Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Comedy

For those of you who read that post titled "Another One" about the piece "Bar None" I wrote for that creative nonfiction class I'm taking, you might want to know some of the remarks I got on it. The assistant professor who teaches the class said I should finish the jokes in the first two paragraphs because it would be funnier and I could do it. OK, she also really likes it when we include the unexpected in our writing.

So let me ask you if you agree with me about this. Having one of those sentences about "X walks into a bar ..." sets up a joke that doesn't come. That's unexpected and unnecessary. That would miss the point of the paper. I do agree that I could have had a more effective ending. I wasn't sure how I wanted to end it, and it shows.

Back to the suggestions, some of them got it, but most of the ones in the class, including the teacher, don't think like stand-up comedians the way some of us do. What do you think?

Btw, they liked "What a Drag" with the RuPaul quote. Some of them didn't know who all the people were I mentioned, but that wasn't necessary to get the point. It got good reviews. Thank you, Miss Ginger!

2 comments:

the dogs' mother said...

I went back and totally got it. Again. I understood the point and where it was going.
You are nowhere without a good beginning. All the writing I've been paid for over the years - the beginning what was I worked on most. It comes right away or it comes after the whole thing is written.

David Dust said...

Just goes to show you - Comedy is subjective. But fake tits & hair, coupled with eyeshadow and a sassy attitude, is universal!

XOXOXOXOXO