Last Jan. 24, Freewriting Adventures welcomed 2015 with How to Write Funny Without Even Trying, an adventure that brought participants to Luneta Park (Rizal Park) in Manila. In Freewriting Adventures, we believe that the learning process should be as creative as the written work that we produce. An alternative learning experience, Freewriting Adventures challenges participants to explore the world, interact with what they find there, and use that as inspiration.
If you missed our funny adventure, don't worry. Future adventures will be on April 25, July 25, and Oct. 24. All dates are Saturdays, and each event will last from 1p.m. to 5p.m. Further details will be announced when the adventure nears. Each adventure has limited slots, so watch out for the registration announcements. As a special treat, the adventure on April 25 will have no workshop fee!
Icebreaker
Our funny adventure began with an icebreaker called Emote Away. This is a modified version of a speaking exercise that I got from my debate organization back in college.
Armed with emotion flash cards, I would point to a participant and that's the cue for him or her to say the sentence “I like ice cream and chocolate” over and over again. The challenge complicates because each participant has to say that line in a sad way, in a happy manner, or as an angry explosion. The emotion depends on the card that I will raise. The first participant continues to repeat the sentence as another person chimes in, and then another, and another, until everyone is in it, and we become a tumultuous chorus.
After everyone had a round of laughs, we dove into the writing challenges.
Challenge 1
The first challenge is called The humor is in the details. Rule number one of humor writing is Don't try to be funny. This is something that I learned from improv acting classes by SPIT Manila. Instead of trying to write funny, write something true. Humor is just people going hahaha, that's so true!
So I asked participants to pick a kid in the crowd. Then for 15 minutes, I made them list all the details related to this kid, which means describing what she's wearing, the actions that she does, the people she interacts with, her environment, and the darndest things that she says.
From there, I asked participants to choose only ten in their list of details and then create a five sentence piece about their subject. I asked them to save the cutest details for last so that their pieces build up to the cutest detail or the punch line.
Challenge 2
The second challenge is called Mix up the tone. If the topic clashes with the tone of your writing, this can lead to humorous outcomes.
For this challenge, I asked participants to find an occupation in Luneta Park. While we were there we saw a man selling a squeaking bird puppet, tourist photographers, water bottle sellers, and more. I asked participants to pick one person, create a list of details, then discuss those details in an overly serious manner.
Challenge 3
The third challenge is called Fresh eyes. Using an unexpected perspective can also illicit lots of laughs. So I asked participants to imagine that they are foreigners who've never been to Luneta, then they should pick a boring aspect of the place, and talk about it as though they find it completely astonishing.
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Armed with emotion flash cards, I would point to a participant and that's the cue for him or her to say the sentence “I like ice cream and chocolate” over and over again. The challenge complicates because each participant has to say that line in a sad way, in a happy manner, or as an angry explosion. The emotion depends on the card that I will raise. The first participant continues to repeat the sentence as another person chimes in, and then another, and another, until everyone is in it, and we become a tumultuous chorus.
After everyone had a round of laughs, we dove into the writing challenges.
Challenge 1
The first challenge is called The humor is in the details. Rule number one of humor writing is Don't try to be funny. This is something that I learned from improv acting classes by SPIT Manila. Instead of trying to write funny, write something true. Humor is just people going hahaha, that's so true!
So I asked participants to pick a kid in the crowd. Then for 15 minutes, I made them list all the details related to this kid, which means describing what she's wearing, the actions that she does, the people she interacts with, her environment, and the darndest things that she says.
From there, I asked participants to choose only ten in their list of details and then create a five sentence piece about their subject. I asked them to save the cutest details for last so that their pieces build up to the cutest detail or the punch line.
Challenge 2
The second challenge is called Mix up the tone. If the topic clashes with the tone of your writing, this can lead to humorous outcomes.
For this challenge, I asked participants to find an occupation in Luneta Park. While we were there we saw a man selling a squeaking bird puppet, tourist photographers, water bottle sellers, and more. I asked participants to pick one person, create a list of details, then discuss those details in an overly serious manner.
Challenge 3
The third challenge is called Fresh eyes. Using an unexpected perspective can also illicit lots of laughs. So I asked participants to imagine that they are foreigners who've never been to Luneta, then they should pick a boring aspect of the place, and talk about it as though they find it completely astonishing.
Freewriting Adventures is headed by Ja Cruz. With a Bachelor of Fine Arts Major in Creative Writing, she graduated Cum Laude from the Ateneo de Manila University and received the Creative Writing Program Award. The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippine Star, and Cosmopolitan Magazine have published her articles. She worked at Summit Media’s Female Network as an editorial assistant, and she is currently an art reporter for a newspaper.
If you like this post, please subscribe to this blog. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. E-mail us at: freewritingadventures@gmail.com.
*Note: The opinions expressed in this blog do not represent the official views of the companies, organizations, or institutions that I am associated with. These opinions are solely my own.
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