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Comedic writing: How to write a funny story

Comedic writing is hard to master, but understanding types of comedy, what makes a funny story work, the visceral ‘huh’ and more will help you connect with your readers’ funny bones.

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Funny, comedic writing is hard. Senses of humor vary in what people find amusing. Read a guide to how to write a funny story. Explore types of humor and comedy genres, humor writing tips from stand-up and comedy icons, and examples of different types of comedy writing. Bear in mind that these funny ideas and elements can be incorporated into just about any genre as well. The funniest writing comes from universal experiences that we are all familiar with. 

14 types of comedy

One of the challenges of comedic writing is that there are so many distinct types of humor. Read a quick breakdown of fourteen types:

• Jokes are short stories or one-liners that consist of a setup and a punchline. For instance, ‘My grandfather has the heart of a lion and a lifetime ban at the zoo’ ( via Bored Panda ).
• Situational comedy or sitcom is a type of humor that draws laughter from funny and absurd situations (e.g. farce which often features ludicrously absurd situations). Michael Frayn’s play Noises Off (1982), in which a technical rehearsal for a play keeps going wrong, sending its director into a rage, is a great example.
• Romantic comedy or romcom is a comic movie (or book) that finds humor in the development of a romantic relationship. When Harry Met Sally (1989), starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal, is a genre-defining romcom.
• Dark comedy , also known as black comedy, is humor that finds the funny side in darker or more tragic subject matter. Caimh McDonnell’s A Man with One of Those Faces (2016) combines crime, murder and comedy.
• Cringe comedy is a type of humor that derives its laughter from awkward characters and situations, guilty pleasure, and personal distress. It falls under dry humor. Larry David’s HBO show, Curb Your Enthusiasm , is a peak example of this.
• Satire is a type of comedy that uses humor, irony, and exaggeration to expose society’s stupidity, bigotry, or other vices. Viet Thanh Nguyen’s The Sympathizer is an example that uses humor to satirize but also indict the Vietnam War.
• Parody is the imitation of a writer’s style or genre with intentional exaggeration for comic effect. Tim Burton’s alien invasion spoof, Mars Attacks! , and Henry N. Beard and Douglas C. Kenney’s Bored of the Rings , which satirizes Tolkien’s epic fantasy cycle, are examples of this.
• Self-deprecating humor is when a comedic writer pokes fun at themselves. For example, they might use embarrassing experiences as material. David Sedaris’ comedic memoir/essays often find humor in his OCD, embarrassing childhood stories, and other self-deprecating subjects.
• Insult comedy is humor based on true, painful, or exaggerated observations about others. The comedy roast is a perfect example of this. Jeff Ross’ roast of Bruce Willis showcases this type of humor [warning: Strong language].
• Physical comedy is humor that uses the body, techniques such as mime or clowning for laughs. The films of Charlie Chaplin that use slapstick are an example.
• Surreal comedy is humor that uses absurdism or dream-like logic for laughs, such as Monty Python’s ‘dead parrot’ sketch .
• Wordplay plays with language, such as a pun or double entendre . Ex: Mae West’s quip: ‘I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number you get in a diamond.’
• Blue humor is adult, often provocative, sexual or deliberately in bad taste. For example, Mae West’s bawdier inversion of a popular saying, ‘A hard man is good to find.’
• Anti-humor uses bathos or anticlimax . The expected punchline is replaced with something simple, unfunny, or painfully obvious. The so-called ‘dad joke’ is an example – ‘A man walks into a bar … ouch.’

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Comedy genres in literature

What are the main comedy genres in books?

Satirical or political comedy

Think of Joseph Heller’s 1961 satirical anti-war novel Catch-22 . It follows anti-hero Captain John Yossarian and examines the absurdity of war and military life:

What is a country? A country is a piece of land surrounded on all sides by boundaries, usually unnatural. Englishmen are dying for England, Americans are dying for America, Germans are dying for Germany, Russians are dying for Russia. There are now fifty or sixty countries fighting in this war. Surely so many countries can’t all be worth dying for. Joseph Heller, Catch-22.

Comic essays and memoir

Comedic essays and memoir remain popular. Geoff Dyer is an example of an author in this category, having authored books such as Out of Sheer Rage : Wrestling with D.H. Lawrence , about all the ways the author avoided writing a book about the writer D.H. Lawrence. It is part- catalogue of procrastination, part-travelogue:

London is the worst. Lawrence realised this in 1916: London was ‘so foul’, he reckoned, that ‘one would die in it in a fortnight’. Since then it’s got even worse. Now it’s the world capital of flu. The sky in London drizzles flu, it rains flu. People from all over the world go there and get flu. Whether they come to see the changing of the guard, or to take ecstasy at raves, they all end up getting flu. Geoff Dyer, Out of Sheer Rage: Wrestling with D.H. Lawrence .

Some non-fiction writers are just naturally funny, such as Bill Bryson and David Sedaris. Here the comedy is in the writing. Let’s look at an example from Bryson’s The Road to Little Dribbling: 

One of the things that happens when you get older is that you discover lots of new ways to hurt yourself. Recently, in France, I was hit square on the head by an automatic parking barrier, something I don’t think I could have managed in my younger, more alert years. There are really only two ways to get hit on the head by a parking barrier. One is to stand underneath a raised barrier and purposely allow it to fall on you. That is the easy way, obviously. The other method – and this is where a little diminished mental capacity can go a long way – is to forget the barrier you have just seen rise, step into the space it has vacated and stand with lips pursed while considering your next move, and then be taken completely by surprise as it slams down on your head like a sledgehammer on a spike. That is the method I went for.

Comic genre spoof and parody

Many funny books spoof a genre and its silliness, clichés, habits.

In Bored of the Rings , Frito (Frodo’s namesake) wonders whether he could just throw the One Ring down a storm drain and be done with it.

Comic fantasy is one type of genre hybrid that often uses parody. Sir Terry Pratchett is widely considered the master in how he lampoons elements of the fantasy tradition, such as outlandish worldbuilding elements, fantasy races, and plot tropes.

The humor category on Amazon shows just how eclectic comedy is in its inspirations and niches. From ‘Business & Professional’ through ‘Cooking’ to ‘Urban Legends’.

Many of the current humor bestsellers (as of March 2023) have some kind of censored curse word in the title (contemporary comedy often falls back on the un subtle art of not giving a f**k).

How to write a funny story: From comical concepts to comedy gold

As the types of comedy writing outlined above remind us, comedic writing runs from the deliberately lame to the edgy and risqué.

Read tips on how to write a funny story with ideas from of comedic writing in English in books, film and TV.

For a story to be funny, the concept must first hold enough potential for comedy.

Repetition and suspense are common ingredients of funny writing (and dramatic irony).

Zhubin Parang (producer and writer on The Daily Show ) says ‘the visceral ‘huh?’ is a key comedy element.

How and why do your favorite comedy books, TV shows and films make you laugh? Take notes.

A shtick is a comic routine, style of performance or gimmick (e.g. Diane Morgan’s shtick pretending to be an uninformed, idiotic interviewer).

In comedic writing, producing more material than required lets you choose the best jokes.

Browse through comedy titles for ideas (such as David Sedaris’ Me Talk Pretty One Day or the Tolkien spoof Bored of the Rings ).

There’s that saying ‘brevity is the soul of wit’. Don’t make the path to the punchline too convoluted or meandering ( unless that in itself is the joke ).

Let’s expand on the comedic writing tips above.

Start with a funny concept

Just as a magical fantasy story starts with a fantastical concept, a laugh-out-loud story starts with a funny concept.

Scott Dikkers, founder and longest-serving editor-in-chief of the satirical news site The Onion , wrote a series of guides to comedic writing.

On comedy concepts, Dikkers says:

When you write humor, the core concept you’re writing about has to be funny. The core concept is, in fact, the most important part of your writing […] You need to be able to express your concept in a single line or sentence, with as few words as possible. Scott Dikkers, How to Write Funny: Your serious, step-by-step blueprint for creating incredibly, irresistibly, successfully hilarious writing , location 162.

How can you find a funny concept?

There are many ways to develop a comedy idea:

• Draw from life. What’s an absurd or funny-in-hindsight situation or experience that’s left you in stitches?
• Go where there’s feeling. What drives you nuts? What has always struck you as ridiculous, ludicrous, bizarre, infuriating? Many comedic writers turn bugbears and pet peeves into comedy routines. See Diane Morgan, ‘Boys are Always Popular when they’re Murdered’ , for example. Or Hannibal Buress on why jaywalking is a ‘fantasy crime’ .
• Read humor and drama. The wider the web of your inspiration, the more sources to draw on and the wider your field of reference.
• Play with comedy subtext. Comedy has subtext. For example, ‘getting’ a joke such as that Bored Panda joke about the grandfather who has the heart of a lion (and a lifetime ban from the zoo) requires us to understand the subtext (that ‘to have the heart of’ something has figurative and literal meanings). What laugh-bringing realization will your next funny line hinge on?
• Brainstorm funny ‘what if’ scenarios. What if a man tried to return a dead parrot to a pet shop (as in Monty Python), for example. What if absolutely everything at a funeral went wrong (to hilarious effect)?

Additionally, try writing your comedy concept as a single line as Dikkers advises. If you must explain the concept in paragraphs, it may be too convoluted.

Another important note to consider is that sometimes funny stories or anecdotes are funnier than actual jokes. See how you can incorporate these funny stories into your writing.

Joan Rivers, on channeling strong feelings into comedy:

Every comedian is furious. Age makes me angry. I’m unhappy at not being able to open packages anymore. I’m angry that libraries have gone. I hate children on planes. I’m very shallow, so they tend to be little things. To be honest, I think I was probably angry the day I was born, you know, about diapers or something. Joan Rivers, interviewed by The Jewish Chronicle, October 29 2010.

Comedy writing exercises

To find a funny story idea, try this exercise by humorist Donna Cavanagh:

Write down memories of past embarrassing moments and see if you can turn mortification into mirth. Donna Cavanagh, How to Write and Share Humor: Techniques to Tickle Funny Bones and Win Fans , 2016, Location 415.

Another exercise to find a funny story idea: Write down three things you find funny. Imagine a scenario involving who, what, why, where and when for each. Try to write a funny story idea as one sentence.

