Craft Talk with Tracy Lee Curtis: Humor Writing
Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:00:59 — 55.9MB)
In this episode 271, host Landis Wade has a craft talk with Tracy Lee Curtis, an award-winning author and former syndicated humor columnist for The McClatchy Company, nationwide, about the craft of writing humor. Tracy wrote over 500 columns for the Charlotte Observer, and published a Humor Me trilogy of gift books, collections of her columns from the last decade about the imperfection of motherhood. Tracy says you can find the funny in almost anything if you look hard enough.
About the Author:
Tracy Curtis is an award-winning author, speaker and former syndicated humor columnist for The McClatchy Company, nationwide. She wrote over 500 columns for the Charlotte Observer, and published a Humor Me trilogy of gift books, collections of her columns from the last decade about the imperfection of motherhood.
Trophy Mom, Beach Bummed and Holidazed were released in 2016, and Holidazed was awarded a national 2016 Independent Publisher Book Award. In 2017, Tracy was announced as a top ten finalist in the Anna Lefler/Erma Bombeck Humorist-in-Residence writing competition that drew over 400 applicants from six countries.
A former CNN producer, Tracy enjoyed a fifteen-year career in radio, television and film. She speaks to literary groups and business organizations, teaches humor workshops and has also performed standup at The Comedy Zone.
Tracy lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband, two sons and three step-children.
And when she’s not writing? She’s unloading the dishwasher!
Connect with the Author:
Some of Tracy’s Thoughts on Humor
Humor: What it IS
- Creative misdirection: Engaging reader by taking them someplace they don’t expect to go
- Making the reader see something in a whole new way
- Trying to find the lighter/funnier side of things
- Levity is the opposite of gravity
- Even if your subject is a serious one, the subtle use of humor can both ease tension and provide a respite from difficult moments.
- Distinct voice
- Not jokes or punchlines – Not comedy or slapstick
- Maybe snark?
Suggestions
- Avoid sarcasm
- Keep it clean – it’s easier to make some dirty than to clean something up
- Don’t be judgmental
- Be Honest and/or self-deprecating – it’s inclusive, says ‘we’re all in this together’
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