Humor | Cathy C. Hall Writes

I don’t know Mike Sacks from Adam. But I got a kick out of his book, And Here’s the Kicker, which is packed full of advice and interviews from well-known humor writers.

Let’s see…I read a little something something from the likes of Dave Barry, and Buck Henry, and David Sedaris, and Allison Silverman, to name just a few. And you can go read a few excerpts for yourself over at the And Here’s the Kicker website. Plus, you’ll find all kinds of much higher-falutin’ folks than me, going on and on about Mike Sacks and his wonderful book.

But you won’t find some of my fave parts from the book at Mr. Sack’s website. Namely, the Quick and Painless Advice for the Aspiring Humor Writer. So I hope he won’t mind if I share a a few tips with y’all, every so often.

First up, a few words of wisdom from Getting Humor Published in Magazines (Okay, it’s self-serving. But come on, y’all. I’m the one who read (most of) the book.)

* Do not try too hard-or even at all-to be funny in the cover letter. Jokes in the story are fine. Jokes in the pitch are not. (Woopsies)

* Writers sometimes talk about the awards they’ve won. Don’t. (Um, woopsies, again.)

* Don’t use Mr. or Mrs. (last name of the editor here). Weird. Arcane. (Wow. Now I just feel old. And I’m kinda wondering how I ever sold a single humorous thing. I’m also beginning to understand why I haven’t sold all that much.)

Well, there’s lots more where those came from (20, to be exact). And when I find the next page, I’ll share a few from the second half of the list. As long as it’s okay with Mike Sacks. Who I’m sure is a fine fellow who’s won many awards (not that he’d ever mention them) for his fine book, And Here’s the Kicker.

So, my lovely blog buddy, Suzanne at Teacher Writer, passed along this lovely award to yours truly:

Imagine my shock when I realized that Suzanne (whom I’ve never actually “met”) had tapped into the very essence of Cathy C. Hall. The Beneficent Mr. Hall, as well as most of the Junior Halls and half the state of Georgia, have issues with my creativity. But here I am, getting an award for it! As such, I’m required to share seven creative truths (or scathingly brilliant lies) about myself.

1. 37 people have called me a bald-faced liar-like that’s supposed to bother me.

2. The President of the United States sent me a letter-and spelled my name with a K.

3. I used steel pliers to pull a stuck plug out of a socket-and blew myself across the room.

4. A British sailor took me disco dancing in Capri-and Her Majesty never find out . Um, till now.

5. The fire department had to come to my house to put out a cooking fire-and charged me.

6. The first boy I kissed is now a priest-in fairness, he kissed a lot of girls besides me.

7. I’m afraid of bridges, clowns and rabid monkeys-not necessarily in that order.

Now, the award rules (though I’m not sure if these are real rules or “creative” rules):

1. Thank the person who gave this to you. (Thanks, Suzanne!)

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

3. Link the person who nominated you.

4. Tell up to 6 outrageous lies about yourself, and at least one outrageous truth. The key here is the “up to” and the “at least.” This means I might tell 4 outrageous lies and 3 outrageous truths, or any combination that equals 7.

5. Nominate up to seven “Creative Writers” who might have fun coming up with outrageous lies.

6. Post links to the seven blogs you nominate.

7. Leave a comment on the seven blogs you nominate, letting them know you nominated them.

Though I can think of tons of writers who deserve this worthy award, I shall bequeath the honor on the chosen creative one, Lisa. Because she looks all nice and sweet, but you have to get up pretty early in the morning to fool me.