The secret in comedy writing is association. Let’s see how this technique of association generates hilarious result. By association, means by pairing or combining thoughts, images or even words together.
The most popular and obvious form of association in comedy is INCONGRUITY; by pairing of opposites or contrasts. Like fat and thin, black and white, new and ancient and the list goes on. By juxtapositing two opposites it creates incongruity. This premise can whip up endless potential humorous ideas. Examples like a tall reek-thin man standing beside his rotund wife, a caveman using a handphone, a smart-talking donkey with a dumb owl or a devil having a friendly round of poker with an angel. As I’ve said before “anything goes”. But of course not all incongruities will produce funny result.
Another obvious source of incongruity is the OXYMORON. Oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two seemingly contradictory words are combined. Examples like: open secret, good grief, original copies, small crowd or alone together.
Similarly to the technique of incongruity, is the REVERT. Here you take a normal situation and reverse it into its opposite. The most popular example is the bride carrying her groom into the room. Just take any ordinary situation and turn it around and see whether it can engender laughter. Like instead of having a bird in a cage, have a man in a bird cage, with the bird watching outside. “Anything goes”!
Use the association technique to light up your creative fuse and set it ablaze with ideas. Spur your brain to make new connection or new associations with opposities that will attract laughter.
The two main phrases in comedy writing are: “what if” and “anything goes”. They are catalysts for generating funny ideas.
“What if” challenges your imagination and “anything goes” takes you beyond your imagination. With the combination of these two key stimulants, you will ultimately create a funny idea.
Now let’s take a look at the thinking process behind the creation of a funny idea. Employing the two important phrases “what if” and “anything goes”, means letting your mind run wild and free. Don’t think logically, but creatively. As I say again,”anything goes”! Let random images, thoughts or memories mix, combine or pair them up, until you find a potential funny idea. This technique is popularly known as ASSOCIATION.
You associate thoughts or images from different sources. This association process may appear to be disorganized. But actually it is well focussed and heading towards the ultimate result; a funny idea!
ASSOCIATION is the key to many potential funny ideas. Rather than sitting down facing an empty sheet of paper, let your thoughts wander….and start from there. Don’t hold back. Remember the phrase “anything goes”. From there you pair them with anything. Let your flight of imagination soar….and I am sure you’ll come down with a real funny idea!
My last piece I talked about associating or pairing up opposites to produce funny ideas. Now we associate SIMILARITY or CONGRUITY; by puting the same or similar objects, person or animals together to engender laughter.
One good example is a pair of identical twins or two person wearing the same clothes. They naturally appear “odd” or “funny” to others. People will stare, giggle or whisper some cheeky or unkind remarks uder their breath. It’s a very normal response.
For cartoonists, this association of similarity can spawn lots of funny doodles. They can draw a person looking like an animal or two unrelated objects which are visually alike. The most popular is the garden hose partly hidden by the foliage and mistaken as a snake.
Caricature is a visual art form that employs the technique of congruity. It doesn’t look exactly like the actual person being drawn, but just a distorted or an exaggerated impression of the person and it looks kind of funny, doesn’t it?
Aside from visual art form, many verbal humor derives from this technique too. The most obvious form of verbal humor is the puns. A pun is a play on words, usually humorous based on several meanings of one word, or a similarity of meanings between words that are pronounced the same or the different in meanings between two words pronounced the same and spelled somewhat similarly. Following closely is another form verbal humor, called the double entendres. It can be a word or an expression having a double meaning, especially the second meaning is risque.
So, similarity breeds not only contempt, but comedy too!
People are always curious as where do humorists get their wacky ideas all the time. Once awhile you may hit upon a funny line or silly joke, but to churn out an endless stream of funny ideas is no joke(no pun intended).
So, where and how do the professional comedy writers do it? It’s all up in the head and the deep secret is the thinking process. The combination of creativity and imagination is the first step that will lead your thoughts to the funny finish.
To be imaginative and creative, you got to let your mind wander freely and illogically even to absurdity. Don’t be inhibited. Many a times, the best joke appeared in the most unexpected combination.
Here are five techniques which you can generate humorous ideas:
1. Incongruity – by pairing of opposites or contrasts.
2. Reverse – by switching or reverting of situations.
3. Similarity – by pairing of the same or similar things, person or situations
4. Words – by using puns, oxymorons, cliches and figure of speech
5. Switches – by using others’ideas only as a starting point.
These are the four essential elements of humor:
1. Surprise – unexpected twist to the ending
2. Realism – truth or logic that can be related to or recognised
3. Exaggeration – simple distortion to the extent of absurdity
4. Victim – the butt of the joke