For Friday:
Read to Ch. 17 for Friday
Finish MP 5 assignments!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9Hjrs6WQ8M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pekFNerbRQ
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Friday, April 26, 2013
The Life of Pi
End of marking period:
Major projects:
BLOGS
Bloodsucking Fiends Story
David Sedaris Essay
Classwork:
Postings on class blog!
Life of Pi is a fantasy adventure novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist, Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, a Tamil boy from Pondicherry, explores issues of spirituality and practicality from an early age. He survives 227 days after a shipwreck while stranded on a boat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.
The novel, which has sold more than ten million copies worldwide,[1] was rejected by at least five London publishing houses[2] before being accepted by Knopf Canada, which published it in September 2001. The UK edition won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction the following year.[3][4][5] It was also chosen for CBC Radio's Canada Reads 2003, where it was championed by author Nancy Lee.[6] The French translation, L'histoire de Pi, was chosen in the French version of the contest, Le combat des livres, where it was championed by Louise Forestier.[7] The novel won the 2003 Boeke Prize, a South African novel award. In 2004, it won the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature in Best Adult Fiction for years 2001–2003.[8] In 2012 it was adapted into a theatrical feature film directed by Ang Lee with a screenplay by David Magee.
Life of Pi: Yann Martel Biography
Yann Martel was born on June 25, 1963, in Salamanca, Spain. Because his father was a professor and a diplomat, his family moved frequently during his childhood. Shortly after his birth, they moved to Portugal and over the next several years lived in such places as Alaska, Costa Rica France Mexico and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. Martel received a degree in philosophy from Trent University in Ontario in 1981, and he subsequently traveled widely on his own, living in India Iran, and Turkey. He worked odd jobs to survive and fund his travels. During his journeys, Martel wrote a collection of short stories, The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios, which was published in 1993 and won the Journey Prize. The publication of Self, Martel’s first novel, followed in 1996, and it was shortlisted for the Chapters/Books in Canada First Novel Award. Martel performed much of the research that would lead to the writing of Life of Pi in India, where he spent thirteen months visiting mosques, temples, churches, and zoos. Following that, he spent one year reading various background texts for his novel before taking two years to write Life of Pi.
Life of Pi was published in 2001 in Canada, then in 2002 in the United Kingdom and United States while Martel was living in Montreal. Life of Pi was Martel's breakthrough novel and went on to receive numerous awards, including Canada’s Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction in 2001 and the 2002 Man Booker Prize. Life of Pi was a U.K. bestseller from October 2002 through much of 2003 and was a U.S. bestseller for most of 2003. The paperback version experienced continued strong sales in 2004. Overall, the novel has sold over three million copies.
The early success of the novel led Martel to accept an engagement to teach a course at Berlin’s Free University before embarking on a worldwide book tour. Following the tour, Martel served as the writer in residence at the public library in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in the first half of 2004. He is currently working on a new novel that examines evil as it was expressed during the Holocaust with the novel’s two major characters being a monkey and a donkey.
Major projects:
BLOGS
Bloodsucking Fiends Story
David Sedaris Essay
Classwork:
Postings on class blog!
Life of Pi is a fantasy adventure novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist, Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, a Tamil boy from Pondicherry, explores issues of spirituality and practicality from an early age. He survives 227 days after a shipwreck while stranded on a boat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.
The novel, which has sold more than ten million copies worldwide,[1] was rejected by at least five London publishing houses[2] before being accepted by Knopf Canada, which published it in September 2001. The UK edition won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction the following year.[3][4][5] It was also chosen for CBC Radio's Canada Reads 2003, where it was championed by author Nancy Lee.[6] The French translation, L'histoire de Pi, was chosen in the French version of the contest, Le combat des livres, where it was championed by Louise Forestier.[7] The novel won the 2003 Boeke Prize, a South African novel award. In 2004, it won the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature in Best Adult Fiction for years 2001–2003.[8] In 2012 it was adapted into a theatrical feature film directed by Ang Lee with a screenplay by David Magee.
Life of Pi: Yann Martel Biography
Yann Martel was born on June 25, 1963, in Salamanca, Spain. Because his father was a professor and a diplomat, his family moved frequently during his childhood. Shortly after his birth, they moved to Portugal and over the next several years lived in such places as Alaska, Costa Rica France Mexico and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. Martel received a degree in philosophy from Trent University in Ontario in 1981, and he subsequently traveled widely on his own, living in India Iran, and Turkey. He worked odd jobs to survive and fund his travels. During his journeys, Martel wrote a collection of short stories, The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios, which was published in 1993 and won the Journey Prize. The publication of Self, Martel’s first novel, followed in 1996, and it was shortlisted for the Chapters/Books in Canada First Novel Award. Martel performed much of the research that would lead to the writing of Life of Pi in India, where he spent thirteen months visiting mosques, temples, churches, and zoos. Following that, he spent one year reading various background texts for his novel before taking two years to write Life of Pi.
