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Jokes and Riddles – How To Write Them

July 1st is International Joke Day! Jokes and riddle don’t come to mind randomly. Comedians use “humor algorithms.” You can learn to do the same as an interesting brain exercise.

One systematic and creative humor algorithm involves starting with a word or a subject, and then fitting it into various joke and riddle “types.” For an example, lets start with “chair.”

The first thing to do is systematically think of all the types of chairs and write them down. After that, write down a few types of jokes, such as “puns,” “misdirection,” “differences,” and “similarities.”

Differences: What is the difference between a toilet and a chair? I’m sorry, but if you don’t know, I can’t invite you over to my house!

Misdirection: Why did Charlie hate the chair they wanted to give him for his birthday? Because it was the electric chair!

Similarities: What does my dog have in common with a chair? He has four legs and an IQ of zero.

Pun: Why did the customer at the motor vehicles department start rearranging seats after waiting for hours? Because he was the “chair-man of the bored.”

Writing humor isn’t necessarily easy, but it is great brain exercise. Whether it is easy or not, by using these “algorithms,” anyone can write jokes and riddles. Why not give it a try?