Q&A with Humor Writer Blayr Austin
Twitter joke writing and viral tweets
This month, I asked humor writer and teacher Blayr Austin to talk with me. Blayr is a prolific joke writer who I met on the internet (possibly even on Twitter?). Her Twitter feed and the Schitt's Creek reaction gifs we frequently exchange on the bird app often brighten my day. She recently had not one, but two Tweets go viral, so we chatted about writing jokes, and Twitter.
Can you give us any insights into your Twitter joke-writing process? Do you tend to draft ahead of time or just write more on the fly?
You might say my tweeting style is experimental and impulsive. Sometimes I draft tweets ahead of time but I mainly write them on the fly! I try to test out different ideas throughout the day and see if anything resonates. I attempt to write about what I think people are thinking but are not necessarily vocalizing.
I find it hard to predict what jokes will do well on Twitter. Do you have a sense of what might do well when you write tweets?
It’s hard to predict which will work although sometimes before I send it, I have a good feeling. Other times, I know it's a bad tweet but I can't help but post it! I find using comedy techniques like the rule of three, exaggeration, and conveying clear subtext definitely help. In the tweet above, I put the funniest part last and tried to communicate that social media platform members act differently based on what is expected of them. There are also certain topics that tend to do better like stuff about social media, follower counts, and how hard it is to be productive.
What is it like to have a Tweet go viral? Immediate fame and fortune? Does Twitter send you some sort of gold bird trophy?
The best part about going viral is the new followers that come with it. They seem to be engaged and great to interact with. People are far more interested in my viral tweets than anything else I’ve written or done in my life.
Do you have any Twitter tips for other writers?
My best Twitter tip is not to be afraid to put yourself out there. I used to be hesitant to write weirder jokes or things I didn’t know would be well-received. But that material ultimately led to better tweets or ideas for other content. You can always hit the delete button which I do very often.
I would also say don’t be afraid to reach out to other fellow tweeters by commenting on their tweets and reacting to them. I’ve met some amazing people on Twitter that I’ve been communicating with for years. And we retweet each other’s stuff which is a great benefit.
Lastly, you have to be kind of annoying to be effective. A strong comedic voice tends to make a better impression but also makes some people dislike you. This has been a difficult lesson for me.
What is something you can recommend to readers that makes you laugh?
If you don’t mind shock humor, Sally4Ever (now canceled) on HBO is hilarious. It’s a British show about a woman who is unhappily engaged who falls in love with another woman. The humor is not subtle and is quite dark.
Thanks, Blayr! Follow Blayr on Twitter.