Life of Pi was published in 2001 in Canada, then in 2002 in the United Kingdom and United States while Martel was living in Montreal. Life of Pi was Martel's breakthrough novel and went on to receive numerous awards, including Canada’s Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction in 2001 and the 2002 Man Booker Prize. Life of Pi was a U.K. bestseller from October 2002 through much of 2003 and was a U.S. bestseller for most of 2003. The paperback version experienced continued strong sales in 2004. Overall, the novel has sold over three million copies.
The early success of the novel led Martel to accept an engagement to teach a course at Berlin’s Free University before embarking on a worldwide book tour. Following the tour, Martel served as the writer in residence at the public library in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in the first half of 2004. He is currently working on a new novel that examines evil as it was expressed during the Holocaust with the novel’s two major characters being a monkey and a donkey.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
David Sedaris continued
Work on assignments for this marking period.
In class, read David Sedaris essay. Post a response to another discussion question on the blog.
Select a poem and enter the PENFIELD POETRY CONTEST!
TAUB SCHOLARSHIP--D & C
In class, read David Sedaris essay. Post a response to another discussion question on the blog.
Select a poem and enter the PENFIELD POETRY CONTEST!
TAUB SCHOLARSHIP--D & C
Monday, April 22, 2013
David Sedaris
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-june-3-2008/david-sedaris
Finish reading David Sedaris. Respond to the discussion questions from the last post.
In class, read "Me Talk Pretty One Day"
Continue to work on stories and essays! Due on Friday.
Finish reading David Sedaris. Respond to the discussion questions from the last post.
In class, read "Me Talk Pretty One Day"
Continue to work on stories and essays! Due on Friday.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Discussion questions David Sedaris Me Talk Pretty Someday
Please post a comment about a David Sedaris story that you find funny. Discuss what elements of writing humorously Sedaris uses in the story. Post your comment on here for credit!
From litlovers.com
Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:
• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)
Also consider these LitLovers talking points to help get a discussion started for Me Talk Pretty One Day:
1. What better place to start a discussion of a Sedaris book than with the parts you find the funniest? Which parts make you LOL (laugh out loud)? Go around the room and share your belly laughs with others.
2. Are there sections of the book you feel are snide or mean-spirited? Perhaps his criticism of Americans who visit Europe dressed "as if you've come to mow its lawns." Or perhaps the piece about his stint as a writing teacher. Is petulance a part of Sedaris's schtick...his charm?
3. Talk about the Sedaris family, in particular his parents. How do they come across? Whom does he feel closest to? Sedaris makes an interesting statement about his father: it was a mystery that "a man could father six children who shared absolutely none of his interests." Is that unusual?
4. David Sedaris is a descendant of Woody Allen's brand of humor—personal idiosyncrasies or neuroses raised to an art form. What does Sedaris reveal about himself, his insecurities, angst, secret hostilities, and do you find those parts funny or somewhat touching, even sad? Actually, do you like Sedaris as he reveals himself in his book?
5. Are there parts of Me Talk Pretty that you disliked, didn't find funny, found overworked or contrived?
6. For a book club meeting: it would be fun to get the audio version and listen to selected segments. I especially recommend the French lessons in Paris.
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)
From litlovers.com
Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:
• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)
Also consider these LitLovers talking points to help get a discussion started for Me Talk Pretty One Day:
1. What better place to start a discussion of a Sedaris book than with the parts you find the funniest? Which parts make you LOL (laugh out loud)? Go around the room and share your belly laughs with others.
2. Are there sections of the book you feel are snide or mean-spirited? Perhaps his criticism of Americans who visit Europe dressed "as if you've come to mow its lawns." Or perhaps the piece about his stint as a writing teacher. Is petulance a part of Sedaris's schtick...his charm?
3. Talk about the Sedaris family, in particular his parents. How do they come across? Whom does he feel closest to? Sedaris makes an interesting statement about his father: it was a mystery that "a man could father six children who shared absolutely none of his interests." Is that unusual?
4. David Sedaris is a descendant of Woody Allen's brand of humor—personal idiosyncrasies or neuroses raised to an art form. What does Sedaris reveal about himself, his insecurities, angst, secret hostilities, and do you find those parts funny or somewhat touching, even sad? Actually, do you like Sedaris as he reveals himself in his book?
5. Are there parts of Me Talk Pretty that you disliked, didn't find funny, found overworked or contrived?
6. For a book club meeting: it would be fun to get the audio version and listen to selected segments. I especially recommend the French lessons in Paris.