Example: 1. Funny orchestra mishaps [ Ed’s note: Funny incidents such as a brass player sneezing into their trombone ]. 2. Awkward situations that just get worse. 3. Human foibles.

Scenario sentence: A trombone player who’s allergic to dust is called upon to play in a historical building last swept in 1983 and the concert is a series of mishaps culminating in him sneezing into his trombone in the slow movement.

Develop comedic repetition and suspense

A lot of the success in comedic writing for stage or film lies in comedic timing. What are two kinds of timing in humor writing, two building blocks of funny stories? Comedic repetition and suspense.

Repetition in comedic writing

Repetition at its simplest level is like the ‘knock-knock’ joke’s structure of call and response: ‘Knock-knock… who’s there?’.

In comedic writing, elements that add hilarity through repetition include:

• Characters’ catchphrases, tics, and quirks. The way Elmer Fudd’s difficulty saying ‘r’ in Looney Tunes, for example, makes it funny when he starts ranting about Bugs Bunny and ‘wascally wabbits’.
• Repetition with surprise or comical circularity. For example, in the cult TV series Twin Peaks , James asks Donna, who’s visiting him in the sheriff’s holding cells, “When did you start smokin’?” when she lights up a cigarette. Donna replies, “I smoke every once in a while. Helps relieve tension.” James asks, “When did you get so tense?” to which Donna replies, “When I started smoking.”
• Running jokes and gags. Popular in humor writing for TV series in particular, running jokes ( such as Buster Bluth’s extra-mural lessons that haven’t taught him much at all in Arrested Development ) get finessed and added to with repetition, brought up and revisited in new contexts in a way that adds to their hilarity.
• Recurring theme. For example in the 1990s/early 2000s sitcom Frasier , it’s clear to us, and the rest of the cast, that Frasier’s brother, Nyles, is smitten with Daphne. But Daphne remains unaware of this, and this theme runs throughout the series until – spoiler alert! – Daphne and Nyles finally get it together.

Suspense and nervous laughter

Comedic writing shares something in common with mystery/thriller writing: The build up of anticipation, or suspense .

Campy slasher films, a sort of comedy-horror genre, often make audiences laugh. It’s the nervous laughter that ensues when characters make foolish choices that make viewers want to yell at the screen (‘Don’t go into that creepy house!). ‘Person makes stupid choice’ is an endless fount of comedy ideas.

Suspense in comedy builds from waiting for the punchline or left turn, the outcome of that choice.

If suspense in dramatic writing means anticipating the bad, in comedy, it’s anticipating the hilariously or embarrassingly bad (for example, waiting for parents’ reaction to their new son-in-law accidentally breaking a beloved relative’s urn in Meet the Fockers ).

Observe and embrace absurdity

Comedic writing draws on observing – recognizing – the absurdity of everyday life.

It may be the Sisyphean (a task that can never be completed) aspect of work or relationships, for example.

In an existential comedy scenario , a chef perhaps keeps getting a meal sent back to the kitchen by a fussy table with exceptionally petty demands, until she explodes in a comical or cringeworthy way.

Many jokes in stand-up and other forms of comedy writing have become clichéd (such as jokes about airline food being terrible) because they repeat what we know to be true. Fresh humor, by contrast, often makes the familiar experience or scenario (e.g. ‘meeting the parents’) seem newly absurd.

Often in comedic writing, there’s a thin line between pain and laughter. The schadenfreude or voyeuristic pleasure of others’ misfortunes becomes funny because its relatable. We feel the pain of the kid bowled over by the Labrador on the beach. Tweet This

Ed ‘s note: A friend would tell the funny story of going to an ice cream shop where a very disinterested shop worker leant on the counter, chewing gum. “You want a cone or a cup?” she muttered, after he’d made his choices of flavors. “Cup, please,” he said. She paused, chewed a bit. “Don’t have.”

Bizarre and absurd situations are goldmines for existential and other types of comedy showcasing human foibles, miscommunications and vices. Tweet This

Comedy writer and producer Zhubin Parang speaks of the ‘visceral ‘huh?” moment – ‘situations that don’t go the way they should, or people who respond to an event or idea in a different way than they should’, as in the ice cream shop example above.

This is something to mine for funny writing ideas .

Take notes on comedy books and shows

🗣️ What are your favorite funny books and TV shows?

Tell us your recommendations in the comments. You can learn a lot from comedy shows and stand-up comedy you enjoy about comic writing devices such as setup and punchline, or the unexpected turn. Tell us a funny anecdote. 

Comedic writing exercise: The anatomy of laughter

Take a piece of funny writing or a stand up segment and ask the following questions:

• What devices is the writer using for humorous effect? Is there wit and wordplay? Satire? Clever repetition? Irony?
• How does the writer use language to comedic effect? Is there a mix of high and low (e.g. formal and slang) language? Do they curse? Is there exaggeration or understatement?
• What part of the story or script did you find funniest? Why? Was it an unexpected word, phrase, outcome, revelation? An everyday object or experience the comic reframed in a new light?

Explore funny shticks

The word ‘shtick’ means ‘a gimmick, comic routine, style of performance, etc. associated with a particular person’ ( Oxford Languages ). It is of Yiddish origin, from the German word for ‘piece’, st ü ck .

In comedic writing, creating a character with a shtick supplies a range of scenarios to fill with funny material.

In the series Cunk on Earth , for example, Diane Morgan’s shtick is the setup that she’s an uninformed interviewer narrating a historical documentary about human history – art, culture, religion, conflict.

Her fictional character, Philomena Cunk, asks Oxford and Cambridge professors questions such as, ‘When the Egyptians built the pyramids, did they start at the top or the bottom?’

There are several funny aspects to the character that make up the shtick, including:

• Random anecdotes she throws in about ‘my mate Paul’ who gets into all kinds of tricky situations
• Deliberate mispronunciations (such as pronouncing ‘The Bible’ as ‘The Bibble’ or the ‘Soviet Union’ as the ‘Soviet Onion’)
• Responding with slang and ‘low register’ to academic interviewees who use much more formal language (e.g. ‘Yer jokin’!’ or ‘Are you havin’ a laugh?)
• Running bits/gags (every episode references and plays a segment of Belgian producers Technotronic’s song ‘Pump Up the Jam’, with funny and nonsense text overlays stating random or made-up facts)

Think of one of your favorite comical characters from fiction. What sayings, habits, physical gestures, and other quirks make up their ‘shtick’? Think of Douglas Adams’ aliens, who torture humans with their terrible poetry.

Talking of characterization, remember that even humor writing has to have realistic characters. TV sitcoms often have really silly characters, too silly to be believable. Think of the 1980s sitcom, The Golden Girls, for example. Rose Nylund (played by Betty White) is the daffy one, rather too gullible and naïve, which played into the humor of the show. While popular with audiences, her characters borders on being on the wrong side of believable. 

Write surplus comedy material

A good piece of advice on how to write a funny story Dikkers gives in his comedy manuals is this: Write more material than you need.

Just as stand-up comedians don’t share the jokes that don’t make it on stage, comedic writers – whether writing fiction or screenplays – don’t share the pages that didn’t make it to the final draft or production. Tweet This

Blooper reels are extra.

The benefits of brainstorming and churning out ideas , multiple options, are:

• Digging deeper than the ‘easy’ laughs. Churning out lines gets the obvious ideas out the way. Comedian and actress Wanda Sykes shared with Kevin Hart in a podcast that her audience expects more than the easy, obvious joke (and that bringing her self – her politics – to her comedy helped her create funnier, more original material)
• Surplus comedic material to select the funniest jokes. Zhubin Parang, who was head writer for Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Trevor Noah , says, ‘You always need to tighten, tighten, tighten. Every first draft has way too many words, extra thoughts or side ideas.’ Writing extra material gives this tightening process more material to work with

Hint it’s funny from the title

Think of titles of comedic fiction and non-fiction, such as:

• The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
• Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
• A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace
• Sombrero Fallout by Richard Brautigan

These are titles with wordplay (e.g. Fisher’s play on the phrase ‘wishful thinking’), absurd humor (the idea of a hitchhiking guide to a place so gargantuan), droll and random humor.

Your title is an opportunity to both signal that your book is a work of humor writing, and to signal its contents (e.g. Fisher’s memoir hinting at the memoir’s one subject of substance addiction).

Make it accessible and easy to read

Finally, effective comedic writing doesn’t need ‘thee’ and ‘thou’ and highfalutin’ convolution. (Unless it’s the Ben Elton -penned sitcom about Shakespeare and his trials and frustrations, Upstart Crow ).

There is an accessibility of style often to comedic writing. We mostly get the joke (without excessive explanation). Except in a brand of ‘random’ humor that relies more on a ‘visceral huh’ than ‘setup’ and ‘punchline’.

Mostly, style services the humor. Savage, biting satire is concise and punchy. Screwball and madcap comedy goes off the rails more.

In the Irish comedy series Derry Girls , there’s a wordy uncle named Colm who drives everyone mad with his long-winded, meandering storytelling .

This ‘shtick’ recurs as a plot device (the group of school friends who are the main characters use him to get out of being arrested for trespassing, for example).

The humor here is in how inaccessible, uninteresting, and infuriatingly boring Colm’s stories are. It’s a good reminder that there’s always an exception to the rule. However, the situational humor when characters are stuck with Colm is easy to read – the absurdity of getting trapped in a conversation you don’t want to have is a relatable, comedic situation.

Think how you can slip one-liners into your story. Even if a story is serious and gritty, you can lighten up the tone by inserting humorous bits and pieces in a story. Clever wordplay and puns can add humor to your writing. Look for opportunities to play with language, incorporate double meanings, or create humorous juxtapositions of words.

What is your style of humor in your every day life? Use your natural sense of humor. Think how you can inject that into your own writing.

🗣️ What’s a funny book or show you found relatable and why? Tell us in the comments

Join Now Novel for writing feedback on your next humor piece, writing webinars, story outlining tools and more.

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Related Posts:

• How do you write a story using three-act structure?
• How do you write a dystopian story? 5 tips
• How to write the middle of a story: 9 tips

Jordan is a writer, editor, community manager and product developer. He received his BA Honours in English Literature and his undergraduate in English Literature and Music from the University of Cape Town.

2 replies on “Comedic writing: How to write a funny story”

This was so fun! I especially enjoyed “highfalutin’ convolution” 😁 Here’s one of my favorites: “Every book is a children’s book if the kid can read!” ― Mitch Hedberg

Haha, I love that, Margriet. Thanks for sharing.

