Write a Comical Features Column
So much of journalism is about telling the story in a straightforward, objective way. Feature stories, also called “human interest” stories, are a great way to appeal to readers' emotions and intellect. One way to keep their attention? Keep them laughing. To write features that appeal to your audience’s sense of humor, consider the following tips.
Instructions
1. Consider your audience. Most situations, no matter how grave, can be transformed by finding the humor that lies within. However, avoid making jokes that can be considered cruel or offensive. Encourage readers to find the lighter side, but avoid trivializing very serious issues. Keep it funny, but keep it tasteful.
2. Choose the right subject matter. This means knowing the difference between “ha-ha" funny and the type of funny that makes you think. You don’t always need to cover comedy acts to produce a funny article, so be creative when choosing your subject matter.
3. Focus on telling the story. People read to be entertained, but more importantly, to be informed. Focus on telling a story that is worth reading and offers useful knowledge or insight. Make it funny, but make it meaningful, too.
4. Draw upon the details to develop your comedic take. The devil is in the details, but so is the humor. Add details to your column that highlight some of the more important elements of your subject matter and use them for your comedic purposes. Consider what makes those elements stand out and why they are noteworthy. Craft your jests with this information in mind.
5. Consider satire. Satire uses sarcasm and irony to make a statement about a subject. Often satires are humorous, so that they engage readers and provoke thought. Any time you can work satire into your column, you are sure to draw in your readers.
6. Avoid slapstick humor and cliches. Features columns should never be littered with one-liners. You are writing a column that is worthy of being published, so keep it tasteful and clever, not goofy and predictable. Avoid cliches like “big as a house” or “good as gold.” People have heard them a thousand times before and will find your writing trite. Tailor your descriptions to your subject matter in a fresh, new way.
Tags: subject matter, telling story, your subject, your subject matter, column that, Comical Features
