Day 7: Combining Unexpected Things
Sue D. Gelber on uncovering the unexpected to find humor
We are one week into the challenge! Hopefully, you have at least seven funny lines and potentially many more.
Today’s prompt comes from humorist and humor editor Sue D. Gelber.
Uncovering the Unexpected
Sometimes it’s hard to sharpen a piece without feeling like you’re hitting the same notes repeatedly. To get a little variety, I try to think of something that is the opposite of what the topic is. If the piece is about family dynamics (a personal favorite of mine!), I might use language from, say, an air traffic controller to describe the situation (“We have a ground hold here until someone apologizes.”).
For this prompt, think of an industry (real estate, insurance, accounting, local government, etc). How could the language from that industry be used to describe something totally different (a romantic interlude, a funeral, a high school reunion)?
Write the first line of a piece combining these two unexpected things. Possible ideas: a real estate agent’s listing for my sad mac ‘n cheese dinner last night; an evangelical preacher’s description of the Trader Joe’s parking lot on a Saturday morning; an election security expert narrating a good-night kiss at the end of a first date.
Sue D. Gelber is a writer and editor specializing in fiction, humor, and grocery lists. Her work has appeared in various publications including The New Yorker, McSweeney’s, and The Rumpus. She’s humor editor at the literary magazine the museum of americana and a judge for the NYC Midnight series of writing contests. You can track her down at suedgelber.com and follow her on Medium, Bluesky, or Twitter if that’s still a thing.
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