>>> Item number 29985 from WRITERS LOG9405C --- (46 records) ----- <<< Date: Sun, 15 May 1994 18:35:02 JST Reply-To: WRITERS Sender: WRITERS From: Mike Barker Subject: EXERCISE: Jokes as Plot Seeds Jokes have occasionally been referred to as "essential stories." Whether you believe they are or not, they almost always do have characters, some action, and a "twist" that you can use. So... 1. Find a joke. (joke book, memory, rec.humor, comic strip, ask your friends, ask your enemies, look in a mirror...) [WAIT! COME BACK HERE! FINISH THE EXERCISE WHEN YOU FIND A JOKE, DON'T JUST KEEP LAUGHING...] 2. Take it apart. Most jokes are short enough, you should be able to tease it apart pretty easily. What's the setup or situation? Characters? and what's the "twist" that makes the punchline? 3. Now, re-arrange it. Make the farmer a high-school principal. The daughter could be... Move it from the country to the city, or vice-versa. Can you add to the setup? Suppose there were THREE salespersons? (I know, I know, the sheep would be tired. old joke.) Use the original twist, reverse it, enlarge it, or whatever fits the story you are building. Anyway, try messing around with jokes. They often provide situations for starting a plot that can be very helpful in developing a piece of your very own. In a sense they are "pre-tested" foci of human interests - people don't tell jokes they aren't interested in (after dinner speakers and other politicians may, but people don't). Incidentally, although you are starting from a joke, the final piece doesn't have to be funny. Sometimes bringing out the tragedy in a joke is very effective, too. So - laugh, reflect, and write a tale... tink [heck, even if you don't get around to writing a story, enjoy the jokes. and remember while you are laughing that you are doing RESEARCH FOR WRITING, not just ruining your mind...]