Have you ever tried to write something funny? I’m fascinated by this. Humor writing is one of the most difficult things I’ve ever tried to do, and I try to do it nearly every single week. I believe in the power of humor. It is a powerful rhetorical device and can mean the difference between a good sermon or speech and a bad one. It can mean the difference between someone being mildly interested in what you are saying, and completely opening themselves up to a new idea.
Humor is a gift that a speaker/writer can give to someone else and it is quite hard to come by. Finding humor in our lives and in our struggles teaches us to laugh at ourselves, which is something I often have trouble doing.
Humor writing takes some serious intellectual game. Maybe that’s why so many stand-up and sitcom writers have killer SAT scores. But it’s not just intelligence, but a very rare and specific kind of intelligence with which Jerry Seinfeld has been particularly blessed. It’s also why nearly all stand-up and sitcom writers have killer SAT scores.
This is a really interesting peek behind the curtain at how a bit on Pop-Tarts took shape. I was really amazed about the fact that timing was so important. If there was a gap between two parts of the bit that need transitioned together they would shave syllables, shave words, almost like songwriting.
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