Telegraphing the Joke

[theBarefoot]

When writing an article online, you are often requested or required to provide an abstract. This is where many articles just die. So often, I see abstracts like, "A humorous look at..." or "This is a funny thing that..."

I have to say, if you have to tell me it's funny, it is not. Telegraphing the fact that it is humor detracts from the humorous impact of the article.

Am I the only one who finds this type of telegraphing a killer?

[Chris M.C.]

"So I must be the exception to the norm. I piss my self regularly all by my lonesome. Maybe it's genetic? I laugh out loud, sometimes in my own head. I accept you mass-hysteria premise though. Laughter is contagious."

Oh...I piss myself regularly too. I am glad I am not the only one.

[Kelly]

this is good to know. I hadn't really thought about this. I have to admit I've been guilty of doing just that when I've done stumble descriptions and I think I've even done it in a couple of abstracts. now I"m going to be paranoid every time I start thinking in this direction.

[Will Wright]

The audience makes a huge difference. Just think of laugh tracks on sitcoms.

[EMohrman]

Yep. Makes ya wonder why depressing dramas don't have weep tracks.

[Will Wright]

Perhaps therein lies the difference between comedy and tragedy.

[Chris Berry]

I like to start out my humor pieces with the statement "This is an absolutely serious article and whatever you do you should not lauh at this". Of course that then makes the reader get all defensive and say stuff like "Oh yeah? How dare you try to tell me, an American citizen, what I can or can't do you commie bastard! Then they usually break out into uncontrollable fits of side splitting hysteria until they wet themselves and are eventually carried away by mysterious men in white coats and carrying extremely large butterfly nets. I admit it is a cheap way to get a laugh but hey, I'll take them however I can get them. So I just want to say in advance "Don't any of you people ever laugh at anything I write! I mean that! Wipe that stupid smile off your face! Do it now! Stop laughing damnit!

[Shana]

Well I won't ever do it again!!! haa haa

[Porter]

"Humor casserole" - I like. I don't think I'm guilty of this in writing but I probably enage in the practice in conversation. I laugh at my own jokes too...I think it's some kind of nervous tic.

As for acceptance (re: stand-up comics), help me out here ... someone famous (a modern writer I believe) explained why we (some people) watch sitcoms, even though they're not funny. You're conditioned to laugh and ostracized if you don't ( not his words), such the reason for the audience -- something to that effect. Maybe it applies here. Wish I could remember the quote... I hate most sitcoms and thought I was weird...It was quite redeeming!

[Will Wright]

I think there's something to the acceptance aspect. From a personal stand point it makes a lot of sense. In the past, if I was the only one not laughing, I'd wonder if I just didn't get it. Then I got over it.

[theBarefoot]

I was disappointed in the first few paragraphs of your Bat Boy article, Will. I laughed, but your attempt to make it obvious that the article wasn't real kind of killed the effect.

[Will Wright]

Yeah. I'm always concerned with those fake news stories on AC. Ham sandwich, anyone?

That one was doubly concerning as Bat Boy is still around in a comic strip, so I wanted to cover myself. Probably not one of my favorite articles for that same reason. A little thin on the satire as well. I was trying a broader style of humor with that article.

As blatantly as I try to make sure no one mistakes the news stories as real -- judging from some comments, people still take them seriously.

What can you do?

It's also interesting to me how the same words have such drastically different effects on people. I think that cuts to the heart of writing. But I'll save pontificating on that for another time.

Thanks for reading the article though.

[Julie]

I totally agree with you on that!