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How to Write a Funny Story that Makes People Laugh: A Guide

Writing a funny story seems like a mountain of a task. You want your words to sparkle with humour, but how do you make everyone laugh? That’s the challenge many face. Crafting a story that’s genuinely funny can feel overwhelming, yet it’s a goal many aspire to achieve.

The good news is humour is all around us – in the little moments of daily life, in the twist of the unexpected. You don’t need to look far to find the ingredients for a story that will bring smiles and laughter. It’s about seeing the world with a fresh perspective and weaving those observations into your narrative.

This guide is here to show you how to Write a Funny Story. With practical advice and clear examples, we’ll help you understand how to write a funny story that resonates with readers. Stay tuned to learn how to blend humour into your writing seamlessly.

Table of Contents

What is a Funny Story

At its core, a funny story captures your attention with its unexpected twists and humour that springs from clever wordplay and the absurdity of everyday life. When you write a funny story, you’re essentially crafting a narrative designed to make you laugh, often by poking fun at the quirks and oddities we all encounter. It’s not just about stringing together a series of jokes; it’s about building a world where the comedic effect arises naturally from the situations and the characters themselves.

A well-written, funny story leans heavily on the unexpected. You might think you know where the plot is heading, only to be surprised by a sudden turn of events that flips the script in a hilarious way. This element of surprise, combined with witty language and a keen observation of the mundane, sets the stage for laughter. Whether it’s through exaggerated scenarios that highlight the ridiculous or through sharp satirical takes on modern life, the goal is to reflect the world in a way that allows us to laugh at it and ourselves.

How to Write a Funny Story

To kick off your journey in writing a funny story, you’ll want to explore both manual techniques and the use of a funny story generator . These tools can help you craft humorous narratives that resonate with readers, blending spontaneity with structured comedic elements.

It’s about finding the right balance between creativity and technique to make your audience laugh.

Manual Technique to Write a Funny Story

To write a funny story, you’ll need to zero in on a hilarious concept that resonates with you.

Mastering comic timing is crucial; it’s all about when to deliver that punchline for maximum effect.

Then, spice things up with unexpected twists and a dash of dark humour or exaggeration to keep your readers hooked and laughing.

Finding Your Funny Concept

Finding a funny concept that clicks with your audience is the first crucial step in crafting a hilarious story. As a comedy writer, you’ll want to explore absurdities in everyday life, developing comedic repetition and suspense that keeps readers engaged.

Take notes from comedy books and shows, and don’t shy away from using funny shticks.

Mastering Comic Timing

After identifying a concept that tickles your funny bone, mastering comic timing becomes your next crucial step in crafting stories that truly resonate with laughter.

To write funny prose, consider these points: – Experiment with different types of comedy. – Incorporate unexpected twists. – Use clever word choices. – Draw from everyday situations.

Mastering these elements can elevate you from a writer to a comedic writer, ensuring your stories leave readers in stitches.

Crafting Unexpected Twists

When crafting a funny story, mastering the art of unexpected twists can keep your readers on their toes, eagerly turning pages for more laughs. As a writer, surprise them with outcomes they never saw coming.

Set up anticipation, then deliver a surprising punchline. Use misdirection to amplify the humour, making something truly funny.

Utilizing Dark Humor

You’ll discover that diving into the depths of dark humour can transform even the bleakest situations into comedic gold. To write a story that stands out, consider these techniques:

• Find comedy in the unexpected and morbid.
• Use irony to twist tragic situations.
• Explore the absurdity of dark subjects.
• Learn from stand-up comedians how a good story needs balance.

This approach ensures your story remains engaging and memorable.

Exaggerating for Effect

Exploring the darker corners of humour paves the way for the art of exaggeration, a technique that amplifies laughter by making the ordinary extraordinary.

You’ll often find exaggerating for effect turns a simple ice cream drop into a catastrophic event.

Readers come to see the world in a hilariously skewed way, as you’d tell tales where mountains are made from molehills—literally.

Keeping It Tight and Succinct

Crafting a funny story requires keeping your prose tight and succinct, ensuring every word contributes to the laughter.

• Tell the reader only what’s essential, cutting the fluff.
• Embrace the art of brevity, a lesson from English literature.
• Remember, keeping it tight and succinct is an important part of the humour.
• Study comedians like Trevor Noah, who master this technique.

Leveraging Current Events

Incorporating recent events into your funny story can instantly make your content more relatable and engaging for readers.

Imagine people find an email address in a storm drain, sparking a city-wide treasure hunt. The absurdity reflects life’s unpredictability, making your audience chuckle at the bizarre situation.

Use such real-world oddities to connect humour with the familiar, keeping your narrative fresh and amusing.

Drawing Inspiration From Others

To kickstart your journey into writing a humorous masterpiece, draw inspiration from the absurdities and hilarities that life throws your way. Here’s how:

• Explore what drives you nuts or strikes you as ridiculous.
• Read humour and drama to broaden your inspiration.
• Play with comedy subtext and hidden meanings.
• Brainstorm funny ‘what if’ scenarios.

Let these steps guide your creative process, injecting fun into your stories.

Writing With Prompts

After drawing inspiration from the amusing quirks of life, let’s explore how writing with prompts can unlock even more laughter in your stories.

Prompts nudge you toward unexpected twists, encouraging clever wordplay and irony that delights readers. They’re the perfect tool for experimenting with comedic timing and pacing, pushing you to mock the mundane or satirize society with sharp, relatable humour.

Editing for Enhanced Humor

Experimenting with language, like puns and wordplay, can significantly enhance the humour in your story’s editing phase.

• Utilize irony to spotlight the unexpected.
• Tailor jokes to fit your audience’s taste.
• Use misdirection for surprising twists.
• Embrace and amplify your unique sense of humour.

Keep it tight, punchy, and aligned with what makes you laugh.

You’re not just editing; you’re refining your comedic voice.

Using a Funny Story Generator

You might wonder why you’d use a Funny Story Generator as part of your writing process. These tools can offer you a wealth of creative ideas and unexpected twists that can make your story more engaging and humorous.

They’re especially beneficial when you’re stuck or looking for a fresh perspective to inject humour into your narrative.

Why use a Funny Story Generator

Diving into the world of funny story generators can unlock a treasure trove of hilarious, unforeseen plot twists and characters for your next comedic masterpiece.

• A generator can provide wacky, unexpected story ideas.
• It offers humorous twists and turns you mightn’t think of.
• Great for brainstorming comedic characters and situations.
• Sparks creativity, finding humour in everyday life.

Benefits of using a Funny Story Generator

After exploring the world of funny story generators for unexpected plot twists and characters, consider the advantages of incorporating these tools into your writing process. Here are the key benefits of using a funny story generator:

• It provides instant inspiration to overcome writer’s block for humorous writing.
• Generates funny scenarios, characters, dialogues, and plot situations.
• It saves time spent manually brainstorming comedic story elements.
• Structures engaging narrative arcs conducive to humour and jokes.
• Creates quirky, amusing characters that readers will find funny.
• Injects fresh humour, jokes, and comedic concepts into your process.
• Alleviates pressure by outsourcing some creative responsibilities.
• Renews excitement over craft with the influx of humorous ideas.
• It allows faster, funny story creation so you can focus on comedic delivery.

Tips to Write a Funny Story

Why not kick off your funny story with a concept that’ll have your readers hooked from the get-go? Starting with a hilarious premise sets the tone for the entire narrative, ensuring your audience is in for a treat. But crafting a story that keeps them chuckling requires more than just a funny idea.

Here’s how you can sprinkle humour throughout your writing:

• Inject your story with comedic repetition and suspense. It’s not just about what happens but how you tell it. Repeating a funny scenario in unexpected ways or building suspense before a comedic payoff can amplify the laughter.
• Embrace the absurd and observe everyday life for humorous inspiration. Sometimes, the most mundane situations or thoughts, when viewed through a comedic lens, can become incredibly funny.
• Don’t be afraid to make fun of yourself. Self-deprecating humour isn’t only relatable but also disarming, encouraging your readers to laugh along with you.
• Cut unnecessary words and use exaggeration judiciously. Brevity is the soul of wit, and a well-placed exaggeration can transform a mildly amusing story into a side-splitting narrative.

To craft an engaging and amusing narrative, it’s essential to explore elements that genuinely amuse you. Integrating the type of humour that resonates with you, incorporating unexpected plot twists, and leveraging wordplay can significantly enhance the comedic value of your story. It’s crucial to vividly depict amusing situations rather than merely describing them, ensuring a clear visual and emotional connection with the audience. Opting for originality and avoiding clichéd jokes will also contribute to a fresher and more captivating story. Characters should be placed in exaggerated yet somehow familiar predicaments, elevating everyday occurrences to a level of ridiculousness that provokes laughter. Maintaining a concise narrative, drawing inspiration from the peculiar aspects of daily life, and aiming to constantly surprise both yourself and your readers are fundamental strategies. This approach not only makes the story more enjoyable but also helps maintain the audience’s interest throughout.

A humorous story captures the essence of comedy through its narrative, engaging readers with situations and dialogues that evoke laughter and amusement. These narratives serve as a delightful diversion from the routine, often incorporating unexpected twists to entertain and engage the audience. Their primary aim is to highlight the lighter side of life, offering a comedic perspective on everyday situations. Through skilful storytelling, humorous stories provide an enjoyable reading experience, reminding us of the joy found in laughter and the importance of not taking life too seriously. This genre of storytelling is particularly effective in adding levity to our daily lives, making it a cherished form of entertainment.

To initiate a narrative effectively, it’s imperative to captivate the readers’ interest immediately. This can be accomplished through the introduction of a distinctive character, the initiation of an engaging dialogue, or the presentation of a unique situation. The opening serves as a pivotal opportunity to engage your audience, and it should be approached with creativity and thoughtfulness. Consider what elements are most effective in drawing you into a story and endeavour to incorporate those into your own narrative. It’s crucial to create an opening that’s both compelling and indicative of the story’s overall tone.