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)
Me Talk Pretty One Day
David Sedaris, 2000
Little, Brown & Company
288 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780316776967
Summary
Me Talk Pretty One Day contains far more than just the funniest collection of autobiographical essays—it quite well registers as a manifesto about language itself. Wherever there's a straight line, you can be sure that Sedaris lurks beneath the text, making it jagged with laughter; and just where the fault lines fall, he sits mischievously perched at the epicenter of it all.
No medium available to mankind is spared his cultural vision; no family member (even the dynasties of family pets) is forgotten in these pages of sardonic memories of Sedaris's numerous incarnations in North Carolina, Chicago, New York, and France.
One essay, punctuated by a conspicuous absence of s's and plurals, introduces the lisping young fifth-grader David "Thedarith," who arms himself with a thesaurus, learns every nonsibilant word in the lexicon, eludes his wily speech therapy teacher, and amazes his countrified North Carolina teachers with his out-of-nowhere and man-size vocabulary.
By an ironic twist of fate, readers find present-day Sedaris in France, where only now, after all these years, he must cling safely to just plural nouns so as to avoid assigning the wrong genders to French objects. (Never mind that ordering items from the grocer becomes rather expensive.) Even the strictest of grammarians won't be able to look at the parts of speech in the same way after exposing themselves to the linguistic phenomena of Sedarisian humor. Just why is a sandwich masculine, and yet, say, a belt is feminine in the French language? As he stealthily tries to decode French, like a cross between a housewife and a shrewddetective, he earns the contempt of his sadistic French teacher and soon even resorts to listening to American books on tape for secret relief.
What David Sedaris has to say about language classes, his brother's gangsta-rap slang, typewriters, computers, audiobooks, movies, and even restaurant menus is sure to unleash upon the world a mad rash of pocket-dictionary-toting nouveau grammarians who bow their heads to a new, inverted word order. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio• Birth—December 26, 1956
• Where—Johnson City, New York, USA
• Education—B.F.A., Art Institute of Chicago
• Awards—Thurber Prize; Time Humorist of the Year;
Advocate Lambda Award.
• Currently—lives in London, England, UK
According to Time Out New York, "David Sedaris may be the funniest man alive." He's the sort of writer critics tend to describe not in terms of literary influences and trends, but in terms of what they choked on while reading his latest book. "I spewed a mouthful of pastrami across my desk," admitted Craig Seligman in his New York Times review of Naked.
Sedaris first drew national attention in 1992 with a stint on National Public Radio, on which he recounted his experiences as a Christmas elf at Macy's. He discussed "the code names for various posts, such as 'The Vomit Corner,' a mirrored wall near the Magic Tree" and confided that his response to "I'm going to have you fired" was the desire to lean over and say, "I'm going to have you killed." The radio pieces were such a hit that Sedaris, then working as a house cleaner, started getting offers to write movies, soap operas and Seinfeld episodes.
In subsequent appearances on NPR, Sedaris proved he wasn't just a velvet-clad flash in the pan; he's also wickedly funny on the subjects of smoking, speed, shoplifting and nervous tics. His work began appearing in magazines like Harper's and Mirabella, and his first book Barrel Fever, which included "SantaLand Diaries," was a bestseller. "These hilarious, lively and breathtakingly irreverent stories...made me laugh out loud more than anything I've read in years," wrote Francine Prose in the Washington Post Book World.
Since then, each successive Sedaris volume has zoomed to the top of the bestseller lists. In Naked, he recounts odd jobs like volunteering at a mental hospital, picking apples as a seasonal laborer and stripping woodwork for a Nazi sympathizer. The stocking stuffer-sized Holidays on Ice collects Sedaris' Christmas-themed work, including a fictional holiday newsletter from the homicidal stepmother of a 22-year-old Vietnamese immigrant ("She arrived in this house six weeks ago speaking only the words 'Daddy,' 'Shiny' and 'Five dollar now'. Quite a vocabulary!!!!!").
But Sedaris' best pieces often revolve around his childhood in North Carolina and his family of six siblings, including the brother who talks like a redneck gangsta rapper and the sister who, in a hilarious passage far too dirty to quote here, introduces him to the joys of the Internet. Sedaris' recent book Me Talk Pretty One Day describes, among other things, his efforts to learn French while helping his boyfriend fix up a Normandy farmhouse; he progresses "from speaking like an evil baby to speaking like a hillbilly. 'Is thems the thoughts of cows?' I'd ask the butcher, pointing to the calves' brains displayed in the front window."
Sedaris has been compared to American humorists such as Mark Twain, James Thurber and Dorothy Parker; Publisher's Weekly called him "Garrison Keillor's evil twin." Pretty heady stuff for a man who claims there are cats that weigh more than his IQ score. But as This American Life producer Ira Glass once pointed out, it would be wrong to think of Sedaris as "just a working Joe who happens to put out these perfectly constructed pieces of prose." Measured by his ability to turn his experiences into a sharply satirical, sidesplittingly funny form of art, David Sedaris is no less than a genius.
