SiteBe a Funny Freelancer
I learned the value of injecting humor into my queries and articles a few years ago when my Family Circle editor called in the middle of editing my diet article to tell me that the article was cracking her up. Her favorite line? “When the fat hits your thighs from a big pizza pie, that’s not amore.”
Since then, I’ve added humor to not just diet pieces, but also articles on small business marketing, martial arts, and even credit union management. I also let editors see my funny side (that would be my left side) in e-mails: Recently, in an e-mail accepting an assignment, I included a joke relating to the article topic that had my editor guffawing.
Everybody likes humor, and unless you’re writing on a super-serious subject, you can probably add laughs to just about any piece of writing. To get into a funny mood, try reading your favorite humor author, such as Dave Barry
Have you ever incorporated humor into a not-so-funny subject in a query or article? Let us know about it in the Comments section! [lf]
9 Responses to “Be a Funny Freelancer”
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wess stewart
Said this on December 30th, 2007 at 11:25am:I can’t afford to inject humor. It takes away from the dripping sarcasm.
Derek
Said this on December 31st, 2007 at 12:20am:I think most writers become writers just so they can show people the humor they find in the most mundane things. There’s not much else entertaining about writing in itself. I think boring people would get bored of writing boring things too quickly to call themselves “writers”. I know that’s the case with me, but I’m just starting so I can’t claim to know too much.
Justin
Said this on December 31st, 2007 at 11:49am:I have the opposite problem… I have to remind myself reign myself in before my attempts at humor detract from the real subject matter.
In my defense, my subject is all too often some sort of dry technical topic that would put me to sleep if I didn’t break up the geek speak every now and then.
Wess Stewart
Said this on December 31st, 2007 at 10:13pm:Yeah, but there’s only so many jokes one can make about motherboards and floppy discs.
Derek
Said this on January 1st, 2008 at 5:58pm:Hahaha, I’m always up for a good “your motherboard is so fat” joke. I don’t think jokes are the only way to get a laugh though. Lots of Justin’s work is easy to read, even though I have no idea what he’s talking about most of the time. As long as it’s relatable writing, a Xerox manual can be funny.
Justin
Said this on January 1st, 2008 at 7:21pm:Yeah, but they’re timeless. I can’t even type “floppy” or “hard” disc without chuckling to myself.
DianaBurrell
Said this on January 1st, 2008 at 7:50pm:Justin, I’d love to see what you could do with a joystick.
Derek
Said this on January 1st, 2008 at 8:18pm:Diana just proves my point. Her comment is 3 times funnier if she’s not joking.
Wess Stewart
Said this on January 2nd, 2008 at 6:09am:Personally, I don’t care what you can do with a joystick…I can play DigDug with one, and that’s all that matters!