To initiate the process of crafting a story from the ground up, it’s essential to begin with an element that captures your interest. This could be a compelling character, an intriguing scene, or a challenging dilemma. It’s advisable to record all initial thoughts, regardless of their preliminary nature. This allows for a brainstorming process that can yield unexpected and exciting ideas. Subsequently, outline a rudimentary plot to establish a direction for the narrative. This plot can serve as a roadmap, guiding the story as it unfolds. It’s important to acknowledge that the initial draft isn’t expected to be flawless. Its primary purpose is to serve as a foundation upon which the story can be refined. So, don’t worry about perfection at this stage. Throughout the writing process, allow for the development and transformation of characters. This can lead to unexpected and enriching directions for the storyline. Characters are the heart of a story, so giving them room to grow and change can make the narrative more engaging. Engaging in the creative process with a sense of exploration and enjoyment is crucial. This mindset allows for the creation of a captivating and immersive world that will draw readers in.

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875 Funny Writing Prompts For Funny Stories And Comedies

March 2, 2021

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Have tried writing funny stories in the past, but failed because you are having a hard time thinking up ideas that you feel make people laugh? If your answer is ‘yes,’ maybe you should consider turning to writing prompts for inspiration. 

Writing prompts are great tools that could help make your story stand out from other comedies by giving you new ideas and pushing you to get your creative spirits going. They can also take your stories to the next level by stretching your imagination.  

If you are an aspiring comedy writer or an author in a writer’s rut, here are writing prompts that could inspire you to write funny stories

