Category: Humor & Wordplay

April 20, 2017

People Don’t Listen: 7 Dialogue Tropes to Give Them Away

People don’t listen. You know it. I know it. We’ve probably even heard it but didn’t realize because we weren’t listening. And since we’re so familiar with people who don’t listen, using that idea in our stories adds a lot of realism. That makes these 7 dialogue tropes really handy for giving them away. So handy, in fact, that I’m...

Categories Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Humor & Wordplay/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques Comments: 7

April 18, 2017

A Comedy of Thoughts (AKA In Lieu of an Article)

What is a comedy of thoughts? I don’t know. As far as I know, I just made it up. In this case, it’s like a comedy of manners but in your head. Sounds awful, right? Responsibility: Weren’t we supposed to do a post today? Panic: You mean, we didn’t do it? We- Memory: Relax. We did one. Responsibility: We did?...

Categories Humor & Wordplay Comments: 0

April 11, 2017

Save the Words! Make Your Own Idioms!

Join the latest conservationist movement: Save the Words! It’s too late for the letter Ethel. It doesn’t have to be too late for literally and nauseous. And you can help these poor words with one simple action – and it’s free. All you have to do is make your own idioms! That and 212 easy payments of $0.99, and you...

Categories Humor & Wordplay Comments: 0

March 30, 2017

A Great Tone Example That’s Funny, Too

From middle schoolers to adults, people have trouble with tone. Especially telling tone from mood. Well, here is a great tone example that’ll not only help you better understand tone but also make you laugh (what a deal!). But, first off, a bit about tone. What Is Tone? Tone – the attitude of a piece (usually the author or narrator’s attitude...

Categories Humor & Wordplay/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques Comments: 0

March 21, 2017

10 Fun Made-up Words from Movies, Books, and Musicals

Hurray for neologisms! (and neologists!) These fun made-up words from movies, books, and musicals will keep you smiling – especially when you start throwing them around in conversation! 10 Neologisms (Fun Made-up Words)  1. Thneed Picking a single neologism from Dr. Seuss books is quite a challenge. His amusing, rhythmic stories rely on fun made-up words more than perhaps any other author’s works...

Categories Humor & Wordplay/Quotes, Words, & Phrases Comment: 1

March 14, 2017

Spelling as a Frame Story: The Alphabet of Death

Spelling as a frame story? The alphabet of death? What on Earth is this twytte talking about?* Frame stories. Sort of. A little. Maybe. Tbh, this article is focused more on a particular type of frame story, which may not even totally qualify as a frame story (I don’t know. You tell me.). But before we get to that, I guess...

Categories Humor & Wordplay/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques Comment: 1

February 7, 2017

8 Nose Quotes from Page, Stage, & Screen

Why I am I writing about nose quotes? To be honest, I was listening to a show, heard a funny quote about noses, and thought, “Hey! That could be an article.” But noses really are an often-overlooked-yet-persistent part of stories. To help inspire you to use the overlooked or unexpected, here are 8 nose quotes from page, stage, & screen. A...

Categories Humor & Wordplay/Quotes, Words, & Phrases Comments: 0

February 2, 2017

Fill in Your Own Fable: More Malopropisms

Here’s one of Aesop’s fables adjusted for your entertainment. Use parts of speech to fill in your own fable. Then, read it and laugh yourselves silly. Want to see how your fable compares to the original? Check it out at the Library of Congress. And if you had fun, check out more malapropisms from the classics! Just for Fun: If...

Categories Humor & Wordplay Comments: 0

January 17, 2017

A Letter Named Ethel

Once upon a time, there was a letter named Ethel. Being a nice, helpful little letter, Ethel helped people write words like coil. Words with an “oi” sound. So like any vowel worth its salt, Ethel lived her days helping people understand words – because that was her purpose. That’s what made her happy. And life was good. People came to...

Categories General Thoughts & Updates/Humor & Wordplay Comment: 1

January 5, 2017

Articles Are Important. Don’t Believe Me? Here Are 3 Examples to Prove It.

Articles: a, an, and the. Three little words that are often overlooked or outright dismissed, especially by math-minded people or people with English as their second language. No, really – I do a lot of editing for writers in both categories, and from experience, I can tell you that both definitely tend to skip articles. I’ll tell you the same thing I...

Categories Grammar & Editing/Humor & Wordplay Comment: 1