Make Up a Silly or Funny Story
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What you will learn
- 1Plan a silly story using the three-part frame: a silly character, a silly problem, and a silly fix
- 2Use exaggeration (so, such, absolutely, the entire) to make sentences ridiculous and funny
- 3Mix unexpected things together and end with a surprising twist so the reader laughs
Mini Lesson
Silly stories are some of the most fun things to write! The key to making a story funny is the unexpected — put ordinary characters in ridiculous situations, or give them absurd problems that have even more absurd solutions!
The Three-Part Silly Story Frame
- Silly character — someone or something unexpected in an unusual place.
- Silly problem — a problem so ridiculous it makes the reader laugh.
- Silly fix — a solution that is even more ridiculous than the problem!
- Example: A bear who cannot stop hiccupping / hiccups so hard he flies / lands in a honey factory!
The Power of Exaggeration
- Exaggeration means making something much bigger, louder, or stranger than it really is.
- Not funny: "The dog barked a lot."
- Funny: "The dog barked so loudly that all the windows in the street shook and three cats fainted!"
- Words like so, such, absolutely, completely, the entire, every single help exaggerate.
Tips for Silly Writing
- Mix things that do not belong together — a penguin at a pizza restaurant, a sneezing wizard.
- Make the problem get worse before the silly fix saves the day.
- End with a funny twist — a detail that surprises the reader one more time.
- Read it aloud — if it makes you laugh, it will make your reader laugh too!
Words to know
Silly story
A short story that makes the reader laugh by using unexpected characters, ridiculous problems, and absurd fixes
e.g. A penguin who runs a pizza restaurant.
Exaggeration
Making something much bigger, louder, or stranger than it really is so the reader laughs
e.g. "The dog barked SO loudly that three cats fainted."
Unexpected
Something surprising that the reader did not see coming — the core of almost every joke
e.g. A wizard who sneezes purple.
Silly fix
A solution that is even more ridiculous than the problem — often turning a big mess into a happy ending
e.g. Hiring a giraffe to peel pizzas off the ceiling.
Funny twist
One extra surprising detail at the very end of a story that gives the reader one more laugh
e.g. "...except for one very confused purple cow."
Ask yourself: "Is my character unexpected? Is the problem ridiculous? Is the fix even more ridiculous? Did I use at least one exaggeration?"
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