5 Steps to Write Funny Nonfiction (On Humor)
Humor columnist Karim Shamsi-Basha reveals five steps to write funny nonfiction, including the importance of tension, revision, and more.
The post 5 Steps to Write Funny Nonfiction (On Humor) appeared first on Writer's Digest.
https://www.writersdigest.com/5-steps-to-write-funny-nonfiction-on-humor
#HumorinNonfiction #WriteBetterNonfiction #FunnyMoments #humorwriting #HumorWritingTechniques
5 Steps to Write Funny Nonfiction (On Humor) https://www.writersdigest.com/5-steps-to-write-funny-nonfiction-on-humor #HumorWritingTechniques #WriteBetterNonfiction #HumorinNonfiction #NonfictionHumor #FunnyMoments #humorwriting #RevisionTips #OnHumor
Dr. Seuss, the Original King of Holiday Trash Talk
Theodor Seuss Geisel wrote some of the most successful children’s books in human history. Six hundred to seven hundred million copies sold worldwide. That is not “popular.” That is cultural domination. The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham alone could fund several small countries. Dr. Seuss was not just an author. He was a publishing juggernaut with a felt hat.
There is no debate here. The man was a genius.
But after sitting down yesterday and listening, really listening, to “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” something else became painfully clear.
Dr. Seuss was an elite-level trash talker.
Not casual shade. Not playground insults. This was precision-engineered verbal annihilation wrapped in rhyme and handed to children with a smile. The song, written for the 1966 animated special How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, is a masterclass in lyrical character assassination. Add Albert Hague’s music and Thurl Ravenscroft’s bass voice, and suddenly you are not hearing a song. You are witnessing a public execution conducted by a baritone.
Seuss could have called the Grinch rude. Or unpleasant. Or a real jerk. Instead, he chose violence.
Verse one does not ease into it. There is no warm-up.
“You’re a mean one, Mister Grinch
You really are a heel
You’re as cuddly as a cactus
You’re as charming as an eel
You’re a bad banana with a greasy, black peel.”
A bad banana. Not overripe. Not bruised. Greasy. Black. That banana has been through things and none of them were good. This is less an insult and more a warning label.
At this point, the Grinch could have filed a complaint with Human Resources. Seuss was just getting started.
Verse two escalates immediately.
“Your heart’s an empty hole
Your brain is full of spiders
You’ve got garlic in your soul
I would not touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half-foot pole.”
Thirty-nine and a half feet. Not ten. Not twenty. This is a man who measured his revulsion and still felt the need to add a half-foot for safety. That is not dislike. That is disgust with a tape measure.
Verse three introduces comparative suffering.
“You have all the tender sweetness
Of a seasick crocodile
Given a choice between the two of you
I would take the seasick crocodile.”
Seasick crocodiles are presumably violent, confused, and vomiting. And yet, somehow preferable. Imagine being told that a nauseated apex predator with motion sickness has better vibes than you.
Verse four is where Seuss starts stacking insults like a Yelp review written by someone who waited forty-five minutes for cold fries.
“Your heart is full of unwashed socks
Your soul is full of gunk
The three words that best describe you are
‘Stink. Stank. Stunk.’”
That is a one-star review with no explanation needed. Unwashed socks are a choice. Gunk is a lifestyle. “Stink, stank, stunk” is not feedback. It is a verdict.
Verse five abandons restraint entirely.
“You’re the king of sinful sots
Your heart’s a dead tomato
Splotched with moldy purple spots
Your soul is an appalling dump heap
Overflowing with the most disgraceful assortment
Of deplorable rubbish imaginable
Mangled up in tangled up knots.”
King of sinful sots. That is not even trying to be polite. Dead tomato with moldy purple spots is not an image anyone asked for, yet here we are. And then the dump heap. Overflowing. Mangled. Tangled. This is not an insult. This is an environmental hazard report.
By verse six, Seuss is clearly enjoying himself.
“You nauseate me with a nauseous super ‘naus’
You’re a three-decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich
With arsenic sauce.”
Arsenic sauce. Not implied. Explicit. This is no longer metaphorical disdain. This is culinary homicide.
And the thing is, this song was written for children.
Dr. Seuss did not just insult the Grinch. He dismantled him. Methodically. Cheerfully. In rhyme. Set to music. Sung by a voice that sounds like it could crush a Buick.
No writer living or dead has ever eviscerated a fictional character with this much creativity and joy while still being invited into every living room every December.
Dr. Seuss was not just a storyteller.
He was a savage with a dictionary.
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#communication #jtwb768 #influencers #socialMedia #SocialMarketing #culturalCommentary #adultHumor #humorWriting #lyricalInsults #MrGrinch #holidayCulture #DrSeuss #ChristmasSatire #popCultureAnalysis #classicAnimation
Breaking Blocks, Not Deadlines: A Freelance Writer’s Guide to Minecraft-Fueled Avoidance
Who needs a living wage when you’ve got an iron pickaxe, a cobblestone generator, and one aggressively judgmental Minecraft chicken laying passive-aggressive eggs at you from across the island? Let’s face it: the jobs on Upwork are a lack-luster mess right now with scope-creep and red flags a-plenty. You’re either underqualified, overqualified, underpaid, overworked, ghosted, scoped-creeped, or somehow all of the above. But hey — your virtual carrot crop doesn’t judge. It […]
10 Things I’ve Learned About Writing From Being a Stand-Up Comic and in the Writer’s Room of Emmy Award-Winning TV Shows https://www.writersdigest.com/10-things-ive-learned-about-writing-from-being-a-stand-up-comic-and-in-the-writers-room-of-emmy-award-winning-tv-shows #WriteBetterFiction #WritingTechniques #HumorFiction #FunnyFiction #humorwriting #WritingHumor #writingvoice #Character #Dialogue #comedy #Genre #voice
Last night, Petey channeled a demon at 2:47 AM. Nelly stared at a wall like it owed her money.
