by jmcinnis | Sep 30, 2010 | A. Humor Writing, B. Research Techniques, D. Appropriate Humor, Funny Jokes, Workplace Humor
Sometimes the humor is not in researching the subject thoroughly, but rather in stepping back and looking at the big picture – their name. Companies name themselves and their products all sorts of whacky things, for all sorts of whacky reasons. Watch any commercial,...
by jmcinnis | Sep 20, 2010 | A. Humor Writing, B. Research Techniques, D. Appropriate Humor, Funny Jokes
One fun, easy way to make a mundane noun (that’s person, place or thing) funny is to give that item a human trait. For example, this week I’m doing a show for a group in Austin, TX, and one of the unique things I was told was that Austin has millions of BATS. Yes,...
by jmcinnis | Sep 11, 2010 | A. Humor Writing, D. Appropriate Humor, Funny Jokes, Workplace Humor
Jokes and joke writing are about taking things to the extreme. As I’ve said before, when you want to imply that someone is old, you don’t say 110 – because it’s plausible, you say 310 because it’s outrageous. So make sure in your joke writing that you’re taking things...
by jmcinnis | Sep 8, 2010 | A. Humor Writing, D. Appropriate Humor, Funny Jokes, Workplace Humor
Okay, I just talked about proving a premise, but another technique for fast humor is DISPROVING a premise. The easiest way to do that is to find a principal that we all typically agree on. This can be a phrase or a statement or whatever, and make it counter-intuitive....
by jmcinnis | Sep 3, 2010 | A. Humor Writing, B. Research Techniques, D. Appropriate Humor, Funny Jokes
When you’re coming up with jokes, one quick way is to come up with a premise, and then prove it. For example, I have a joke about cats being better than kids, because. . . “. .cats clean themselves, they don’t talk back, and they will survive a drop from the second...
by jmcinnis | Aug 27, 2010 | A. Humor Writing, B. Research Techniques, D. Appropriate Humor, Funny Jokes, G. Topical Jokes, Workplace Humor
Sure there’s timing of your jokes when you say ‘em, but the time I’m talking about is a little different. Yesterday I was at the new Aria hotel in Las Vegas. . .very cool, very high tech! When I walked into the room, music from the TV kicked on, the room lights lit...
