One Funny Line 2025 Day 1: Write a Fake News-Style Joke
Local writer tries to think of good joke
Welcome to day 1 of the second annual One Funny Line challenge where we will write at least one funny line for 5 days. I know with the LA fires and other things going on right now things may feel more bleak than funny, but hopefully, this challenge will offer some brief comic relief.
Some housekeeping
Each day this week you’ll get a prompt to help you formulate your funny line. This can be a quick writing warm-up for the day, something to post on social media, or the start of an idea for a longer piece. If you are looking for more details on why the challenge began, you can find them here.
One housekeeping note, if you want to get the daily emails for the challenge you’ll need to opt in the “Humor Challenge” section of the newsletter if you haven’t yet. You can do that from a desktop computer by clicking this link and adjusting the “Notifications” settings. I’ll also post the prompts in Substack Notes and on Blue Sky if you prefer to read them that way.
Okay onto the first prompt
Today I want you to write one funny line in the format of a fake news headline — the type that you have likely seen in pubs like The Onion, Reductress, and The Hard Times.
These types of jokes are typically written in the present tense and usually comment on something going on in the news, something seasonal (like a holiday), or a relatable feeling or thought that many people have.
If you are new to writing in this style, it may help to use one of the common formats for jokes like this. Here are some ideas:
1. Man/Woman/Person does X thing.
The basic format for this involves naming a person [Man/Woman/Child/30-year-old, etc.] and then the relatable funny thing they do. Think about funny and relatable quirks that you or others have that can be poked fun at.
For example, do you do something for “self-care” that is not really a normal form of self-care? If so, you can format it into a joke like this one:
2. A joke about something a business or organization does
One variation on number 1 can also be a comment on an organization or business. This can be something they actually do or something that is played for more of a joke like this one:
3. The quiz or study format
Another format you could follow is the funny quiz format. Reductress sets up funny questions as a quiz (like this relatable one on aging).
Fake news headlines also take on “Study finds” formats like this one. Coming up with a joke that has a percentage (e.g Study finds that X% of [parenting, owning a dog, working, etc.] is just X) can also help construct something in this format.
Still stuck for ideas? Browse headlines
If you are still stuck for ideas, browsing some of the sites that frequently run these types of headlines (The Onion, Reductress, The Hard Times, End of Bench Sports, The Needling, etc.) may help kickstart some ideas.
And if you want even more guidance, this resource may be helpful.
If you come up with several good headline ideas, you could gather them into a batch to submit or you might be able to turn your headline idea into a full satire piece.
Once you write at least one funny fake news joke, feel free to comment on this post or in the chat to tell us how it went or share your funny line. Have experience with this type of joke writing and tips for others? Feel free to share that too.
Please just keep any comments/jokes shared in the comments or the Humor Me chat appropriate for the general audience doing the challenge. I reserve the right to delete anything offensive or skeevy.
Otherwise, have fun!
Thanks for reading Humor Me, a newsletter featuring funny stuff and writing tips. In case you’re new here — I’m a humor writer and freelancer whose work has appeared in New Yorker Shouts, McSweeney’s, Real Simple, and more. I’m the author of a humorous advice book for introverted parents that would make a great gift for the new or expecting parent in your life. Find out more about me at julievick.com.
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