• There are only five minutes until you have to give the speech and you just realized you can’t speak. Inspiration never strikes at a good time.
• The wife-in-laws’ husband wife-in-law is a husband wife-in-law was a constant reminder of her own true age.
• There came a time when the world was out of handclaps. In order to resolve this grotesque situation, a boy was conscripted. A boy who had been struck on the head by the iron lever in a closed door accident, and was now incomplete in the lateral portion of his left hemisphere.
• When my headlights were going out…no one knew that the red lights on the road were actually stop lights.
• Several times during the Second World War Churchill was briefed on recent advances in weapons technology. He’d listen to the reports, only for his eyes to widen, mouth open and jaw drop. Slightly open-mouthed, patting the person on hand, he’d steer them to the door before stepping back into his office. Later, someone would walk in and add in some milk.
• You hear a sound behind you, but you know it’s my friend Billy, whose name is actually Steven. Stop making me say things two times!
• Everyone from the outside expected you to have your life together. You weren’t to be concerned with anything. Little did they know, you were worried sick about one of the most bizarre things anyone could identify with.
• Tell a story of something that happened when you were a kid. Something you’ve left out of other stories you’ve told.
• There was a family that moved into the neighborhood. Jose, Janet, and Tom. There children Mark, Maria, and Timothy. They were the nicest people you would want to meet. At least at first. One day Mark and Timothy went missing. People looked everywhere for those two boys, but they just couldn’t be found. Then suddenly the rest of the family went missing just two days later. Except the father and mother who were the last to disappear. When people looked around the beautiful house they found more of those flowers and dead bodies all around the backyard AND a port-a-potty. They looked in the bath tubs and the kitchen drawers. The bodies were hidden for a long time until someone they could take care of themselves, or they were just plain stupid. All had the same golden gates and angel wings. Everyone was certain of the fact that the family was a group of satan worshippers.
• You wake up one night covered in tiny puncture wounds. They heal over time, leaving small coffee or mocha colored spots on your person.
• “I want to believe.” was not the catchphrase of some obscure nerd, but rather my new way of saying “I need to become an astronaut.”
• The elevator could only fit one person, so they tossed a coin to see who would go up and bring down the angel.
• It’s not the same when you explain it to us, so explain it to the whores on the corner outside, the corner of forgotten children.
• She ran around with scissors in her hair so they were never able to recognize the color of her hair.
• A running joke can be funny or strange and crucial– and, ultimately, mess with your readers’ minds. A running joke also makes your novel stand out in a memorable way. Could Eva repel the biker girls? Could she use lemons to do so? Maybe she could transform into a laser beam and shoot lemon beams at them!
• You are sitting at your desk at a job you hate. Suddenly, a man you’ve never seen before approaches you with an argument you’ve never considered, and somehow your procrastinating becomes the action of the minute, the action that leads to momentous decisions in a life you never realized was yours.
• But not everything can come from a strange world. Some ideas could also come as a part of a mundane world. Perhaps the bad guy from your story didn’t arrive by meteor, but crawled down the storm drain in your backyard.
• A story about a triangular obelisk made of mud-braken and mortar replaced with a different one, solely based on observation.
• You enter a virtual reality game in the seal-clubbing business. The object of the game is to seal-club as many seals as possible. It’s the world’s most popular online game. And in no time you’re making a fortune. You’ve become the ultimate seal-clubber. How will it end?
• The Sheriff and his deputy were riding horses in a park earlier, but then, one horse just started taking off on it’s own. Naturally, the two men wouldn’t let a horse just take them anywhere. The deputy did the only thing he could’ve done, and shot the horse for ‘becoming agitated’.
• A subtle discussion of the differences between the dreaming of a historian and the degree to which a character in the fiction believes himself to be real.
• The man in the big yellow hat wanted to open the biggest lemonade stand ever. So he went out to find the lemons, only to find out that there is no more lemonade. Oopsie!
• Write into somebody else’s dialect. Write from the point of view of someone living in a different time period, like the 16th century. Write the story looking back from about 1000 years from now. What would post-apocalyptica feel like?
• For a list of funny story prompts from a simplified list and fun exercises, just go to this page . The list is fairly comprehensive but they will prove very useful in terms of idea generation. You can also simply check out my Book, “From blank page to funny page.” and start writing today!
• The Bakers left the galley messy, so Gavin and his boys decided to contribute to the clean up effort. Consequently, all their masterpieces were saved.
• More great prompts for funny stories include awkward moments, suspicious adjectives, painful events, and first meeting. Once you’ve completed a funny story, share them with friends or family.
• Never say die. Blasphemy? Ten years in prison. No trials, no innocent before proven guilty. Just burn ’em! Burn ’em!
• You were the small seedling that decided to grow up. And rise to be ten times what all the other trees were planted for.
• A man and a woman want to get married but a mutual need is preventing them from tying the knot for a closer life together.
• Pirates like to focus on the one thing most people would find most morally intriguing–avast, this is the captured story.
• Colonel Sanders bobbed up and down on a pogo stick. Do you think he shouted Colonel Sanders while he did this? Or was he just Colonel Sanders?
• Destiny doesn’t get out of bed for anything less than two million in cash. Or a really good bacon wrapped filet.
• The man on the train who stared at your arm tattoos for five minutes, despite being surrounded by countless empty seats.
• Figure out a way to be the anarchist you wanted than shouted at by the powers that wanted to redefine the relationship between you and your government without dealing with any government involvement.
• Enjoy these and enjoy writing short stories! They are a great way to provide creative writing practice.
• Don’t forget to subscribe to my RSS or YouTube channel or newsletter above for updates on when more funny prompts come out.
• I was born a beautiful baby. A beautiful baby in the ugly hospital in the ugly dying town on the dying planet.
• You were dreaming night after night. It was the same dream, you never forgot it, but it didn’t make sense. What did you dream again?
• He wore a brown fedora and a black trenchcoat. He gave me a wide goofy grin as he drew a gun from his pocket.
• The Old west meets high-tech study chambers. A Wild West error leads to a bug in the Matrix. Documented incident of spontaneity. Blue heron falls from the sky.
• They must have thought they couldn’t make it through. They split their integral selves between a state and the staid. The steady flux is a thing of delight to them, just as the balance between their vibrant impulsions and the détente is. Contact further cemented their romance, but effect dissipated into sparse numbers. They plummeted, plateaued, and now slowly strut gingerly amongst the pincushion and porcupines. Now that they know themselves incapable of tearing themselves apart, they no longer worry about trying to be whole.
• What if everything you thought you knew about vampires and the undead was a total lie? What if they were just people?
• A centipede and a butterfly sit outside on a hot summer day playing cards. After a few hands the centipede puts down his cards and says….
• It’s a curse to be beautiful in this life… or was it an enviable blessing it brought wealth and fame…
• An original fairytale about a handsome prince, damsel in distress and a white horse where the prince is the knight with a thousand faces.
• God gave you the job of calling all the shots. What happened to make you forget what He had put you on this Earth for?
• Why would it have to make logical sense for me to get that part? It’s just a frickin’ job, not graduate school.
• The struggling artist doodled in the margins of the page, oblivious that the words she wrote were changing her world…
• What shapes do you see in the pattern of life? Stories can create emotion, setting, likability, and help people learn about themselves and others. A believable story can capture the reader’s attention, if the grammar and sentence structure are good, then they should be able to read the story smoothly. If every aspect is perfect, that means nothing else is left undone. The tale could almost tell itself. The setting could almost design itself. If everything in a story feels real or plausible, then it lived up to the expectations.
• Later, the same boy pushed a goat down the school’s  staircases. It’s safe to say he was suspended from the school for a solid week.
• You can use the environment around you to bring color to your writing. Look around you at the environment. The way a roach slithers across your counter – what emotion is it trying to convey? What does a dirty leaf or a wind-blown flower invoke in you?
• Your name was a living legend. Highlander of your trade.  No one wanted to be the one that slew… you.
• When your life looked like a stick drawing, only with a few scattered among your two dimensional reality.
• TheRedheadand The Spacewoman Are Having a Good Time On The Planet of Orange at the North Pole. Prance Around and Find a Big Piece of Rock To Float To Other Planets.
• I knew they were trouble when they walked in. A girl covered in tattoos, and a guy who resembled Johnny Depp.
• Hope you’ve enjoyed these funny story prompts. If you want some more, let me know and I’ll post more funny story prompts!
• Who can discard digital music files that hold exactly one -hundred- notes of -unplayed- music without feeling awful and slightly depressed about it. Isn’t your hard drive a paradise for that lonely unused music??!
• Write a story about someone who talks about a paradox that blurs the lines between fiction and reality.
• 1. Go to the YouTube channel, How to Write Great Fiction , and watch the videos on Point of View and Storytelling. 2. After you’ve watched the videos, go to the site to read more about each of the fifteen elements by clicking on the title of the article.
• All of the writing prompts are effective because you have to get right to the point and remove any fluff from the description so you can tell a story in a creative and interesting way.
• Have you ever noticed that after a person has died, everything in the house goes to the kids? Except for the dirty underwear in the underwear drawer.
• Most people are like Slinky. With every step they take, they lose a little bit of their sturdiness and gain a little bit more tually.
• Write a story about something or someone you don’t like, to get a laugh, you need to include a disliked person in your story.
• The narrator doesn’t die immediately. Instead, he lives long enough to recount the accident to anyone willing to listen.
• The kid knocked it 400 yards and because it landed on the road, and not in the field, it wasn’t a home run.
• Write a true curious tale in which something relevant to your book has gone missing, How could it have been missing, and how could you possibly go on?
• A lifeboat washed up with two skeletons in it.  The First Skeleton popped out and grabbed his own pelvis.  The First Skeleton’s pelvis didn’t belong to him.  The Second Skeleton lunged out and said, “MY pelvis! Now!!”  Your house was haunted by a ghost.  You almost slept with a serial killer.
• A priest, a rabbi, and a blonde woman with green eyes are about to be executed and they’re out on the garden swing together one last time.
• The greatest mystery of all time hangs in the balance, and your friend and you are the only ones capable of solving it, but they, as they say, are M.I.A.
• Imagine you’re at a job interview for a completely absurd job. What job explains everything that’s happened to you?
• No one ever suspected the minister was actually a serial killer. But the numbers just didn’t add up….
• For the next 25 days, post a comment of interest that relates to one of your writing goals, trading spaces for other wants or wishes . Make it fact-based, funny or fiction. Maybe even all three.
• In the firelight preparing dinner over a barbecue the beloved grandfather of the family takes a young girl’s hand in his own and says,
• That night the stars didn’t shine because the moon is full every month. And when it’s not it’s a new moon.
• You encounter the ghost of your favorite actor. There he is in the flesh! You can’t believe your luck. And then he dies all over again and you have to write an article on what he was like.
• Your mother was the whitest woman you’d ever seen. No one’s mother was whiter than yours. Wait? What?
• The story focuses around the things that happened when, with what, who was what, who did what.   Sometimes impossibly forced, sometimes just weird, and other times just slightly funny. The point is to be funny.   Sometimes done by picking 20-50 completely random subjects, then picking out ones that are funny for whatever reason.
• Give me this day my daily bread.  Other stories stem from the imagination to list ideas. These exercises are fun, excitement and great ideas to use as a springboard for stories.  It is all about stopping the gravity of your day. Making your creative mind float up into the clouds with no limitations. To create stories to amuse yourself and anyone who reads them. To write about whatever you like. To write about the people who really interest you. Nothing makes an awkwardly normal person observe and invent rather than someone who is a headliner. Invent your own direction of your story and drive a pit of obstacles. Keep your issues in mind but allow yourself to Spin the idea on its end and make it humorous and crazy fun.  Just talking about writing stories can lead to a great idea or even a character for a story!!
• Ever walked on the sand and couldn’t find the water? Ever walked on water and not been able to find the sand?
• The White Witch is having an important guest over, a scruffy-looking nerdy guy who carries luggage larger than his own body while the creepy yet overdressed butler, dressed in purely white, escorts him to his room. As he disappears down the hall, the White Witch’s daughter walks in to ask her mother innocently where the new guest is staying, wondering if she can play with him. The mother is a bit offended by how this scruffy nerdy guy came to be a guest, and she asks her daughter “Why in the world would he be staying here?”
• My co-worker saved the company from almost certain failure only to have his efforts called into question.
• You’re in a totally haunted and abandoned house that you think is truly beautiful and charming until that really hungry yet relentless Vulture starts to nag you about what already-chewed-on bones you have back there in the cupboard that are just his size and whisper over and over, “Oh-do eat me.”
