'but a true reflection of the emotions of people will include humour and the most tragic of events can be more dramatically written if the slightest touch of humour is included; just a word, a phrase or the description of a reaction by one of the characters can add much to the total effect.'

I really agree with this - something I try to achieve though it always comes as something as a pleasurable surprise if other people do find it funny.

One of the nicest comments I ever received from an editor on one of my stranger pieces was 'doesn't make much sense, probably not meant to - but it is funny'.

I was a happy bunny

Sarah

<Added>

'Come on in, the water's lovely'?

Sorry...

I like that one, too!

Sarah,
I agree that it can come as a pleasurable surprise when other think your writing is funny. This can also be an education in itself... some years ago I wrote a stage sketch and patted myself on the back and laughed when writing the 'funny' bits. 'That'll get 'em rolling in the aisles.'

Came the first performance and I found the audience was NOT laughing at the lines I thought were funny but at lines that were not intentionally funny.

I learned something that day about how actors can impart humour with the most unfunny lines, so that for me was an extremely valuable lesson.

Len

Re: Two guys and a tree.

Hi Griff, if you like it then your friend is welcome to post it under his name.




For my sins I've tried the Daily Mail's photograph caption comp, but never come anywhere. I don't think they liked my last attempt of the two football managers sitting on the bench; one scratching his nose, the other chewing his nails, to which I'd written:

"He picks 'em, and I eat 'em."

Two guys and a tree:

"Hi, would you like to purchase a copy of The Watchtower?"

or

"Dave, I already told you I don't like surprises."

Fun exercise, isn't it!

Love the "Dave" one, Sibelius.

Ok, second attempt:

"Oh b***er, that pedlar lied to me when he sold me the axe."

Nice idea - my instincts tell me it could be made punchier though... eg "Bloody lying pedlars ?",
"Never trust a salesman" etc ? Agree / disagree ?

Two guys and a tree

What about:


"Yep, this one's going nowhere. Solid as a rock."

"Hey! You're not a beever!"

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Or:

"Cut me a slice of swiss roll, would you?"

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I amend that to

"Cut me a slice of that swiss roll, would you?"

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Or

Wanna slice of swiss roll?


I'm obsessed Swiss rolls now. I don't get the pedlar thing too condensed. Love Dave.

So many completely different ideas from one picture!
I'm really intrigued to see what the winning caption will be this weekend now...

Which of yours was your favourite?

Yup, you're right, griff, the snappier the better.

I did consider:
"Throw that Koala back!"
but I think that works best with a hole in the road.





<Added>

the snappier the better on reflection, I think you need to slip a reference to the magic axe in there somewhere.

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Snowbell, what about:

"Oh, darn it Joe. That was my slice."

I think we liked "But it is art", mostly because we thought that was a very New Yorker kind of sentiment...

I've found this quite a challenging exercise to do: sometimes a caption seems funny because you've been looking at the picture without the caption for so long, that you get that feeling of "oh yes I've found one that works" when you finally hit one.

But you also have to ask yourself, if I had seen the caption and the picture together for the first time, as in a "real" cartoon, would it have the impact ?

So often you find yourself restating in words the image in the cartoon in some fashion (which I think "Come on in, the water's lovely" does to a slight extent, although it is certainly funny), when what you really need is to go for a twist beyond the joke that's been set up in the picture.

But if I knew the answers, I'd be a cartoonist. (And if I could draw of course, which I can't.)

Ah, a twist, you say, Griff.
How about:

"Yes it would make a nice swimming pool, but ....... "

(Can't think of anything to fill the gap. I'll come back to it.)

<Added>

Ah, one for the welsh:

"Oh, I thought you said a coracle"

What about

"Dave - what happened to your legs?"