Extras
• Sedaris got his start in radio after This American Life producer Ira Glass saw him perform at Club Lower Links in Chicago. In addition to his NPR commentaries, Sedaris now writes regularly for Esquire.
• Sedaris's younger sister Amy is also a writer and performer; the two have collaborated on plays under the moniker "The Talent Family." Amy Sedaris has appeared onstage as a member of the Second City improv troupe and on Comedy Central in the series Strangers with Candy.
• If I weren't a writer, I'd be a taxidermist," Sedaris said in a chat on Barnes and Noble.com. According to the Boston Phoenix, his collection of stuffed dead animals includes a squirrel, two fruit bats, four Boston terriers and a baby ostrich.
• When asked what book most influenced his career as a writer, he's what he said:
David Sedaris, 2000
Little, Brown & Company
288 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780316776967
Summary
Me Talk Pretty One Day contains far more than just the funniest collection of autobiographical essays—it quite well registers as a manifesto about language itself. Wherever there's a straight line, you can be sure that Sedaris lurks beneath the text, making it jagged with laughter; and just where the fault lines fall, he sits mischievously perched at the epicenter of it all.
No medium available to mankind is spared his cultural vision; no family member (even the dynasties of family pets) is forgotten in these pages of sardonic memories of Sedaris's numerous incarnations in North Carolina, Chicago, New York, and France.
One essay, punctuated by a conspicuous absence of s's and plurals, introduces the lisping young fifth-grader David "Thedarith," who arms himself with a thesaurus, learns every nonsibilant word in the lexicon, eludes his wily speech therapy teacher, and amazes his countrified North Carolina teachers with his out-of-nowhere and man-size vocabulary.
By an ironic twist of fate, readers find present-day Sedaris in France, where only now, after all these years, he must cling safely to just plural nouns so as to avoid assigning the wrong genders to French objects. (Never mind that ordering items from the grocer becomes rather expensive.) Even the strictest of grammarians won't be able to look at the parts of speech in the same way after exposing themselves to the linguistic phenomena of Sedarisian humor. Just why is a sandwich masculine, and yet, say, a belt is feminine in the French language? As he stealthily tries to decode French, like a cross between a housewife and a shrewddetective, he earns the contempt of his sadistic French teacher and soon even resorts to listening to American books on tape for secret relief.
What David Sedaris has to say about language classes, his brother's gangsta-rap slang, typewriters, computers, audiobooks, movies, and even restaurant menus is sure to unleash upon the world a mad rash of pocket-dictionary-toting nouveau grammarians who bow their heads to a new, inverted word order. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio• Birth—December 26, 1956
• Where—Johnson City, New York, USA
• Education—B.F.A., Art Institute of Chicago
• Awards—Thurber Prize; Time Humorist of the Year;
Advocate Lambda Award.
• Currently—lives in London, England, UK
According to Time Out New York, "David Sedaris may be the funniest man alive." He's the sort of writer critics tend to describe not in terms of literary influences and trends, but in terms of what they choked on while reading his latest book. "I spewed a mouthful of pastrami across my desk," admitted Craig Seligman in his New York Times review of Naked.
Sedaris first drew national attention in 1992 with a stint on National Public Radio, on which he recounted his experiences as a Christmas elf at Macy's. He discussed "the code names for various posts, such as 'The Vomit Corner,' a mirrored wall near the Magic Tree" and confided that his response to "I'm going to have you fired" was the desire to lean over and say, "I'm going to have you killed." The radio pieces were such a hit that Sedaris, then working as a house cleaner, started getting offers to write movies, soap operas and Seinfeld episodes.
In subsequent appearances on NPR, Sedaris proved he wasn't just a velvet-clad flash in the pan; he's also wickedly funny on the subjects of smoking, speed, shoplifting and nervous tics. His work began appearing in magazines like Harper's and Mirabella, and his first book Barrel Fever, which included "SantaLand Diaries," was a bestseller. "These hilarious, lively and breathtakingly irreverent stories...made me laugh out loud more than anything I've read in years," wrote Francine Prose in the Washington Post Book World.
Since then, each successive Sedaris volume has zoomed to the top of the bestseller lists. In Naked, he recounts odd jobs like volunteering at a mental hospital, picking apples as a seasonal laborer and stripping woodwork for a Nazi sympathizer. The stocking stuffer-sized Holidays on Ice collects Sedaris' Christmas-themed work, including a fictional holiday newsletter from the homicidal stepmother of a 22-year-old Vietnamese immigrant ("She arrived in this house six weeks ago speaking only the words 'Daddy,' 'Shiny' and 'Five dollar now'. Quite a vocabulary!!!!!").
