Got Fun?

Writers can be deadly serious bunch: write, edit, market, get it back, edit, market…it can be overwhelming and hard to hear, in spirit if not actual words, don’t quit your day job over and over. This does not make for the most fun loving of professions.

Also, I’m not a funny person. I can write humorous dialogue, I compose chuckle-worthy verse, I laugh a lot, but I'm not funny. Although…others have said I DO funny things. My husband, for one. Let’s just say I occasionally run into walls. My sister agrees, mostly within the realm of what she fondly has dubbed as “Kelly’s Funny Mistakes,” or that my typos are “gold standard.” Ha. Have I said editing is not my strong suit? Quinn says mine are the best she’s ever seen. “Best” being the worst, of course, and the worst of anything is often funny.

So here is what I did. Quinn is going to be dancing a routine in an upcoming recital at our dance studio. (Note: this will be a blog post. Tune in Oct the 4th to my dance blog). Anyway, she wanted my opinion on her costume. What I said back was I will give you my hornet’s opinion. After she got done laughing and nazing her drink, she had visions of me buzzing around her saying “I don’t like your costume and now I’m going to STING you,” as I hum (naturally) The Flight of the Bumblebee . So here is what I wrote back:

Please do not mention the hornet thing to anyone. Only Gary, and now you, know. (There was a long talk early on in our dating life...he was surprised, but in the end (so to speak) accepting.) You might wonder how I manage. I sort of bend the stinger down when I put on my underwear. It hurts, but what else can I do? I’ve only lost control a couple of times, but let me say that those people deserved it. I hope you don't mind having a freak as a sister.

Then she sent me a picture of hornet. Then I sent her a weird little drawing:




And I wrote this:

There once was a girl with a wiggle
Who knew how to sway, swish and jiggle
She wore heavy denim
To hide all the venom
When stinging she often would giggle.

It’s fun. And what started out as a mistake turned into a crazy creative experience. Everyone could use this, I think, but especially writers. Every now and then we need to be jarred out of our seriousness. Writing is a hard business. But we need to have fun to be productive, even if the hilarity as at your own expense. Because really, aren’t we all funny in some way?

Think about it.

Buzzing off for now.