My husband and I finished our "Get Funny" online class a few weeks ago. We had a lot of fun in the class. I noticed he was better with one-liners and satire, and I was better at parody and exaggeration. We both received a 97% on the final exam (yes, there was a final exam). We didn't even get the same question wrong. The question I got wrong was about bathroom humor... (pfffft). Since our assignments weren't graded, but critiqued in the discussion area, there was no way to really determine which of us earned a better grade in the class. So I asked our instructor in the discussion area which one of us was funnier. Her answer, "I usually don't do this, but yes, one of you is funnier."So, even after taking the class, we still can't prove who is funnier!
Here are the top five things I learned from this class..
1. Take notes in an observation notebook. You can write daily observations or things that make you laugh from a TV show or real life. This will be useful when you write scenes in your story.
2. Three components of good observational humor are keep it real, recognizable, and use a fresh approach.
3. The four rules of pop culture references are they must be relevant, recognizable, original, and well-stated.
4. More people will accept bathroom humor in a film or TV show if it serves a purpose to the plot. (That's the question I got wrong!)
5. If your submission is rejected, it's selection, not rejection. (Right, writers!?)
Of course I learned more than this. The assignments were writing exercises, which is helpful for any writer. I researched and learned about specific comedians, the history of comedy, the rules of improv, and so much more. It was definitely a worthwhile class.
I enjoy comedy very much. I don't have time for a lot of TV or movies, so when I do watch something, it is almost always a comedy.
My top three movie comedies are Elf, Vacation, and Old School.
My top four TV comedies are The Soup!, Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother (see picture), and Community. Seinfeld and Friends are old favorites.
Favorite comedian? Joel McHale
Book that recently made me laugh out loud? Guess Again by Mac Barnett....unexpected silliness.
What are your favorite comedic TV shows or movies? What books made you laugh out loud?