But Sedaris' best pieces often revolve around his childhood in North Carolina and his family of six siblings, including the brother who talks like a redneck gangsta rapper and the sister who, in a hilarious passage far too dirty to quote here, introduces him to the joys of the Internet. Sedaris' recent book Me Talk Pretty One Day describes, among other things, his efforts to learn French while helping his boyfriend fix up a Normandy farmhouse; he progresses "from speaking like an evil baby to speaking like a hillbilly. 'Is thems the thoughts of cows?' I'd ask the butcher, pointing to the calves' brains displayed in the front window."
Sedaris has been compared to American humorists such as Mark Twain, James Thurber and Dorothy Parker; Publisher's Weekly called him "Garrison Keillor's evil twin." Pretty heady stuff for a man who claims there are cats that weigh more than his IQ score. But as This American Life producer Ira Glass once pointed out, it would be wrong to think of Sedaris as "just a working Joe who happens to put out these perfectly constructed pieces of prose." Measured by his ability to turn his experiences into a sharply satirical, sidesplittingly funny form of art, David Sedaris is no less than a genius.
Extras
• Sedaris got his start in radio after This American Life producer Ira Glass saw him perform at Club Lower Links in Chicago. In addition to his NPR commentaries, Sedaris now writes regularly for Esquire.
• Sedaris's younger sister Amy is also a writer and performer; the two have collaborated on plays under the moniker "The Talent Family." Amy Sedaris has appeared onstage as a member of the Second City improv troupe and on Comedy Central in the series Strangers with Candy.
• If I weren't a writer, I'd be a taxidermist," Sedaris said in a chat on Barnes and Noble.com. According to the Boston Phoenix, his collection of stuffed dead animals includes a squirrel, two fruit bats, four Boston terriers and a baby ostrich.
• When asked what book most influenced his career as a writer, he's what he said:
I guess it would be Cathedral by
Raymond Carver. His sentences are very simple and straightforward, and
he made writing seem deceptively easy—the kind of thing anyone could do
if they put their mind to it. (From Barnes & Noble.)
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Catching up on work
Some assignments are still missing from many of you:
1. UPDATED BLOGS WITH WRITING
2. BLOODSUCKING FIENDS STORIES
3. DAVID SEDARIS ESSAY
HMWK: Read to pg. 150 in Sedaris
1. UPDATED BLOGS WITH WRITING
2. BLOODSUCKING FIENDS STORIES
3. DAVID SEDARIS ESSAY
HMWK: Read to pg. 150 in Sedaris
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
David Sedaris --Humorous Writing Prompts
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13135
Some writing prompts from this website (there are more!)
Some writing prompts from this website (there are more!)
David Sedaris
Assignment
Humorous Writing
Prompts:
Prompt 1:
Lists, lists, lists. To-do lists, Honey do lists, check lists, punch lists, laundry lists... Seems like there is a list for everything. Write a humorous list of things you are NOT going to do today
Lists, lists, lists. To-do lists, Honey do lists, check lists, punch lists, laundry lists... Seems like there is a list for everything. Write a humorous list of things you are NOT going to do today
Prompt 2:
The word "extreme" is enjoying extreme popularity these days. We seem to have extreme EVERYTHING. This fits well with humor, because exaggeration can make or break a humor piece.
For this prompt, let's take it up a notch. Take an everyday experience and make it extreme. Extreme Dog Walking. Extreme Birthday Parties. Extreme weed prevention.
Whatever you pick, make it funny in the extreme
The word "extreme" is enjoying extreme popularity these days. We seem to have extreme EVERYTHING. This fits well with humor, because exaggeration can make or break a humor piece.
For this prompt, let's take it up a notch. Take an everyday experience and make it extreme. Extreme Dog Walking. Extreme Birthday Parties. Extreme weed prevention.
Whatever you pick, make it funny in the extreme
Prompt 3:
Create a ridiculous
holiday to celebrate. You can use your holiday to rant about holidays in general,
or go the opposite direction and create a silly holiday for something that you
can't live without. (Post-it notes, anyone?)
Still not inspired? Try looking at some of the REAL holidays that made it into the books.
http://www.butlerwebs.com/holidays/default.htm
Still not inspired? Try looking at some of the REAL holidays that made it into the books.
http://www.butlerwebs.com/holidays/default.htm
Prompt 4:
Reality TV. Go ahead, make fun of it. You know you want to.
List ten humorous ideas for reality TV shows. Pick the one that appeals to you the most and write 500 (or more) words about what viewers would see on your show.
Reality TV. Go ahead, make fun of it. You know you want to.
List ten humorous ideas for reality TV shows. Pick the one that appeals to you the most and write 500 (or more) words about what viewers would see on your show.
Prompt 5:
The "How To" article is a staple of popular magazines. We are humorists. We don't need "How To" ho hum articles. What we need are "How NOT To" articles.
Examples:
The "How To" article is a staple of popular magazines. We are humorists. We don't need "How To" ho hum articles. What we need are "How NOT To" articles.