Pretty sure I live with two haunted gremlins.
😼 New story: Are My Cats Possessed?
🕯️ Cat chaos, paranormal vibes, and zero answers.
https://vocal.media/humor/are-my-cats-possessed?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon
#CatPeople #HauntedCats #PeteyAndNelly #MiddleAgedMess #CatChaos #HumorWriting #TesieTellsIt
Hallo Sams,
du dürftest ruhig ein Sonnabend sein.
Auch tagsüber! In der Ruhe liegt die Kraft. 😉
Allen #fediverse einen wundervollen Tag. Bei jedem Wetter. Lasst euch finden. #fotografie #photography
Gestern lachte sie. Die Sonn. Ich auch. 😅
#entdeckungsreise 🌀 #wandelsinn #pferdeleben #humorwriting ✍️
my way
sunny day
I get used to it quickly
no problem 😅
#humorwriting #DraußenSein wie kleine #reiseabenteuer #naturephotography
Finally! a new article is posted at funnybuttrue.substack.com.
Discover how to read someone’s personality in 10 seconds with psychology, humor, and a sprinkle of absurdity. Perfect for awkward first dates, boring parties, and office small talk!
#HumorWriting #PersonalityHacks #PsychologyFun #WittyObservations #SocialSkills #FunnyScience #LifeHacks #HumanBehavior #LaughAndLearn
How To Sell Your Funny Fiction https://selfpublishingadvice.org/how-to-sell-your-funny-fiction/ #Process5&6:Marketing&Promotion #bookmarketing #comicfiction #Funnyfiction #genrefiction #humorwriting #DaveCohen
Today we celebrate "Dental Drill Appreciation Day" -- the anniversary of George Green's 1875 electric dental drill patent. Okay ... perhaps "celebrate" is the wrong word.
#Limerick #Limericks #Rhyme #Humor #Humour #LightVerse #FunnyPoems #HumorWriting #Poems #Poetry #MicroPoetry #PoetryCommunity
#Introduction I'm a disheveled Wordsmith who diddles around with cheaply-produced #ComedyRap #UndergroundHipHop #HumorWriting and other triflestuffz.
I also enjoy dialogue about #SimpleLiving, #History, #Childfree life, #Mysticism, and other crudfoolery that wallers in the margins of society.
I'm enjoyed by few, but open to making connections with all. Basically, if you're in search of frivolous goosefoolery, I have you covered!
Ever tried writing funny dialog? It's hard!
I turned to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy for inspiration:
A bit of silliness for Friday: "Holiday Nicknames." Of course this poem is not based on anything I have done, or would ever do, while on #vacation #humorwriting #humorous #humour #PoetryMonth #poets #poetry #poetrycommunity #poetrylovers
We enjoyed swimming, until the mystery of tides was explained in such a way that the ocean seemed nothing more than an enormous saltwater toilet, flushing itself on a sad and predictable basis.--
#DavidSedaris, "Genetic Engineering"
Humor lecture is taking shape: metaphors with a huge gap between the compared domain A and domain B
#HumorWriting
9/11/22, pt 2/2 – That said, I’m really looking forward to just sitting back on a nice perch, sleeping and eating whenever I feel like it, and listening to stories from my fellow doves – and of course, hanging out with my lovely Fred. Yes, it’s a good life. You probably won’t hear from me for a while, but keep an eye out. Ariel willing, I’ll be back before you know it! Ta-ta!
#mastodon #birdlife #birdblog #garden #outdoors #bird #nature #amwriting #doves #humorwriting
9/11/22, pt 1/2 – I’m glad we don’t have to fly away every winter and face all those dangers, though. We’ve had little reason to fear the giant folk here in our garden, and even the white fanged beast has protected us more than pestered us, truth be told. Fred and I have had an excellent season, if I do say so myself. Eleven squabs! Only one didn’t hatch, the poor mite.
#mastodon #birdlife #birdblog #garden #outdoors #bird #nature #amwriting #doves #humorwriting
9/6/22, pt 3/3 – I asked Fred, “why not just stay here where it’s nice and warm all year round, and giant folk aren’t killing you by the hundreds?” Fred’s so wise, though. He said that they just have to. It’s built into them to do it, and sometimes he envies the adventures they have, and the amazing sights they must see. They have his utmost respect.
#mastodon #birdlife #birdblog #garden #outdoors #bird #nature #amwriting #doves #humorwriting
9/6/22, pt 1/3 – I’m looking forward to bumping into some of our squabs this fall – all grown up and had squabs of their own. I must be a grandmother by now, surely? Yes, I enjoy the fall and winter here. For a little while after breeding season, we’re joined by doves traveling south from colder places up north. I have to say, they have a hard life, compared to us.
#mastodon #birdlife #birdblog #garden #outdoors #bird #nature #amwriting #doves #humorwriting
8/31/22, pt 3/3 – We have a wonderful neighborhood of friends we join in a local area with lots of trees. We can get all the food we need there, and it’s nice and sheltered – though not without its horrible fanged and clawed beasts. We get to hear the latest gossip, how successful the season was, and of course, who we might have lost.
#mastodon #birdlife #birdblog #garden #outdoors #bird #nature #amwriting #doves #humorwriting
