Learning the Funny

Wow. I have to say, I was nervous about my guest post at Carrots ‘N’ Cake, but I am so happy with how well received it was. The topic seemed to resonate with a lot of people and I hope that my experience will help others — and hopefully I snagged a few new readers in the process. If I did — welcome!

Earlier this week I took a free Memoir Writing class at Gotham Writers’ Workshop. It was wonderful. I learned so much in only an hour. Of course, the purpose of these free hour long sessions is to whet your appetite so you sign up for a full length workshop. Gotham offers 6-week, 10-week and 1-day intensive workshops, in addition to Online Courses and some other seminars here and there (including How to Blog!).

Their little plan worked and I wanted so much to take a workshop. I absolutely loved the Memoir Writing workshop, but I was also fascinated by the Humor Writing, which as I mentioned is taught by Sara Barron. Their prices aren’t bad at all; in fact, they are the same prices the courses were back in 1997! But even so, it was more money than I could hand off right now.

Sara Barron

So I gave up the dream. I told myself, “maybe in the Spring.” The one-day intensive Humor Writing conflicted with a wedding, but I was considering the one-day Memoir Writing.

And then the Gotham Fairy came to bestow my wish upon me. By Gotham Fairy, I mean the boy. And I am fairly certain the boy does not want to be called a fairy, so let’s just leave that phrase there and never speak it again. But I digress!

The boy saw how much I wanted to take the class and knew that there was a $50 savings if I signed up by today — and he offered to buy it for me as a reward for all my running! I’m not exactly clear why running warrants a reward, but I wish I knew this sooner. I would have started running a year ago and reaped many rewards.

I told the boy repeatedly that he didn’t have to do this, that the class will still be here in the spring, etc. But he insisted. I pushed back. He wrote me a check. I enrolled in the class.

He is the best boyfriend. I really did want to take it now because the teachers shift and I can’t know for sure if Sara will be teaching in the spring. But I do know she is teaching now. But I still wasn’t 100% sure if I should take the Humor or the Memoir class. So I opened up the course syllabus for each online and sat here, just an hour before the discount deadline, going back and forth comparing the two. The truth is I want to take both. Whichever one I didn’t take now I will surely take in a one-day intensive format or in the spring. But which one which one which one? The Memoir class did have a lot of topics that I really want to learn. The Memoir class would also be *easier* in a sense — I can write what I know, and while it would be a challenge, the facts are all there. The Humor class had it’s interesting class topics as well, also things I want to learn, but would be a much greater challenge because, really, what if I can’t think of anything funny? How could I be funny on demand?

After lots of back and forth, it was one section of the Humor Writing syllabus that sealed the deal for me:

People – Finding the stupidity in people. Round and flat characters. Showing vs. Telling. Methods for showing characters. Ridiculing groups of people

YES. Oh, yes. I already write about stupidity, but now I can learn to do it MORE and make it BETTER!

And I wanted to take Sara’s class (her book) and I think that while the Memoir class might help me more in the long run, the Humor class would be more beneficial to me right now with my blogging — I can practice on here! Also, I have been trying to figure out how to become Sara Barron’s best friend and stalking her on Facebook and learning where she might be sometimes but not actually going there myself simply hasn’t been enough.

The class starts September 30 and is every Wednesday (except two holidays) through December. It will be cold. I will get home very late. But that isn’t stopping me. It will be a huge challenge, which makes me very nervous and very excited. I feel like my writing has become stagnant. I write on this blog, I write for my job. I write write write. While I certainly can write, I haven’t felt myself improving or producing anything spectacular lately. I know I can do better, but now I need guidance and a big push in the tush. And I need to be challenged to venture out of my comfort zone. I don’t like leaving my comfort zone — new places cause anxiety, new people scare me, new situations confound me. But if I am ever going to improve or write anything more than this blog and work communications, if I am ever going to improve on this blog and work communications, I need to be challenged. I know I can’t keep going on the way I have been going and expect great things to come to me.

And I want to write funnier blogs! Now that I am about to take this class, I really regret not writing down more funny/absurd/stupid/ridiculous things that I’ve encountered. Now I do, since I have a blog. But a few years ago? I remember that stupid things happened but I don’t remember specifics. Damn.

I used to keep a “funny book,” a little notebook with a quote about humor from Oscar Wilde on the front, but I didn’t keep up with it too well. I will need to ransack my apartment and find it because I am sure it will bring back some memories. And I want to see that quote again, I remember loving it. I think I will also go through old Google Chat saved conversations from as far back as I can and try to dredge up some funny memories.

By the way, remember when I was freaking out and trying find a way to fit in a workout before an appointment back in March? I went so far as to call it a workout dilemma?? Just because I didn’t want to miss a day of exercise once every other week? Silly old me. And I mean that. OLD me. These classes don’t start until 7 and I will surely have some free time, but I will use that time to read, write, window (or really) shop and eat dinner. No stressing about workouts these days.

Anyway, this ended up being much longer than I planned. The last thing I want to say today is that this weekend is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. The last two Rosh Hashanahs we celebrated the Year of the Henry. After a 2 year reign, I am pleased to announce that this new year brings with it the Year of the Puppy! Rejoice!

Shana tova and have a great weekend!