Examples:
- How NOT to get a cat out of a tree.
- Ten things NOT to do if you want to get lucky with the ladies.
- How NOT to find serenity through the art of Feng Shui.
Brainstorm a list of
five. Write about the one that tickles your funny bone the most.
Prompt 6
I own an alarm clock that is smarter than the average human. It automatically sets itself to the correct time, has an alarm that only sounds on weekdays and a separate alarm for weekends. It even knows the day of the week without any input from me. I suspect it is plotting to take control of the VCR any day now; microwave and laser printer to follow.
Are you technologically challenged? Does a universal remote make you want to run screaming in the streets? Or maybe you are one of the gifted. Maybe you have a talent for bailing out the techno-challenged and can't help but shake your head at all the fuss. (In which case I will feel perfectly justified in hating you. Be warned.)
Write about the challenges of today's technology, or about belly button lint. Your choice.
I own an alarm clock that is smarter than the average human. It automatically sets itself to the correct time, has an alarm that only sounds on weekdays and a separate alarm for weekends. It even knows the day of the week without any input from me. I suspect it is plotting to take control of the VCR any day now; microwave and laser printer to follow.
Are you technologically challenged? Does a universal remote make you want to run screaming in the streets? Or maybe you are one of the gifted. Maybe you have a talent for bailing out the techno-challenged and can't help but shake your head at all the fuss. (In which case I will feel perfectly justified in hating you. Be warned.)
Write about the challenges of today's technology, or about belly button lint. Your choice.
Prompt 7:
Internal dialogue. Thinking one thing, but saying another. The interplay of opposites can really punch up humor.
For today's prompt, brainstorm 5 people you might have a mundane conversation with (spouse, telemarketer, neighbor) and use an internal dialogue to punch up the humor of an otherwise routine exchange. Think in terms of: I said... but I thought...
Internal dialogue. Thinking one thing, but saying another. The interplay of opposites can really punch up humor.
For today's prompt, brainstorm 5 people you might have a mundane conversation with (spouse, telemarketer, neighbor) and use an internal dialogue to punch up the humor of an otherwise routine exchange. Think in terms of: I said... but I thought...
Prompt 10:
Take a look at the winners for this year's Wacky Warning Label contest. http://www.wackywarnings.com/
Devote 500 words to a humorous warning label that doesn't exist but should. Be sure to include your version of the label and why it is needed.
Take a look at the winners for this year's Wacky Warning Label contest. http://www.wackywarnings.com/
Devote 500 words to a humorous warning label that doesn't exist but should. Be sure to include your version of the label and why it is needed.
Prompt 11:
Take a few minutes today to read something by your favorite humorist. Then pick a topic and write a piece in the same style.
Take a few minutes today to read something by your favorite humorist. Then pick a topic and write a piece in the same style.
Prompt 12:
Take something you are frustrated with: The toilet seat left up again? The folks who seem to hold family reunions in the middle of the aisle at Wal-Mart? Whatever it is, take the incident and write a humorous revenge piece. What are the ridiculous lengths you would go to?
Take something you are frustrated with: The toilet seat left up again? The folks who seem to hold family reunions in the middle of the aisle at Wal-Mart? Whatever it is, take the incident and write a humorous revenge piece. What are the ridiculous lengths you would go to?
Prompt 14:
Write the "real" definitions of words or catch-phrases. What is your meaning of "user friendly". How do you define "some assembly required"? Make a list of ten related words and define them.
Write the "real" definitions of words or catch-phrases. What is your meaning of "user friendly". How do you define "some assembly required"? Make a list of ten related words and define them.
Prompt 15:
Sometimes you just have to embrace silliness and see what happens.
Today, while getting my morning exercise, I encountered a turtle. I don't know what a box turtle was doing wandering down the side of a city street, but I took it upon myself to rescue him. I realized about halfway home that he may not have viewed it as a rescue. Most likely he viewed it as alien abduction.
When I got home, I sent an e-mail to a friend, detailing the adventure from Mr. Turtle's POV. Here is an excerpt:
One fine and sunny morning, Mr. Turtle had an adventure.
Where am I? he wondered as he stared at the tall concrete curb. What is all this asphalt? Where is Miss Lola? And my wallet?
Try as he might, Mr. Turtle had very little memory of the previous night. Now, it could be that he didn't remember because he was a small amphibian with a teeny, tiny brain. Or, it could have been all the margaritas. Either way, his head hurt.
Mr. Turtle was having a bad morning.
"Perhaps," he said to nobody in particular, "I should lay here and bake myself to death!"
Just then, a shadow approached. Mr. Turtle ducked inside his shell. Next thing he knew, he was airborne! he poked his head out and had a look around. He was flying!
"Maybe this is all just a very bad dream," he said.
