I Can Learn To Be Funny?

There’s this book in the library by some joker. It hypothesizes that anyone can learn how to think funny. Well, I’m anyone. I take it out of the local library—for free! (libraries are amazing)—bring it home and realize that there’s a reason it’s called Comedy Writing Workbook and not Comedy Writing Coloringbook or Comedy Writing Doughnut. There are assignments, research, and work involved. Who knew?

When the library late fees kick in I find I’m still working on the first assignment from Mr. Gene Perret’s book. This is quite the useful book, I think, What the hey, I’ll spring $12 for a used copy on Amazon. Three weeks later it is yesterday and still no book. I email the seller. “It’s coming,” she says. I cross my fingers.

This afternoon it arrives. I gently slide the manilla envelope off my precious new, old banged up, creased paperback. It smells a bit like old people (not the cute kind). Curse it—the previous owner has written notes in thick black ink. I fire off an email to the seller over my ill-spent purchase: “Pages have been written on. This isn’t at all the condition I expect for $12.”

I thumb through my book again, examining the handwriting more closely. What the—? The handwriting is part of the printed book. Hah hah ha! Oh, that Mr. Gene Perret. Excuse me a moment as I email an apology to the seller, making this story way longer than we expected when I began typing and you began reading...

Okay, I’m back. The front of the book says it’ll show me how to “think funny.” I think it’s working.

My original point is that I’ll be sharing my book assignments here by posting them. Feel free to add your criticisms, critiques, and caterwauls. Whatever it is you do over there. Hopefully, I’ll become so funny that you’ll some day say, “Yeah well, I knew P.L. Frederick when she or he was not at all funny. Or attractive. Or tall.”

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Portions of the book completed so far:

1. 1A: My Collection Of Favorite Jokes – March 15, 2007


2. 1B: My Collection Of Favorite Quotes – March 20, 2007


3. 1C: My Collection Of My Favorite’s Favorites – March 23, 2007


4. 1D: My Collection Of Favorite Cartoons – September 28, 2007


5. 2A: A Rose By Any Other Name – October 5, 2007


6. 2B: Mrs. Malaprop’s Affliction – October 12, 2007


7. 2C: The Dictionary Must Be Wrong – October 15, 2007


8. 2D: So You Wanna Be Noah Webster – October 22, 2007


9. 2E: Fun With Puns – October 24, 2007


10. 2F: One Person’s Idiom Is Another Person's Straight-Line – November 12, 2007


11. 3A: A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Punchlines – January 15, 2008


12. 3B: Pen And Ink Patter – Ongoing, and I ain’t gonna post ’em (“them” being 1,300 losing entries for The New Yorker magazine weekly caption contest)


13. 3C: Inanimate Playhouse – July 1, 2008 (I admit defeat. I’m skipping this one.)


14. 4A: That Goes With This – July 7, 2008


15. 4B: This Doesn’t Go With That – July 10, 2008


16. 4C: That Makes Absolutely No Sense At All – July 14, 2008


17. 4D: What Can You Say About So-And-So? – August 5, 2008


18. 5A: Say It With Pictures – August 13, 2008


19. 5B: Say It With Funny Pictures (Part 1 and Part 2) – August 18, 2008


20. 5C: The Bobsled Man’s Bottom – August 29, 2008