• While growing up, your dog slept with you in your parent’s bed while they slept in their bedroom. Every night.
• There was no way, no way someone who eats family pets would possibly have eaten my lost hamster. Right?
• Write a story about a ceramic or pewter or lead figurine. Go into great detail about how it was made and how it might come to life.
• In a world where noses were big business, two men vied for dominance. One noseless and the other flawed…
• See what happens when a couple is forced to leave their home by circumstance and the rules and regulations surrounding urban civilizations. The husband eventually ends up building his own home minus a few materials.
• A Silver Scoter is the most annoying bird in the world because even when it is dead people will throw it into a lake.
• Every time the narrator reached the turning point in a tragic story, cash prizes were shot out of a cannon.
• Choose people that you think are particularly familiar with someone who is close to you otherwise maybe a little bizarre.
• So in Havana, this old man yells out, “You so stupid, you had all those Castro’s beat, what’s you firstname?”
• If you use somebody’s accent to the point where they can’t speak at all, and then they decide to just leave before killing you, is it okay to say Black tax, as long as you pay it, but don’t actually take a mason jar down from anywhere and hold it out for them to put a quarter in?
• Write a story that parallels the creation of people and the world in the Bible, beginning with the creation of the universe.
• Honest Abe’s Honest Axe repair shop is across from Honest Abe’s Honest Auto Salvage. It’s across from Honest Abe’s Honest Sporting Goods in a section of the city where there is little honest business. None of us are getting any younger.
• Tell the entire story from the main character’s weakest character flaw if your character is not heroic/has no flaws.
• The quirks and oddities of the world are what make it amazing. Don’t be afraid to explore the strange!
• You have the power to make someone else disappear. You can choose to take someone or the whole world.
• The next time you tell someone to get over it they’ll die. With no one there to bring them back to life.
• She always fell in love with people she shouldn’t and dated guys that were completely wrong for her. And yet, they all had one thing in common. She left you for them.
• For the first time, the award for the worst fiction is awarded to Chuck Wiener. This is not a story about a man named Chuck Wiener, but rather is the story entitled, “Chuck Wiener’s Hair Journey.” “Chuck Wiener’s Hair Journey” will be printed on paper, and will surely be a literary success.
• If lightning bugs had leaders, they would all decamp to my front yard to live and play vigorously in my dark corners.
• A writer, reeling in self-pity over his lack of recognition, searches the nearby woods for some sign of recognition or even a single sapling with his name on it.
• Have a main character that works at a really bad job/preparing clear margaritas at the corner store for a buck.
• “Do you remember when we used to sit up all night and talk and talk and talk about the coolest things? What happened, man? Why aren’t we still talking?”
• What is the funniest short story you have ever written, but really should sell because it’s really funny.
• The new girl doesn’t have a name. Her real name is impossible to pronounce and occasionally she forgets what it is.
• Ages and ages ago, in a galaxy far away, so long ago we didn’t even know when, back when King Arthur ruled Camelot there was a cobbler…
• Have the character use a ridiculously large amount of made-up jargon to describe a situation or event, single-handedly destroying the target’s self-esteem and worldview.
• Your late-friend Johnny was the weirdest person who ever lived. He did the strangest things. Even though you think he was a weirdo, you have to admit, the results were “worth it.”
• It’s a tale with no meaning and no point– yet one that must be told elicits the most sympathetic response.
• Give your character an impossible list of tasks, ridiculous prerequisites, and insane hoops and twirls to jump through. Poetically portray humiliation, the extreme senses of frustration and despair, and/or autism.
• If you build a boat, will it hold up? If you build a raft, will it be water-tight? Are you looking out for me? Breathe. In depth. Exhale.
• What is your ultimate reality television experience? Take Lana Condor On A Blind Date spoof scene from To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han for example! What is your ultimate reality television experience?
• Orhan Pamuk, a Turkish writer known for The Black Book, grew up in Kaffeebecher, an Arab neighborhood in Istanbul, where he sold lemonade called “Bean and Istanbul.”
• Nanai is a three-toed sloth who mainly feasts on prickly pear cactus to supplement his protein. He has been waiting for fair share solar panels from the energy company so he can stop eating cactus and start spinning his fiber, like many of the young sloths in his community do.
• Story about movies or books that sound cool when you’re framing the scene but are terrible when you get down to it.
• She was the sweetest girl in the whole wide world, but not a day went by without a peacock trying to ride my bike.
• Unplug everything. Feel your breathing. Slowly have a panic attack. And then plug it in and forget about it.
• Checklist, checklist. What’s something you need to make sure you don’t forget to do on a first date?
• He ran into the mead with a paper in hand. He was an author, not just a writer, but a famous…oh, never mind.
• Professor Dudley says, “No pain-no gain.” Considering this new-old adage, a sailor on a paddleboard
• No one ever went into the old meat processing plant since it closed twenty years ago. But one day someone noticed and followed the little trail of steam coming from the roof. When they got to it they were shocked. The smell of meat and fresh blood made them gag. What they saw was hard to believe at first. What they saw made them vomit. You see, the factory was now run by mad scientist cooks. They use meat that people use to buy. It doesn’t come from there. What they cook is so good people can’t resist the smell. Their main item is called Fainiburger. It is so good it is supposed to change from a gas to a solid. Fainiburger is rolled out into a tent where people buy it to go. People were buying all the meat they could get their hands on. It’s a family operated business that parents love to cater businesses with for birthdays, weddings, you name it. It’s just so popular people can’t get enough.
• Declare pestilence on the previously killer garden gnomes that are now holding your neighbor’s son hostage under your stair step.
• Madness victims are happier than the sane, who just want to get fourteen hours of sleep in one night, without the disruption of yet another “loud noise scare”.
• No one was sure if his mother was pushing the boundaries of time, space, and his mouth just to hear him scream.
• They say curiosity killed the cat. And ever since you got curious about the wrong thing and followed that dog, you’ve regretted every decision you’ve made.
• As Gary Larson did for comics, compose a hyper-stylized, exaggerated prose that mimics the surface qualities of a very different kind of writing.
• That expression on your face, bemused and awry, one side of your mouth curling up in a mocking half-smile. The blind rage upon seeing my drawings, my close-guarded secrets, the pieces of my heart laid bare, stained in carbon soot.
• You’re not a real shifter until you’ve had your skin eaten off, your body drained of blood, and had your eyeballs pecked out by a crow.
• Travel back in time to observe a historical event, alive and in person. Use your knowledge of the future to influence the outcome of said event.
• Just after his mother had died, he saw the apparition next to him with her arms outreached. Good thing it was seen through the webcam of his computer.
• We demolished a small, defenseless, sandcastle and the world crushed us like it crept up on a surprise party.
• What if every word you wrote was written in pineapple upside-down cake? Would anything make any sense?
• Write a funny poem. This could be a parody on Old King Cole, or another famous poem. You might want to try to whole Sonnet 43 nevertheless inquire of me…
• You’ve had moments of Clarity. A heightened awareness that gives you the sense that you have your feet on solid ground. But for the most part, you meander, unsure of your place. With a slight sense of fear, you’ve built walls around yourself and your heart, using your past experiences as bricks. But at this best, you are Chaotically Neutral… photographic proof.
• 1. Africa Revisited  – ‘On civilizing Western civilization, African masks, cold weather and the skull’ – Makgoba
• A man went into a shop, asked for “six back scratchers.” Mentioned ticks. “Been bitten by a dog recently?” he asked. So he asked for a “pea shooter” to “blow all those ticks away.” He said this at an old-fashioned general store. They sold everything from guns and paints to “tack and feed.” “Geesh,” says Bob. “This puppy will blow every one of those ticks right out of their blood.” Lermontov Palmerrell was able to shoot all the ticks away with a pea shooter.
• Make the reader think the story is going to follow a straight line, when, in fact, you’re going to take it on a sharp left turn.
• As he drifted off, he pinched his wife’s leg until she hit him on the belly. “Hey!” she said. “That’s not a good idea.” He said, “I was swimming and my head fell off.”
• Fiona Smythe, a four year old lives whenever her father isn’t around. Once he’s blessedly gone, she transforms into her evil knock-off of Barbie. One afternoon, her father is just about to head out to a business meeting, so he asks her to give him a kiss for luck. The request, of course, makes Fiona sick. Instead, she tells him that Holiday Barbie will kiss him on the cheek instead of “dry rubbing her lips”. Disgusted, the father leaves. The audience expects this story to go down a typical road. But no, when Dad returns home a few hours later thinking he’d made a major business deal, the father is met with a post-it note which says, “I need a bigger attic”. It turns out that, for her “treat”, Fiona took a pretty BB gun and did some barrel racing with a broom handle. Thus, the note.
• Write the story of someone who’s really, really good at PowerPoint. Even in an era of Google and Twitter, their slides are so good, the audience is hypnotized.
• Think of the space capsule scene in “Wrath of Khan” and what ensues when a man with healthy “curiosity” and a few jumplings of plunk get together.
• Imagine your laundry folder is a person. Cool, yet annoying. So you dump them out in a single heap and they jumble around like an angry drunk.
• During the Time of Gray, no one dared voice their true thoughts in public or in private. It took courage to gain new knowledge.
• A New York caveman was trying to spelunk, but could not climb up because he had a belly. So he yelped as loud as he could…then a few minutes later, his buddy dropped him a ladder. That’s not real real, but so real it’s real.
• Go inside your car and write. Give all the details – make it like no one else could have experienced this exact thing.
• Until society is prepared to accept its place within the natural order and begin setting reasonable goals for alternatives, there is no choice but to rely on the perpetuation of primitive and environmentally atrocious technologies like nuclear power.
• Write about how you woke from the most fascinating dream just to find yourself in the most boring situation you’ve ever been in!
• Tell it all. Do not be sensitive.   Trust the reader to catch only the essentials of your story while filling in the gaps. Embrace the fact that there is so much more to understand and experience than you will ever write.
• After reading these, breathe out or exhale. Still holding your finger against the key, remove your finger and look through them! Breathe out and then do this 2 more times.  See what happens.
• The longer you looked at your face, the longer you were convinced a monkey could do a better job, but he was an idiot.
• Make the thread exactly the right size to fit through the hole, and then turn it one thousand times to the right as you enter the hole… from which things currently come out.
• Why did the poet love his cabin in the woods so much? He simply loved it more than anything else in the woods.
• The terraforming is a certainty the simulations proved it. Nothing could go wrong, we planned for every eventuality. You can’t hide in spilled milk.
• Sometime in the future, a human might fall in love with a robot and other pieces of monumental fiction.
• A bear, a car, a tire, a wheel and a turkey walk into a bar. Sounds a lot like the start of a joke. But it’s no joke when the turkey comes in shooting. And the only joke you get out of it is the one on your tombstone.
• You haven’t spoken to your father in a very long time. He has been remanded to the sub-basement laundry facilities for the past several years and forced to tend to the mundane needs of the wealthy. You are ready to go see him and release him from the duties of the laundry worker.
• You’re distracted by a magnificent sunset. Succumbing to its warm and welcoming glow, your thoughts begin to drift apart as you become enchanted by the burning blue hue that dances in the sky.
• That hidden side of yourself that usually doesn’t get displayed in everyday company has to be hidden no more because the surprise party your spouse has planned for you is sneaking up on you and it’s going to be occupying every corner of your house, so, get in harmony with yourself…cause it is all out now.
• Things lay broken and forgotten, scattered as if a storm had swept through somewhere, regretting di…
• Everyone can be silent and noisy at the same time. You just need to have earbuds that are plugged into your ears…
• There are times when you write for the world to see, and then there are times when you write to see if the words will fit.
• There once was a man from Nantucket, who had a whack of almonds, and a lady from Racine, who couldn’t disarm him.
• A pleasant stroll, or maybe a marathon run is what you usually experienced on your bike tour around your neighborhood and imagined on your couch in front of the TV.
• A very hot summer day, as you laid your head on her lap, she told you a long, sad story which you never forgot. She was buried in a seaside grave, with her action figures never to be played with again.
• How many Jifs does it take to screw in a light bulb? Three! One to unscrew the world, one to screw the future, and one to screw the future back on. Or you could just add all your Jifs together…
• A Greek chorus of a dozen people stand behind you one by one and speak 2 lines. It is irrelevant as to what they say. It is merely the sound of their voices.
• You are asleep within a dream, within another dream, within another dream, within another dream, within another dream, within another dream, within another dream…
• Three little pigs.  Pop! Goes the first pig’s house!  Pop! Goes the second pig’s house!  Whoops! There goes the big bad wolf…  Oh, no…Not the third little pig’s house.
• I spent all night cleaning up blood from the lobby. It was hard to get out of the cracks of the floor.
• A ship was floating in the water far below the mountains with hope in the captain’s eyes. Here it comes. One second. One…
