In 2014, I started reading McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. I read its new material every day, and then started digging through its archives. I noticed patterns and formulas in the pieces it published, and at some point felt that I could start writing for it. Eventually, I did. And I wrote for other humor publications besides McSweeney’s too.
I took great pleasure in coming up with twists on well-known conceits, parodying cultural catchphrases and exaggerating common neuroses. These ideas, as I remember, came semi-naturally to me. Sometimes I would court these ideas by brainstorming even when I wasn’t inspired, but sometimes these ideas really did just hit me and sort of flow. This was just something I did. And a perennial New Year’s Resolution was to publish in Shouts & Murmurs.
I haven’t published any humor writing since 2021. I know that it’s something I can always return to, I don’t have any qualms with that. But it’s so hard to get past the memory of how easy it felt. This memory likely is missing some feelings of frustration, or just how many rejections I got, or how much work I actually put into the humor writing process, from finding a sticky idea to mapping it on to the right format to making sure every joke was sharp.
I’ve submitted a few pieces since 2021. Here’s an excerpt from a rejected piece I wrote in 2024 called “What I Imagine Someone Is Thinking When They Tell Me "That's a Good Question”:
Wow. Wow. That? That is a good question. How insightful, how provocative! I've never received a question like this before in my life. In fact, this inquiry is making me reconsider every aspect of my expertise. It's sophisticated, nuanced, and is actually a question instead of a comment! Anyone who could conceive of such a query must be wise beyond her years and intelligent beyond belief.
I'm definitely not just saying "that's a good question" to stall for time or hide the fact that I have no clue what to say. I wouldn't dare say this to anyone unless I deeply, genuinely believed it was one of the best questions I'd ever heard. I've reserved this compliment of the highest order for the daring interlocutors. I've said, "that's a good question" even fewer times than I've said, "I love you" to another person.
This question isn't like other questions, the ones that probe trifling matters. How I detest those questions! The imbeciles who ask such flippant queries only show their ignorance and sloth. They didn't do the extra work, unlike this paragon. Her interrogation goes beyond the classic five W's — It recruits every letter of the alphabet!
You get the idea.
And that’s the thing about a good humor piece — its concept evolves and takes new shapes as you add more elements. How does an idea interact when you add a dissenting or contrasting voice? What happens to the idea when you try to incorporate a relevant concept or meme, adding a more current feel to a remote notion? My execution of this idea is sort of one dimensional. That’s not a value judgment — it just means this idea in its current form goes in circles, pretty much.
It feels like many of my would-be humor piece ideas are more one dimensional these days. That probably just means that if I do want to get back into writing and publishing humor, I need to devote a little bit more time to developing these ideas. (It’s difficult, though, when we are literally living in a never-ending episode of Veep.)
If I want humor writing to feel more effortless again, I think I need to start by looking for those ideas. Make myself an vessel and all that.
And just because, here are some McSweeney’s pieces I enjoy:
Anything by Devorah Blachor, whose writing doubles as excellent satire and excellent journalism
Anything by Carlos Greaves, whose day-of, topical humor is inspired
“I Am a Humorist” by Lillian Stone (a perfect imagined monologue for someone who constantly takes herself too seriously)
Special shoutout to fellow science journalists/humorists Elizabeth Preston and Darren Incorvaia
I recently read The Comic Toolbox for my screenwriting class about writing comedy in screenwriting/fiction, but I feel like it would be a good read for anyone broadly interested in humor writing (so long as you can get past some of the dated language).