Am I writing for fun and profit? Well, maybe half of that’s right.
Writing humor is serious business, and it can be quite fun… But profitable? We’ll see.
I don’t just want to write – I have to write. Putting words together to form sentences is something that emanates from the dark recesses of my mind. I have a yearning desire to express myself on the page, and I’ve been known to turn a phrase or two. But once upon a time I experienced an epiphany: I could actually make people laugh.
Of course, not all my readers laugh out loud at everything I scrawl. In fact, some take my humor as a personal affront. I’m not trying to insult anyone (unless they truly deserve it). I’m just pointing out humorous “qualities” that certain odd-balls display on a regular basis.
Let’s face it, there’s an abundance of idiots and crackpots living among us who need to be skewed. I’m only drawing attention to these special people as a public service.
A good writer has to show respect for his readers. Creating a bizarre, comedic world has to be somewhat based on reality — it has to be believable. But in this day and age, it’s all ass-backwards: reality is based on a bizarre, comedic world. Regrettably, our reality has become unbelievable!
If a writer wants to be funny, they can just repeat the news of the day verbatim.
Newscasters are now stand-up comedians spewing their monologues 24/7. Walter Cronkite has been supplanted by the Jerry Springers of the news world.
And don’t get me started on politics where smarmy comedians are writing our laws.
A prerequisite to good writing is voracious reading. If you don’t read a lot of books, how can you write one? But some of my detractors wonder out loud what kind of twisted books I’m reading to write such drivel. (I didn’t say I was reading good books…)
A lot of my readers like my writing because “you write what I’m thinking.” I’m often self-deprecating and make fun of myself and my foolish ways — and that’s exactly what they were thinking. (I have some very perceptive readers!)
I call myself a humorist… and many get a good laugh out of that proposition, proving that, indeed, I am a humorist. (If you follow that logic, you’ll end up in a ditch.)
Over the years I’ve written several books, many short stories, articles and essays. I even wrote my own obituary which won’t be published for many years – hopefully. But my latest book, Life is Hell and Way Too Short, has been published recently on Amazon Books. The story takes place in the fictional town of Diablo Springs, Colorado. If you’re a Pagosan, you will certainly find many similarities between the two towns, except that Diablo Springs is a virtual mountain insane asylum. The cognitive dysfunction is attributed to the lack of oxygen at 7,000 feet.
Life is Hell is a comedy-satire to the hilt. Ribald, naughty and nice, it’s not for the squeamish, or the Amish!
This book almost wrote itself, and the author was simply along for the ride. Written in a style called Slice of Life, I seemed to be sailing on a stream of consciousness from beginning to end. The plot — interspersed with trials and tribulations, arch villains, lovers and friends — develops spontaneously as unexpected events lead the way. This book is more than comedy, more than a cast of quirky characters… it is a world within itself, a true “slice of life.”
If you enjoy the irreverent humor of George Carlin, the amusing wit of David Sedaris, or a demented movie by Quentin Tarantino, then you will find this uproarious book curiously delightful. Be prepared to laugh out loud!
Please click here to purchase Life is Hell and Way Too Short…
DC has been a frustrated musician for over fifty years, and now has decided to become a frustrated writer. Learn more at DCDuncan.com. He’ll keep you posted.