Day 1 of One Funny Line

K.E. Flann on things that count as joking

Hello and welcome to the first day of the One Funny Line Challenge!

We are kicking things off with a prompt from humorist and author K.E. Flann….

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This prompt will help you write a bunch of jokes, from which you can select your best one.

1)    In the style of the very funny Janine Annett piece, “Things That Count As Writing” (McSweeney’s), come up with your own category of “things that count as…” Choose something that is a genuine personal battle for you. That way, you’ll have lots of ideas for jokes!

Suggestions:

• Things That Count As Cleaning

• Things That Count As Working

• Things That Count As Parenting

• Things That Count As Cooking

• Things That Count As Answering the Long Email You Sent Me

• Things That Count As Downsizing

2)    Once you’ve chosen your category, jot down a list of things that count (meaning things that you WISH would count).

Example: Things That Count As Cooking

• Using a can opener

• Toasting bread

• Going in the kitchen

• Thinking about cooking

• Owning cookbooks

• Ordering pizza

• (Etc. Keep going!)

3)    Now, you have plenty of material! For as many items on your list as you can, work to phrase these as stand-alone jokes. If you get stuck, just move onto the next one. You can always come back to it.

Examples:

• New rule:  It now counts as cooking if you use three or more kitchen tools, including can opener, corkscrew, and bag clip.

• Does it count as cooking if you toast the bread for your PB&J? Asking for a friend.

• Does it count as cooking if you financially ignite the oven at Domino’s? Asking for a friend.  

• Few people realize that if there’s a dusty copy on your shelf of the James Beard Award-Winning book, The Whole Fish, in which chef Josh Niland details “nose-to-tail” fish preparation, this actually counts as cooking.

4)    When you’re done, choose your favorite!

K.E. Flann is the author of How to Survive a Human Attack: A Guide for Werewolves, Mummies, Cyborgs, Ghosts, Nuclear Mutants, and Other Movie Monsters. Her humor pieces have appeared in McSweeney’s, The Boston Globe, Slackjaw, and other publications. She teaches humor writing at Johns Hopkins University.

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Did you get at least one funny line in today? Feel free to post about what you got done for the challenge today in the comments.