing my point about the skill required to be truly witty, Joyce. Like any writing skill, you're not going to get the hang of it at the start but it's worth having a go, even just for the change. Witcraft is a home for humour writers of all skill levels. PS - Confession - I'm a punaholic. :-)
Thank you for this. I emailed you two more mags that I know well. And yes, humor is hard, it's much easier to be brooding, but nothing beats a good bite! I wish I leaned more on my funny bone. I tend to reserve it for friends and family, and substack, occasionally.
Thanks, Martine. Received your email.