Hi everyone, I am toying with the idea of writing a collection of anecdotes based on true stories of a good friend of mine. His stories never fail to amuse and I am sure other people will find them fascinating too. Well, it can't be just me, surely? But then again, maybe his storytelling vocabulary, together with facial expressions and body language are the things that really amuse me. Can this humorous approach work in written form? I mean, how do you apply a Liverpudlian accent? Are there any techniques? I would love to hear from anyone who has done this type of writing, or even anyone who has dabbled and given up on this style.
Telling a story in an amusing way is a skill, which your friend has. Someone else might not be able to tell the same story with the same level of humor. And as you point out, sometimes even this skill can be different dependent on whether the story is spoken or written. Your friend might or might not be able to convey the same level of humor via the written word. I'm not certain this is a skill that can be taught -- I think humor comes through naturally as part of the author's voice, and it's going to be different for each person. The best I can suggest is to try to figure out what it is you find amusing about the stories, and go ahead and write the stories. See if you think the humor comes through, and then of course, try to see if others find the humor, as well (especially people who don't know your friend.) Good luck!
Welcome to Writing Forums, Lynne! I hope you find what you're looking for here, whatever your interests in writing. This forum aims to provide the best workshopping resources on the internet, and to that end we have a few rules which you should familiarise yourself with before you get stuck in. The main section of the site is the Writing Workshop, where members can post their writing in order to receive critique of their work. However, before we allow members to post their work, they must have met some basic requirments. Firstly, you must have been a member for fourteen days, and have made twenty posts on the forum overall (please note, posts in Word Games do not count towards this). This is so that members, when they post their work, have familiarised themselves with the forums and contributed to them (as well as hopefully learned something for themselves). Secondly, members must provide two constructive reviews of other people's work for each piece of their own that they wish to post. This is because we believe that the focus of workshopping should be equally upon giving reviews as receiving them, as they allow a writer to practice and improve their editing skills, which they can then apply to their own writing. Beyond the Writing Workshop, you will find that we have extensive forums for discussion of aspects of writing, as well as a community area for general discussion. We also run periodic short story and poetry contests, which are good for challenging yourself and expanding your skills. If you have any questions or problems, then the moderators (myself, Cogito, Lemex and Dante Dases) should be your first port of call. Any technical problems with the site itself should be directed to Daniel, the site administrator and owner. I would recommend you have a look over the rules so that you know what to expect, and what is expected. But aside from that, I hope you enjoy your time here. Banzai
Writing funny is a skill, and it is not one that is picked up easily. But if you can find your humorous voice, it can be a lot of fun and very satisfying. The best place to start is by reading the best funny writers. Mark Twain is always a good start. To get a great sampling of different humorous styles, I also recommend "Laughing Matters - A Treasury of American Humor" by Gene Shalit. It's a collection of everyone from Woody Allen to Fran Lebowitz to a host of others, and it's a great way to start exploring the funny. The book is long out of print, but you can get a used copy on Amazon and other places.
