Six Hilarious Tips to Create Comedy in Your Story

November 8, 2018November 4, 2018 F.A. HuffmanLeave a comment

Have you ever wanted to write something that will make a person laugh? Then have I got some good tips for you. If you don’t like to make people laugh, you will have to wait your turn. I’ll get to you.

Laughter comes along with instant benefits to a person. It can improve the immune system, cure male pattern baldness, helps them relax, and lowers blood pressure. Now, before I jump into the tips to add laughter to your writing, I want to address those that don’t want to make people laugh. Why? Are you afraid of one of the following:

“I’m not funny.” – Have you ever laughed? If you have, then you have a sense of humor.
“My stuff is serious writing.” – It’s not going to hurt your readers to get a little surprise chuckle.
“Nobody understands my humor.” – You are probably trying too hard.

Humor can be tricky because everybody finds different things funny. But there are different things you can do that will almost guarantee that you can get a smile from just about anybody.

Edit it like crazy.

In reality, being funny is actually quite hard. Your first draft is going to have some goods stuff, so use the other tips in this list and make it better. The rewrite it. Once you think you have it, ask a friend to read it quietly as you watch them. Look at the corners of their eyes. Once you see their eyes crinkle a bit, you breathe a sigh of relief.

2. Find a swipe file.

Swipe files have a collection of comedy gold that you might not have thought up yourself. You don’t have to worry about plagiarism because it is there to help people.

3. Grab a thesaurus.

Finding that really good word can help to change and “eh” into hysterical laughs. It could be the spelling of the words or how it sounds with the other words that send your joke over the top.

4. Comedic timing is everything.

This could just mean that you add a word in at the last second to grab a laugh. You can also force a pause in your writing, and then hit them with the funny part. This can be used to surprise your reader with a funnier direction than they had expected.

5. Specificity is key.

Specifics tend to be funnier. People like specifics because they can visualize it better than generalities.

6. Be the joke.

The only way you can make fun of something without offending other people is to be that something. Readers will love to laugh at you and your life. That means you can use not only yourself, but your kids, pets, parents, spouse, your job, and so on.

I do believe you guys are ready to go write something hilariously funny. Now get to it. Share a bit of gold with me if you would like. Trust me, I’m an easy laugh.

FYI:

Grab your copy of Loved by Death on Amazon. I will be making Loved by Death: Book One of The Wolfsbane Chronicles available for free on Kindle in the coming weeks, so make sure you keep an eye out so that you don’t miss your chance.

The Killer of all Great Writers

August 14, 2018August 14, 2018 F.A. HuffmanLeave a comment

Today we are going to talk about the biggest killer of all writers.

Writer’s Block

Calm the screaming. I know, it’s scary, but it doesn’t have to end your career. There are ways around it, and I’m sure I will write many more posts on the subject. There’s no need to feel bad. Every writer gets it. Even the best most famous writers have to deal with writer’s block. I’ve got 14 ways to help you work through writer’s block.

Before we get into how to combat writer’s block, let’s look at what could be causing the block.

Timing – Maybe it’s not the right time for you to write. Maybe you need to let your ideas stew a little bit more before they can be written down.
Fear – A lot of writers will struggle with fear when it comes to actually putting their ideas down on paper. They are afraid of sharing a part of themselves. They are afraid of being criticized and judged. They are afraid that it will be the only thing they write. I know fear has been what has slowed me down on getting my first book out.
Perfectionism – For a writer, the book is never done. Even once its gone to press, you’ll still be thinking about how you could have changed something. At some point, you have to be finished with it. Perfect doesn’t exist. It’s only an excuse.

While dealing with writer’s block is tough, here are some things you can try to break through the wall.

Find some inspiring quotes and read them for inspiration.
Make bullet point lists of ideas.
Call somebody you haven’t spoken to in a while.
Spend some time with a person that lifts you up.
Come up with a regular schedule.
Make some coffee.
Listen to music.
Freewrite.
Read a book.
Switch up your environment.
Play.
Exercise or do something that keeps your blood pumping.
Get rid of your distractions.
Take a walk.

The important thing is to create some momentum to get over that wall.

If your still not sure what to do, here are some things that you should not do to try to overcome the block.

Refusing to write until you are inspired.
Wallowing in self-pity.
Making excuses or procrastinating.
Watching TV.

If you’re looking for that magical fail-proof way to overcome writer’s block, here it is:

WRITE

Don’t waste time waiting for inspiration. Begin, and inspiration will find you. – H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Stay Focused

February 13, 2018August 9, 2018 F.A. HuffmanLeave a comment

I don’t know about you, but staying focused on my writing is my biggest problem. Focus is why it took me so long to write Loved By Death. I enjoy writing, spewing out all the words and feelings, but I am so easily distracted. Hell, I’m lucky if I’m able to focus long enough to write a complete chapter in one day. Ironically, when I am ghostwriting a book, I can have it written in a couple of days depending on the length and the material.

So, we are going to take a little class together today on how to keep yourself focused. Trust me, I’m learning just as much as you are. If you have any tips on staying focused on your writing, please share them in the comment below.

Work With Your Brain’s Schedule

Who knew that your brain had a schedule? Actually, that makes sense. My brain tells me when it’s time for coffee.

Chances are you have probably noticed the times during the day when you seem to be more focused. Most people tend to be the most distracted between 12 and 4 p.m. with the peak being around 2. The brain works the best during the late morning, meaning after 10 a.m. This is when the brain is fully awake. Use the hours between 10 a.m. and noon for some intensive writing, and then take a break about midday to refresh.

Reward the Brain

Your brain learns the things you do. This means that the more often you engage in a distracting behavior, like playing a matching game on your phone every time it says you have lives, the more likely you are to do it. Your mind has been rewarded in some way by these distracting behaviors. This means you need to break these behaviors by stopping them when you notice them happening. The harder it is for you to be distracted, the less likely it will happen.

Take Real Breaks

While work typically involves a constant stream of input: constant phone calls, emails, 20 tabs open, it doesn’t do much for your focus. Find someplace you can go for 15 minutes where you cannot be distracted. A quiet room, a place without wi-fi, somewhere you can let your mind rest.

No Multitasking

The fact is, nobody can actually multitask. The brain can only focus on one thing at a time. All you do when you multitask is switch between different tasks quickly. You’re not actually doing two, three, four things at once. The more often you switch, the more energy you use. Instead, make a list of what you need to do, and work down the list. One task at a time.

Do Something Engaging

Have you ever started working on something and then a few minutes later you are daydreaming?

When you don’t think what you need to do is worth your time, your brain will start to float around to other more stimulating things. You have to figure out if it’s you or the task. If the task isn’t currently engaging you then you should work on something else, and work on the less engaging task during the late mornings.

Chew Gum

This sounds completely crazy, but it works. Research has found that chewing gum will increase the oxygen flow to the attention part of your brain. It will also help your long-term memory and give a bit of an insulin boost. If you don’t really like gum then you can grab yourself a snack. This doesn’t mean you should eat something every time you’re distracted, that could start a bad habit.

The important thing for staying focused is to create an environment for focus. Help your brain out by not making it have to work as hard.

Like I said earlier if you have any tips for staying focused comment below.

The biggest challenge is to stay focused. It’s to have the discipline when there are so many competing things. – Alexa Hirschfield