• One of these days is sadly about to be your last. Unless you can think up a quick and clever ending.
• An important lesson for all authors who wish to create scenes of tension – make your characters talk about the farthest thing from the trouble at hand.
• Freeze time for 2 minutes. When the timer goes off, you’ll be one month older. What does the future hold for you?
• While you were away on holiday, your aunt decided to redecorate your living room in red and white and where your couch used to be is now a large bird cage.
• Einstein never wore greetings. Mohandas Gandhi never wore pants. Amelia Earhart never wore underwear.
• Have your main character wake up to themselves having done something absolutely and totally different from your previous work.
• If you could go back in time and witness the birth of anything or anyone, what would it be? What would the circumstance be, what year would it be back to? Where would you be, …?
• The Most Interesting Man in the World explains why all flags are bad and go 170 kilometers per hour in 45 seconds.
• Deconstructing the pro wrestling persona – make the wrestler into a non-wrestler and tell why that character became a non-wrestler.
• When your TV makes too much noise while on the phone, you need a remote that allows you to effectively bat at the volume control.
• You’re playing your cosmic stereo and tripped over a sidewalk crack. That’s strange. There had never been one there before.
• A journal between two friends, one who lost his wife in a car accident and one who has just admitted a one night stand after she told him she is starting to see someone else.
• You live in an average world. There is nothing special about the world you inhabit. Something or someone will come along to show you that there is.And this last one has always been a favorite of mine. It comes from video games. That’s right. VIDEO GAMES!
• You got off the bus in the morning and greeted your friend with, “Hi, Napping! Did you have a good napp?! Ha ha! Keep on sleeping and your dreams will come true.”
• Desperately searching for what idiot lost your pet bunny.  The little tyke was wearing an army helmet too. What was he training for?
• Hansel and Gretel were lost, children’s bones were forgotten next to the four day old ash of the campfire.
• One, two, Freddy’s coming for you. — Slight variation on the above creepypasta prompt, “Five Tries Not to Wake up”
• Junk was gold in California. People would pay top prices just to have back whenever they thought the world was about to end.
• It has been said that the element of surprise is very important in horror novels. Surprise works extremely well and is oftentimes one of the most powerful tools in horror writing. The element of surprise will help pack a more powerful emotional punch.
• And that was that. Abraham Lincoln had saved the country once again, thus realizing his mother’s dream of him becoming President.
• Your name will be mispronounced all your life, people will get it wrong and you can’t seem to make them stop.
• Write an elevator pitch for a killer morphological virus that eats human bones. No. Make that human flesh.
• There was a man they sent to a giant rocket! But something was wrong with the world. Something was definitely wrong.
• Mom and Dad always loved you best. You were the one they called on to make decisions and rescue them from challenging and inconvenient situations. Be careful…they may be the reason you’re in prison and can’t call your own family.
• You carry the love of your life with you everywhere you go. Unfortunately, she dies every day at midnight. It’s worse than a story in a book.
• This is more of an art technique. You pick a cool or funny sentence and then crop Griff before while typing it or doing something.
• Only humans could take over natural resources for ourselves leaving behind a mess for another species.
• You win some, you lose some. When Tagore’s car breaks down during a family vacation his life takes a turn for the worst but is it more than that. Will the sale of a winning lottery ticket unravel even harder times ahead or is it the answer he is looking for?
• Write without letting the pencil ever touch the paper. Have the fingers glide across the page as you type.
• You are sealed in a room that is temperature controlled perfectly. You can never be too cold or too warm, but you are not allowed to leave.
• Your life was in black and white. You were used to the setting, and you liked it that way. Then one day you discovered there was a color channel you had completely missed out on. What would you see with a color camera now that you’re no longer entirely shielded from color…?
• Write about a time despite a nagging voice in the back of your head you did something crazy and insane.
• Interrogate your lawn mower. Praise him for launching the first successful lawn mower satellite at the feverish apex of his mechanical orgasm.
• There once was a woman who was so attractive, four men were fighting to their deaths for the right to marry her, but the question was…. Which one would she choose?
• Dogs eat homework. It’s what they do. Period. End of sentence. The end. The era of the Thompson family.
• I saw a cockroach skittering up your arm to your shoulder. Don’t be scared. I’ll grab it and put it outside.
• Your father’s wealth and popularity have meant you one thing so far—privilege. Is that where your laundry list of qualifications end? Or have a few gaps gone unfilled?
• The Iceman Prank. Buy an 1/8 of weed then go to the freezer. Make all your friends think the weed is just covered in ice. Wake them up, and the Iceman will have come and gone.
• Think about someone you know who is either really short, really tall, or really fat. Have him/her walk into the room.
• Arthur was a child of fantasy and truth. Not often could he tell the difference, thus his name, which seemed fitting.
• Everyone else is a redbird and you’re a robin. What happened, how can they all be redbirds and you be a robin?
• Everyone thought you were Egyptian. But it turned out you were just a little black boy whose father was a dentist for the Egyptian royal family.
• Something old… Something new… Something borrowed… Something gray… The time he slipped on a banana skin and broke his leg. The dress she wore on her first date with him. They taught the millionaire to sing his last will and testament.
• What happens when you put the world’s grumpiest man in front of a mirror, and let him complain and moan about his life for ninety minutes…?
• And the following prompts are about more common submissions, and my feeling is that they did not deserve an accept, however funny stories.
• Somebody worked really hard drawing something on your face or body. Emphasize how impressed you are that they drew a dinosaur on you, or a plane, or a flower, or a penis, or a pot leaf. It has to have love in the work, of course, and detail. You’ll realize this as the story builds.
• Your school was so boring you decided to explode it. In the end this resulted in you getting expelled.
• Things the stars say. Things that wouldn’t disturb, but wouldn’t exactly lull you to sleep at night.
• Let go of every single bit of sanity you ever had and go completely insane. Hold on to hope and don’t let go of it.
• When there was nothing but sand in the brick, you had to pick up one of the bricks. Maybe it was my brick? Was my brick the one picked up last?
• An astronaut landed and grew tomato plants. If he sees another astronaut do the same, what would he think?
• Every so often, Mr. Grant comes into the break room and does an impression of Clifford Pearson’s grandmother who answers the phone at her nursing home that badly, and you notice that Meeka is terribly upset.
• It seems only yesterday we had a family of wolves, a family of mice, a family of mice that lived in a wolf, a bulldog and a cat that lived in a bank.
• After nearly destroying his village, the Lazy Prince makes sure not to repeat the same mistakes again.
• When bored at a convention, one is advised to see the before and after photos. That should liven things up.
• Two co-workers ran into each other they hadn’t seen in a while. “Good to see you,” they greet. Then one says a little sarcastically . . .
• At the murder trial, the prosecutor said that the victim had 30 stab wounds but bite marks showed that 42 teeth to be involved. The murderer confessed, but said that it was a “joint effort”.
• They warned him not to eat the fiddle player, but he did not listen. He did, of course, get sick. Everything in…
• Throw your main character in a situation that is completely wrong and confusing for him/her. His/her normal behavior will seem very out of place.
• Exactly how it sounds—nonsense punctuation. Bold and italic letters if you prefer, use as many words as you wish, be as silly as you want… just make it nonsense.
• Cold and brittle bark, the delicate touch and the delicate scent. Her hands and lips were mine. Hers and she would not be comforted.
• I tried bondage, but you don’t get quite the same screams from younger women after removing their clothes.
• If you find a way to fulfill your wish or dream would you stop wishing or dreaming? Or would you make the most of it?
• A computer woke up in a new millennium, asked itself “where am I?” and answered “Negative Space.” God was not there.
• Every action hero story needs a protagonist who needs help getting their suit on. What’s your story?
• Make something funny out of reality. Maybe you want to make a laughing stock of yourself, or you might just want to share the humdingers of reality.
• 3. Next, find an oddity in the story. Something out of place from what should normally be the case. Ask it to tell you the story. Place the story back in the box and take it somewhere completely different. Pluck out a new story of the absurdity of the first in some bizarre variant.
• This one is great because it gives you the opportunity to tap into a deep, dark place in your soul and create a detestable Exceeder with one simple adjective…
• Frodo realised as he walked down the final stretch of the yellow-brick road that it might not have been quite as easy as all that being the last ring bringer.
• The woman three houses down has been staying up until three in the morning knitting mittens for kittens.
• A one-armed man is shooting dice with God. God always wins. The one-armed man does not understand why.
• Why did the chicken cross the road? Why?  You better know the answer to that philosophical question, or you are going to die.
• Start worse and make it progressively worse until it’s extremely out of whack and you suddenly get a happy ending. Springtime for Hitler.
• Think specifically and thoroughly about the last helicopter you saw. Then the last car you saw with its lights off. The last bag of bird seed.
• Look both ways before you cross. No one cares about the people or the dog that crosses against the light. If you want to stay alive, you need to know where they are.
• The woman’s shoulder blades brushed against one another whenever she stretched her arms above her head
• A few of these prompts are more for free writing exercises than for actual stories, but either way they both have potential to inspire your creativity. If you have TONS of ideas flowing about your prompt, zip up your overalls and start writing! If you’re still looking for some fresh inspiration, don’t worry. You’ll be able to get a lot out of these so keep reading!
• The kick is a novelist, struggling to cope with a bad writing day. Unfortunately, she has no idea how to solve this problem. Her Muse has abandoned her, and every word she types expends more agony on her and less on the keyboard. There is no spell for this. There are no charms or potions that will bring the Muse back to her. So, she gets creative.
• This list is a good way to begin when you don’t know what else to write. It gets the creative juices flowing and can open up new events to put in your flash fiction.
• As long as a character has multiple dimensions to him or herself, it can be funny to throw in an eclectic mix of traits. Just when a reader thinks you’ve made a character’s outlook on life clear cut by developing her beyond the generic-ness, toss in a personality trait that prevents such a judgment.
• The person who gives you the most rhetorical questions about your life is the one who divulged information best saved for yourself.
• A kid whose father owned the local book store dresses up as the Sesame Street icon and blocks the aisle hock
• Just when you thought you couldn’t make use of laughter yoga. This book will open your heart,…
• Cats act like real cats and are the best all around pets. Dogs act like we would expect and better adapt to a modern society. Explain how boring this would be.
• Little old me, lost in the city. Feeling crushed by the magnitude of it all, the cold, hard concrete. Oh, better yet. The city was frozen in a thick layer of snow, making every movement sound heavy. It was the city’s yearly tradition to remain encased in ice, adding on to the city’s beauty and making everyone provide one another with warmth of all kinds… After all, we needed to move forward from the ice age.
• Tell us a story of a true heartbreak. Or you could talk about how that one time Jim chose Sue over me for the basketball team going to the state championship almost got me a heart attack.
• No matter how popular some other brand might be,  there was none better and more loved than the one you were using.
• Turn your antagonist into a godly complex being, and pretend to be winning the battle for all of five minutes. Then get beaten by a fifteen-year-old boy driving a borrowed car.
• These stories often have a punchline at the end, there may be an irony, weirdness or fantasy surrounding the premise, or the character may come to a realization.
• A bird falls from the sky and into your soup. You scream and jump out of your chair, food and broth tumbling to the floor. The maid misunderstands and burns down your house.
• You have unbelievably super powers. Seriously, you can make anything possible. How do you squander them away?
• Thanatos, my boyfriend, just broke up with me. He saw me with Keith at the Winter Carnival. Even though Keith has a mohawk, gold teeth and a skull and crossbones dimestore ring. Even though I’ve never even liked Thanatos in that way.
• On a clear, cold day, the sky is blue. If it is in the middle of summer, the sky can smell like butter melted into hot toast. On this sort of day, you think that there will be corn.
• Flip a coin, heads or tails? Both phrases mean either, and the reader just keeps flipping the coin back and forth.
• If you have a funny story, but you’re at a loss for how to actually write it, you might try writing a paragraph pretending it’s a very serious story. And then go through and periodically, CONSCIOUSLY write the funnier version of the same thing. My advice is…  to take a break from writing for a while and sort of have a little fun with what you’ve written. Don’t let yourself take it too seriously. Think of it as entertainment.  If your writing style lends itself more to humor, then let yourself go and enjoy yourself.
• Some stories are being told at dinner-time. Somewhere in the world. Some for the first time. Someone somewhere is listening for the first time. And someone else somewhere is listening for the last time.
• Oxymoron! The Wag Bag.   Also, look up this link! It’s a great website, but there’s so many great links included in Wikipedia that it baffles me how many can fit in there! It’s important to look at this page too if you’re a beginner! It’ll teach you terminology!