But no. It wasn't a dream. Mr. Turtle found himself the captive of a giant hand. The hand was the strong silent type. It didn't say a word. It's companion, The Enormous Head did all the talking. Unfortunately, Mr. Turtle didn't speak Enormous Headese.
Today, take a normal event and write about it from a skewed point of view. Run with it and don't look back. Most importantly, have fun!
Sometimes you just have to embrace silliness and see what happens.
Today, while getting my morning exercise, I encountered a turtle. I don't know what a box turtle was doing wandering down the side of a city street, but I took it upon myself to rescue him. I realized about halfway home that he may not have viewed it as a rescue. Most likely he viewed it as alien abduction.
When I got home, I sent an e-mail to a friend, detailing the adventure from Mr. Turtle's POV. Here is an excerpt:
One fine and sunny morning, Mr. Turtle had an adventure.
Where am I? he wondered as he stared at the tall concrete curb. What is all this asphalt? Where is Miss Lola? And my wallet?
Try as he might, Mr. Turtle had very little memory of the previous night. Now, it could be that he didn't remember because he was a small amphibian with a teeny, tiny brain. Or, it could have been all the margaritas. Either way, his head hurt.
Mr. Turtle was having a bad morning.
"Perhaps," he said to nobody in particular, "I should lay here and bake myself to death!"
Just then, a shadow approached. Mr. Turtle ducked inside his shell. Next thing he knew, he was airborne! he poked his head out and had a look around. He was flying!
"Maybe this is all just a very bad dream," he said.
But no. It wasn't a dream. Mr. Turtle found himself the captive of a giant hand. The hand was the strong silent type. It didn't say a word. It's companion, The Enormous Head did all the talking. Unfortunately, Mr. Turtle didn't speak Enormous Headese.
Today, take a normal event and write about it from a skewed point of view. Run with it and don't look back. Most importantly, have fun!
Prompt 16:
Take this job and shove it. How many times have you looked at some unsavory task and thought those words? Well, maybe not those EXACT words.
Your mission for prompt 16 is to write a letter of resignation. Quit your day job (at least on paper). Rebel against doing yet another load of laundry. Abandon your post as jack-of-all-trades. Just make your explanation funny.
Prompt 17:
I have an affinity for those stores where everything is a dollar. I just can't help myself.
Today, while browsing the Halloween displays (also a weakness) I became enamored of rows and rows of little, brightly-painted, ceramic witch shoes. Did I stop to ask myself: "Self, what on earth does anyone need with little ceramic witch shoes?" No. That would be a rational act. Impulses are not rational. Instead, I found myself admiring each different style and plotting where they fit in with my holiday decor. I entertained the notion of lining them up outside my front door so that people might think I had miniature witches with very sore feet living inside my house. I also entertained the notion of testing my witch cackle right there in the store, just to see what would happen, but fortunately, regained my senses in time.
Your mission: Write 500 words about a silly impulse. It could be something you have done. It might be someone else's impulse that had an impact on you.
Maybe you will write about the consequences of your impulse. Or maybe, like me, you can say you overcame your impulse when you realized you had WALKED to the dollar store and couldn't imagine carrying all those clanking ceramic shoes home inside a plastic bag.
Take this job and shove it. How many times have you looked at some unsavory task and thought those words? Well, maybe not those EXACT words.
Your mission for prompt 16 is to write a letter of resignation. Quit your day job (at least on paper). Rebel against doing yet another load of laundry. Abandon your post as jack-of-all-trades. Just make your explanation funny.
Prompt 17:
I have an affinity for those stores where everything is a dollar. I just can't help myself.
Today, while browsing the Halloween displays (also a weakness) I became enamored of rows and rows of little, brightly-painted, ceramic witch shoes. Did I stop to ask myself: "Self, what on earth does anyone need with little ceramic witch shoes?" No. That would be a rational act. Impulses are not rational. Instead, I found myself admiring each different style and plotting where they fit in with my holiday decor. I entertained the notion of lining them up outside my front door so that people might think I had miniature witches with very sore feet living inside my house. I also entertained the notion of testing my witch cackle right there in the store, just to see what would happen, but fortunately, regained my senses in time.
Your mission: Write 500 words about a silly impulse. It could be something you have done. It might be someone else's impulse that had an impact on you.
Maybe you will write about the consequences of your impulse. Or maybe, like me, you can say you overcame your impulse when you realized you had WALKED to the dollar store and couldn't imagine carrying all those clanking ceramic shoes home inside a plastic bag.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Joe Bunting's post from previous blog post
Here's the article that was blocked :
Four Commandments to Writing Funny
by | 62 Comments
Exciting news! This week we’re cancelling our normal broadcasting to
bring you a series about humor writing. I’ve roped some of the funniest
writers and bloggers I know into teaching us all how to make people
laugh with our writing. It’s going to be awesome!
