Preface xiii
Chapter 1 The Unknowable 1
How This Book Is Organized 7
Best Practices 8
Exercises 8
Chapter 2 What Is Humor? 9
Humor in Animals 10
Humor in Babies 10
The Universal Field Theory of Humor 11
Humor Across Cultures 12
The Lost Skill of Humor 13
The Hope of Humor 16
Best Practices 16
Exercises 17
Chapter 3 Quick Start 19
The Tone of Humor 20
Communication Plus 21
Being Aware 23
Thinking Differently 24
Embracing Failure 25
A Relaxed State 26
Best Practices 27
Exercises 27
Chapter 4 The Humor Mindset 29
A Clown State of Mind 30
An Editor State of Mind 32
Just Kidding 33
When Humor Doesn't Work 34
Best Practices 35
Exercises 35
Chapter 5 The Right Kind of Laughs 37
A Willingness to Try 39
Being Self-Effacing 40
The Skill of Getting Laughs 41
Social Lubricant 43
A Temporary Reality 44
Riffing 45
Being Conscious of Your Target 45
A Rich Humor Environment 47
Best Practices 47
Exercises 48
Chapter 6 Being in the Moment 49
Confidence 50
The Mood of the Humorist 52
The Mood of the Audience 53
Social Proof 53
Reputation 54
Context 55
Best Practices 56
Exercises 56
Chapter 7 You Have the Floor 57
How to Communicate 59
Internal Messages 61
Turning Thoughts into Humorous Thoughts 62
Free Writing 62
Free Talking 64
The Opinion Generator 65
Best Practices 66
Exercises 66
Chapter 8 The Funny Filters 67
New Toys 69
The Funny Filters in Conversation 74
Humor Preferences 76
Best Practices 76
Exercises 77
Chapter 9 Isn't It Ironic 79
How Irony Works 80
Simple Comparisons 81
Dramatic Irony 83
Irony Examples 84
Using Irony 85
Best Practices 86
Exercises 86
Chapter 10 What a Character 87
How Character Works 88
Characters in Context 89
Character Examples 91
Character Archetypes 92
Is Everyone a Character? 94
Where Is the Surprise in Character? 96
Best Practices 97
Exercises 97
Chapter 11 A Point of Reference 99
How Reference Works 100
How to Find Reference 102
Reference Examples 103
Avoiding Clichés 104
Using Reference with an Existing Message 105
Other Types of Reference Humor 106
Best Practices 107
Exercises 107
Chapter 12 Shock and Outrage 109
How Shock Works 110
The Appetite for Shock 112
Shock with Your Message 113
Shock Humor for Kids 114
Shock Examples 115
Best Practices 115
Exercises 116
Chapter 13 A Hilarious Parody 117
How Parody Works 118
Parody Examples 119
Types of Parody 120
Impressions 121
Best Practices 121
Exercises 122
Chapter 14 So Much Hyperbole 123
How Hyperbole Works 124
Hyperbole Examples 125
Hyperbole Pitfalls 126
Setting Up Hyperbole 126
Best Practices 128
Exercises 128
Chapter 15 Playing with Words 129
How Wordplay Works 129
Wordplay Devices 130
Popular Wordplay Devices 136
Wordplay Examples 139
Best Practices 139
Exercises 140
Chapter 16 Getting Carried Away 141
How Madcap Works 142
Madcap Examples 143
How to Use Madcap 143
Best Practices 145
Exercises 145
Chapter 17 A Good Analogy 147
How Analogy Works 148
How to Use Analogy 149
A Hidden Message 150
Analogy Examples 151
Best Practices 153
Exercises 154
Chapter 18 Misplaced Focus 155
How Misplaced Focus Works 155
How to Use Misplaced Focus 156
Misplaced Focus Examples 157
Best Practices 159
Exercises 159
Chapter 19 Going Meta 161
How Metahumor Works 162
Metahumor Examples 164
How to Use Metahumor 165
Metahumor Pitfalls 165
Best Practices 166
Exercises 167
Chapter 20 Putting It All Together 169
Combining Filters 170
Keep Playing 172
Best Practices 173
Exercises 173
Chapter 21 The Cringe Factor 175
Canceled 177
Finding a Mooring Mast 178
Following the Rules 179
Best Practices 180
Exercises 180
Chapter 22 Make It Fun 181
Discover Your Own Way 182
Good Luck 183
Have Fun 183
You Got This 184
Humor Glossary 185
Acknowledgments 189
About the Author 191
Index 193
