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Blog Lissa Evans' top tips for funny writing!

Lissa Evans' top tips for funny writing!

By Lissa Evans | Author, Family, Guest Blog, Kids, Writing Tips

Lissa Evans' top tips for funny writing!

Being funny is hard, being funny in a book is even harder!

Lissa Evans is known for her comedic flair for writing and her funny books that crack a laugh no matter your age. Lissa has shared with us her top writing tips for funny writing so anyone can add a touch of comedy to their next piece!

  1. Write what YOU find funny, because if you can’t make yourself laugh, then you can’t make anyone laugh.

  2. If possible, read what you’ve written out loud to yourself. It helps to make the rhythm of the words clearer. Funny writing is a little bit like music – a good funny line has its own particular shape and rhythm, and you often find that cutting one word, or adding another, makes a funny line even funnier. This leads me to:

  3. If a person is telling a joke and coughs in the middle of it or stumbles over a word, it kills the joke and no one laughs. In the same way, if a piece of written work has a word that’s repeated or is unreadable, or spelt so wrongly that you can’t work out what it’s supposed to be, the reader ‘stumbles’ over it and the funniness is lost. Always check your work carefully after you’ve written it (and this is another place where reading it out loud to yourself is really helpful).

  4. Pick out some lines of a book, or a tv comedy script, that really make you laugh. Learn a couple of the best ones off by heart, like poetry. They’ll sit in your head forever, and give you a permanent example of what a good funny line feels like.

Writing Challenge:

Now you'll be equipped to take on the world with your comedic quips and funny style of writing, why not put your skills to the test? Lissa has created us an exclusive writing challenge where you can bag yourself a copy of Lissa's new book 'Wished':

Write an account of something funny that happened to you, either at school or on a holiday – a whole page, if you can manage it. When you’ve finished, count the number of words you’ve written. Now write the same story again, but with half the number of words. You’ll find yourself choosing every word more carefully, and discovering which bits of the story are the most important. This is called ‘editing’, and it’s one of the most useful skills for a writer to learn. And you’ll almost certainly find that the second version is funnier!

To be in with a shot of winning one of five copies of Lissa's book, send your final edited piece as above to [email protected] before 23:59 on April 10th and we'll pick our favourites to win a copy!

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Thank you to Lissa for sharing her funny writing tips with us and creating a fun challenge! If you want to see more about Lissa, check out her website here or give her a follow on Twitter

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Contest T&C's

  • Entries must be in by 23:59 on April 10th to be considered
  • Five people will be selected to win one copy of 'Wished' By Lissa Evans
  • No cash prize alternative
  • Delivery only to one UK address
  • No correspondence will be entered into regarding the winner
  • Winners work will be shared on our social media
  • By entering you automatically agree to these terms
Published: Fri 1st Apr 2022

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