Today’s lesson comes from Paul Angone, author and blogger at All Groan Up (puns—humor lesson numero uno), where he writes about the joys and miseries of being part of Gen Y. If you want to get to know him better (I do), follow him on Twitter (@PaulAngone) or like All Groan Up on Facebook. Take it away, Paul!
Today’s lesson comes from Paul Angone, author and blogger at All Groan Up (puns—humor lesson numero uno), where he writes about the joys and miseries of being part of Gen Y. If you want to get to know him better (I do), follow him on Twitter (@PaulAngone) or like All Groan Up on Facebook. Take it away, Paul!
When I write, my core goal is not to be funny; my goal is to tell the truth in an entertaining way. If that happens by way of funny, then hot damn! Call me a blend of Owen Wilson and Conan O’Brien in blog form. I won’t stop you.
Even though I try not to force funny, when analyzing my writing process, I definitely employ some strategies (daresay, commandments) to allow funny the space to breathe—if it in fact wishes to come to life.
My Four Commandments to Writing Funny
1. Thou Shalt Not Worry About Offending
First and most important, if you’re overly concerned about what others will think, don’t try your hand at funny. Senses of humor are like living room couches: everyone has a different opinion on what should be sitting in the middle of the room.Sure, stay true to your voice and integrity. Don’t write purely to shock. But you’re going to receive those emails from your classmate in 7th grade, who you haven’t talked to since, writing to tell you that your line about escaping R.E.A.S (Rapidly Expanding Ass Syndrome) was morally offensive. It’s going to happen.
I struggle mightily with this commandment, as I have this nagging issue that I want everyone to like me. But is my commitment to telling truth in an entertaining way or is it to the web-lurkers who only throw grenades, then hide?
2. Thou Shalt Pay Attention to the Mundane
Jerry Seinfield wasn’t funny because he could do impersonations, or was overly animated or creative. He was funny because he told the truth about the mundane. He touched on those taboo simple subjects that we all experience but don’t realize. Tapping into shared experiences is important when writing, but even more so when writing humor. Because you’ll always get a bigger laugh when people are thinking, gosh that’s so freaking true.3. Thou Shalt Take Clichés to Extremes
My wife suggested to me that I write an article about staying healthy while working in an office. Well, we’ve all read that article a thousand times before. So I decided to take that cliche article and write Eight Creative Ways to Lose Weight in the Cubicle where I encouraged readers to engage in Butt-Clinch Pick-Up-Pens and King of the Cubicle.Or when there was report after report about the Occupy Movement marching on streets all over the nation, I wrote Occupy Marches on Sesame Street—twentysomething angst taking on the puppets who lied to them first.
Taking cliches to the extreme is the bedrock to satire.
4. Thou Shalt Use Metaphors and Similes Like the Bubonic Plague
(First, see Commandments 1 and 3.)Metaphors and similes are to funny as Hugh Grant is to romantic comedy.
Instead of writing, “he ran really fast,” why not write, “he ran like a 14-year-old who just walked in on his parents doing the horizontal hula dance”?
Very rarely does a creative simile or metaphor make something less funny.
What other strategies do you use when writing humor?
PRACTICE
Let’s practice the fourth commandment. Take one of these three samples below, turn it into a funny metaphor or simile, and post it into the comments.She was as sick as…
He was taller than…
She relaxed like…
David Sedaris videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExcpcPZKWpU&list=PLA86A504AA10A73C9
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5apZmwR9UI&list=PLA86A504AA10A73C9
How to write like David Sedaris:
http://remainingawriter.blogspot.com/2012/02/how-to-write-like-david.html
http://ydrstorytelling.blogspot.com/2012/04/david-sedaris-on-writing-write-everyday.html
http://thecopybot.com/2011/08/sedaris-first-sentence/
http://www.missourireview.com/archives/bbarticle/a-conversation-with-david-sedaris/
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1812072,00.html
Welcome back!
Please read Sedaris to pg. 59
TRY THIS EXERCISE TODAY AND POST YOUR ANSWERS!
http://thewritepractice.com/four-commandments-to-writing-funny/
Also, get your blogs going! Only 6 of you posted your blog links on the last post.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5apZmwR9UI&list=PLA86A504AA10A73C9
How to write like David Sedaris:
http://remainingawriter.blogspot.com/2012/02/how-to-write-like-david.html
http://ydrstorytelling.blogspot.com/2012/04/david-sedaris-on-writing-write-everyday.html
http://thecopybot.com/2011/08/sedaris-first-sentence/
http://www.missourireview.com/archives/bbarticle/a-conversation-with-david-sedaris/
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1812072,00.html
Welcome back!
Please read Sedaris to pg. 59
TRY THIS EXERCISE TODAY AND POST YOUR ANSWERS!
http://thewritepractice.com/four-commandments-to-writing-funny/
Also, get your blogs going! Only 6 of you posted your blog links on the last post.
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