The Joke Machine: A Creative Writing Tool That’s Disguised as a Joke Book by Theresa Julian
So, two guys walk into a bar…
Wait, that’s not how I meant to start. I meant to start by telling you that I’m the author of The Joke Machine, a new non-fiction book that teaches middle graders how to create their own jokes and become funnier. I’m nervous because my spellcheck mysteriously switched into Hungarian and I can’t tell if words are misspelled.
Spelling words wrong is something I do knot want to do. I know the importance of proper spelling, it’s something my feather taught me. If I mix up even two letters, this whole post is urined.
Now you’re probably wondering, is she kidding about the spellchecker? The urined post? And most importantly, what happened to the guys who walked into a bar? Well, the answers are yes, yes, and two guys walked into a bar – the third one ducked.
Apologies for a long introduction, I just wanted to make you laugh.
Making someone laugh is one of the best feelings in the world. Growing up as a shy child, I always wished I was funny. As an adult, I started wondering if being funny is something you’re born with, or if it’s something you can learn. I started doing research and concluded it’s something you can learn, and I was going to learn it!
I figured out that the basis of humor is surprise. It’s leading a thought one way, and then turning it in an unexpected direction. It’s the quick twist that surprises us and makes us laugh.
I worked with that concept and came up with a few lines that – remarkably – were funny! Encouraged, I started studying humorous lines. I tried to figure out what made each one funny, and being a word-loving nerd, I put the quotes into categories such as ones that use contrast, comparison, exaggeration, etc. I started seeing patterns and my book, The Joke Machine, was born!
One of the things I’m proudest of is that the book teaches a difficult, almost mysterious subject using basic tenets of English, such as contrast, comparison, literalness, etc. It teaches in a fun, funny, kid-friendly way, that keeps kids laughing and turning the pages.
Now I’m going to tell you a secret. Lean in, because I’m going to whisper this so kids don’t hear. Though The Joke Machine explains how kids can become funnier, it’s also a book that teaches them how to express themselves more creatively and how to become better, more confident writers.
The Joke Machine teaches basics, such as using similes, metaphors, homonyms, homophones, etc., to punch up sentences, but the real message is deeper. The real message is reaching past the plain “vanilla” and expressing yourself more creatively, confidently, and humorously.
For example, The Joke Machine teaches middle graders to create humor by comparing two things that don’t ordinarily go together, by using irony to call out an unusual situation, and by using literalness to respond to someone’s actual words instead of their meaning.
The book explains how to fancy-schmancy it up by using specific details, too. It shows how to change “my shoes smell bad” into “my shoes that smell like they’ve been in my gym locker since second grade”. The book encourages kids to play with words, punch up puns, twist common catchphrases, exaggerate and understate facts, and even invent words that their friends will understand just by their sound.
Finally, The Joke Machine teaches middle graders to be more confident writers because being funny is about teasing out your message, having the courage to say something and then pull it back. It’s presenting a thought, then twisting, bending and reversing it. It’s like starting with “two guys walk into a bar” and then admitting that’s not what you want to talk about – but now that I have your attention, stick with me. It’s about thinking outside of the box, playing with a message, and holding your reader’s attention, all the way down to the very last line.
Theresa Julian writes humorous children’s fiction, nonfiction, screenplays and teleplays. In addition to The Joke Machine, Theresa has sold dozens of humorous stories to Amazon Rapids which have been consistently listed on the Popular and Funny rows on the Amazon app. She is also the author of a humorous ‘tween TV pilot and two screenplays that have all won or placed in multiple national writing competitions. Theresa is a graduate of Boston College and has a Master of Arts in Corporate Communications. When she’s not writing, Theresa likes to run, eat chocolate, and lip sync to her favorite songs even though she never knows the lyrics. She always wished she had a superpower, but makes a really mean eggplant parmigiana so…maybe that counts?
Theresa will give a signed copy of her book to one lucky winner. Share your favorite one- liner joke and Darlene will put your name in a hat for the drawing. Share this post on Twitter, or FB and receive a second entry. The winner will be announced on this blog. Good Luck!
Wow! What a great idea -everyone loves jokes and I love how you snuck in all the educational matter -brilliant! What’s an owl’s favorite kind of math? Owlgebra! 🙂
Love your joke Danielle! Thanks for sharing. This book is bound to be a winner and I can’t wait for my copy to arrive. Who doesn’t want to be funny?
Thanks for posting a joke Danielle! I love math jokes. We actually have quite a few math jokes in the book, they’re just too good to not include!
How fun!
Thanks!
Yay Theresa! This is going to be a great holiday gift for a bunch of nieces and nephews.
I can’t wait to share some of it with the classroom visits I do in PA.Thanks for reblogging the post Naomi! xo
Reblogged this on Bmore energy.
Thanks for many years of support Naomi! You’re the best!
I would have totally eaten up this book when I was in elementary school. Now I’m very interested in how the educational aspect is handled. Sounds like it could be a great humorous NF mentor text! Okay, now for my joke.
Q: What’s brown and sticky?
A: A stick.
Love it…and the double meaning of sticky…that’s what kids love about jokes and wordplay!
I love the pun! It’s a perfect joke for kids!
I had a joke about pizza but it was too cheesy.
This sounds like such a fun book! Good luck with it!
Love it Barbara. Then there was the mushroom who went into a bar. The bartender said “we don’t serve your kind here”. “Why not?” said the mushroom. “I’m a fun guy.”
Love the joke Barbara! One of the last jokes in my book is about how the jokes are so cheesy you could dip your nachos in them. In my opinion cheese jokes never get old!
This looks like a fun book. Kids should love it. My favorite one-liner: “I hate Russian dolls — they are so full of themselves.”
Good one Rosi!
LOL. Love the play on words!
Sounds like a great book that kids would love. I think it would also be good for writers, too, with putting humor in their books they write for kids.
I’ve been reading it, Janet and agree with you regarding it being a good resource for writing humorous stories.