• My parents were involved in a cult, and there’s this ritual they performed where they sacrificed me.
• Have you heard the one about the person who just sat around and killed time all the time? One day…
• The letter is a lie. You may be a better writer than you think. Consider each sentence to be a letter, each paragraph a word, each chapter a paragraph, each book a chapter. Pulling those words apart you see meaning and find original story ideas in the same manner.
• This is your captain speaking, we will be experiencing some slight turbulence for the next five minutes. Please remain seated and keep your seatbelts fastened.
• Divorce isn’t easy, especially when trying to divide up all your pent-up rage. Good luck untangling these plots.
• A war has destroyed the human race leaving only robots, molded to look human. Now there is a war between the dark and light robots.
• The devil goes to at least one parent-teacher conference every year, and sometimes they even make him feel guilty.
• In order to get to the garden party, she would have to negotiate 1,967 miles of tunnels before emerging into the sunlight.
• You put on a wig and head on a quick trip to the store. You forgot your wallet, but they have it on camera, so you decide you won’t mind paying. As you exit, you see the curtain fall and hear the dial tone in the background of the camera shop.
• If a character is mentioned in one section of the story, then he or she must be cast as a character who speaks a great deal later in the narrative.
• Imagine you are a copywriter for a clothing store. Your task is to come up with some made-up sign slogans.
• Jimmy raised an ear to the lamp light to play. He could feel it loosening, maybe he could make it fall.
• A car stopped at a red light. It was a robot car. The lights turned green, but the car didn’t move. When the car was about to get a ticket, the light turned to yellow, to orange and the car hurried away.
• There once was a pirate who made out with a mermaid’s wet Wardrobe. From that day forth, he was covered in scales, and started swinging a noose around.
• The dog’s name was confusing. It looked like it was supposed to be a newly created dog ending in the suffix -y, but the dog instead ended with the suffix -day. And, to top it all off, the dog did not look like a dog.
• Another Sunday, another family argument about hair. A haircut of disproportionately epic proportions that not only divides a family, it hermetically seals them off from others and the outside world.
• A deaf person hears a knock at the door and opens it to find a race of others who live without doors.
• You didn’t look at my test grade right away. You placed the test in your backpack and went fishing.
• Make someone feel something. It can be an emotion. It can be the feeling of something. And it should lead to the next feeling. Feelings are lead. – Joss Whedon, an earlier TV writer with an earlier success on one of those small messaging things.
• Be cool. Like nothing’s wrong. Of course your then wife is not going to meet you. Why would she? You took the dog you love. Kimmy, the Chihuahua and your credit cards, car and your money. You can always borrow money from your buddy Owen. That’s what friends are for. You think you are at his house. You woke up one morning just an hour ago and came right here. You were at a party and his neighbors came over for a party. You hung out until it was time to go to work. But you don’t think you work. Yet you went to your bank and tried to withdraw money out. But the money wasn’t there. What is going on? You get up to leave. Go to his living room and you try to call Noel. But you can’t get through. She is not answering. You have a wife Sidney and a daughter Marie. You dated once. But you left what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. At the moment you wish you never stepped foot into the city. This is too strange.
• I finally lost the last stubborn 10 pounds the week before my husband deployed. By the time he came back, I’d gained it all back and then some.
• You’re stuck on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere, with an iPad that never runs out of power and creates online jobs for you to do.
• I’ve always wanted to work with children. They are so innocent and vulnerable. Timmy is my first. Isn’t he darling?
• I lay down on a meadow, looked up at the sky and sensed there was something out there in the background.
• What is the last thing left in your fridge that is particularly delicious/mutant/vicious when preserved?
• There have been many articles, books, and many other creative works and compilations of comedic writing prompt ideas.
• Think of a belief about how the world works and write a story embodying the belief, then tell a story that says the opposite.
• A meteor destroys the Earth and turns everything–including one of the characters–to dust. Whether the dust remembers being made of people is up to you.
• An even funnier version is that the more things change, the more they stay the same…no one would suspect something was amiss with the status quo.
• He cares for his patients with a sincere and serious demeanor, and he is obsessed with caramel popcorn.
• Humor is in everything, even in a research writing– as Clotho always knew. Just by taking a couple of minutes or even a whole semester to look for a literary device, your paper will be funny. Why? Because…well, excuse me, but you were looking and Clotho approves of that effort.
• Hum, Um, Umm, Ahh… those were the only noises that existed before the great ‘Eu’n’ to begin existence.
• Someone dies, and their ghost lingers on, not able to cross over until the person responsible,” takes ownership” of the mistake and apologizes.
• The tricky thing with a word is that you keep using it the more you use it, the more you have to keep using it until it loses all of it’s mystery and nuance, and the more it stands for what it means and the more it doesn’t stand for what it means.
• The terrible things youngsters with the best intentions do not only to their bodies, but also their minds.
• Cue bedtime story, The Princess and the Pig. One characteristic of a princess is that they are beautiful. This describes Dawn, the princess in the Hunter family. She is just about as
• Humor is delicate. Laughing at a story only happens if one buys into all the elements of a story. This happens when everything works, if all the pieces fit together.
• The Sith created a vacuum-sealed, pressure-cooked chamber that conserves foods’ freshness while dropping their caloric content.
• For two days you and your friends have traveled across unexplored land. A cry of warning guides you as you see two large mountains on the horizon. Over the next four hours you spy nearly 17 different creatures, some you’ve never seen before.
• Suffer the little children. Let them suffer. Just pour the gasoline and strike the match. Feed the fire until it burns to your fingertips and beyond.
• In the worst of times, there is good. In the best of times,there is bad. The number of bad times as the number of good times will tell you just how good or bad life is.
• And lastly the romantic prompt. This can work in all areas of love. A crush/love is always fun to write about.
• Each time the mother checked on her child’s progress in writing, she found an addition to the story. The change was small and subtle but the words took on a sinister tone and a darker scene played out within the pages. Read more HERE . There’s no better time than Halloween to read something spooky.
• I’m a single girl in New York City who is very satisfied with her life and doesn’t need a boyfriend.
• Imagine a world in which people can read and write without actually learning how. The entire language is pre-programmed into people from birth and cannot be changed. They learn how words fit together by watching TV. Imagine a whole society like that.
• You’re in an alternate timeline in which you have to get from A to B to save the world. You’ve got one hour.
• Everyone you knew was an accountant. Steven loved accountants. He was seventeen. His father said, “Be an accountant, son. Work isn’t as much fun when you smooth out the numbers for a living.” So, Steven smoothed out the numbers for a living. It was billed as his lifelong dream. Until, one day, Steven was completely, absolutely and utterly bored. His secretary, an incredibly attractive French Exchange student, Mimi, grudgingly handed out thick piles of paperwork. Steven reported her to human resources. It wasn’t her disgust that compelled him so much as her complete and unconditional love of his miserable work life. He hired her out of desperation. For no reason but to relieve her suffering, Steven committed a small infraction on his tight little scale of morality. It felt good.
• You know the drill people. To all the great people who contributed so far , thanks once again for your time, trouble and talent. Keep on ’em coming.
• Each night you buried part of a body in the backyard. The body parts would be right there in the morning with you, with no sign of digging.
• What is hidden in the closet? A monster? A creature from your imagination? The memory of your mother’s hands when she tucked you in when you were little? Maybe it’s nothing…
• You had a jar of cookies. You opened one to make sure they were fresh but… they weren’t. That jar was fresh as your grandmother’s pie crusts!
• The Fiddler on the Roof story is a nice one to do if you want a long story with some foolishness and a touch of magic.
• A man’s fingers on his right hand are amputated. Only his thumb remains.  He uses it to give advice by saying, “Use your thumb. It’s more clever than the other fingers.”
• If you like these story prompts, please share any favorite funny-story-telling-prompts that you have.
• This is a great list of jokes and funny stories you can use to practice your oral storytelling. And as a member of Story Club, you get unlimited access to this and even more. So sign up today to help your telling skills blossom!
• Someone attacked you with odorant cologne/perfume that smells horrific. You faked illness so you wouldn’t have to wait until the scent went off.  The attackers came to give you a treatment that cleared out your sinuses so the smell could be inhaled through them.
• The pencil refused to be sharpened, chipping its point instead of yielding to the knife each and every time.  It would have been more appropriate to sharpen the knife, or at least the pencil taking the most logical action to avoid being sharpened but that is not how it happened.
• It escalated from a simple party prank, into a brawl, into a gun fight, into a city-wide scourge.  Bobsled Team Nitrocide broke their sponsor’s blockade in an attempt to find a better look.
• Write eight lines of dialogue between two people. First person speaks four beats and the other person speaks three.
• Theodore is a dominatrix. One night, her parents walk in on her getting goodies from the guy next door.
• The 91 bus picks up and drops off at various local places. One time, a local place was an old folks’ home.
• Joan and John were in their kitchen. They had dinner waiting for them. But they forgot to set a place for Bill.
• The old man at the end of the driveway found the bodies and the dog. He didn’t do anything about it. He lived down the block and down the street from every neighbor on the street. And everyone knew that the old man followed people with his eyes down and up, down and up. Everyone knew that the old man was not to be trusted.
• Every time you do something well, every time you praise someone, first think about your satisfaction right after he finishes when no one is looking.
• The professor asked the question and she sat there, her hand raised, finger poised and ready, waiting for a moment to shine. She didn’t know she was supposed to speak. But she wanted to be the best student…ever after all.
• The only thing more disheartening than someone not liking you is the thought of them knowing you don’t like them.
• This is a type of short story frequently found in stand-up comedy. You list a few abnormal points, then finish with the punch-line that ties them together. This family rock collection was a complete load.
• You know how that imaginary friend you made up when you were little stars coming for you late at night.
• Imagine how different your life would be if a few things had a different outcome or someone made a different choice.
• Run someone over without getting caught. The terms of the contract are this, you will have to disguise or conceal the accident.
• In one night, you could be best friends with babies, elderly, bosses, high school and college siblings. No judgments. An equal opportunity grub.
• It seemed a shame to use these prompts on your day-to-day work. You might want to wait for a day that you have a looming, not-dealt-with issue. It can turn out to be a powerful tool in helping you see a new side to a problem and potentially solve this issue more easily. It can also be demoralizing to see a problem solve itself immediately with resolving some sort of less-than-intimidating issue.
• Stretching? She’s been practising how to crack her bones to make them longer and stretchy like rubber bands since she was a child.
• Write a character profile of yourself. What’s your epic flaw? What impression do people have of you?
• The sight of a white rose in bloom left the villagers speechless and senseless. One spindly blossom was white. One plant, in all the village, had produced a white rose. The villagers had seen white flowers before, but always in person. Never in the art form, because the white heather and albiflora were not flowers. This single, perfect blossom was no more than a mirage, but nothing so horrible could bring the people of this village to their knees.
• Where does the lost city that never existed in the middle of Europe of a desolate country that had been torn apart by war stand?
• You’re a trolley. You have to follow the rail. If you veer off the tracks a voice shouts, “You’re going the wrong way, trolley!”
• The kid across the street has fallen from grace, but did the kid across the street fall hard enough?
• Two nine-year-old girls were whispering about their mother when one said, “I think it’s such a shame that Mom has to work. She doesn’t even notice what any of us are wearing.”
• Two guys and one girl must decide who is going to break up with who in order to save everybody’s self-esteem.
• The urge to fit the story into the shape of the prompt is as strong in the author as it is in the story editor.
• Your total is six twenty-two but you had loose change and only one bill which amounted to six dollars and twenty-two cents. Which item would you purchase?
• Your two thousand monkeys are going crazy and you can’t keep them on task. They’re everywhere on every site giving out spoilers and secrets.
• Your elementary school teacher and your best friend get in a giant fight. They call out each other’s weaknesses and failures, and just before the teacher is about to tell your friend he’s a fraud, your friend interrupts.
• Ending It needs not be said, but all of the following are very open ended. Your choices are unlimited. This is an opportunity to produce your own original fiction.
• Use in a character’s name something that is anatomically wrong, but which everyone refuses to see as incorrect.
• We’ve all done something weird when we think we aren’t being watched. Write about it and post it in a public space. See what happens!
• PETA sent you their monthly newsletter in the mail one day. Did you know they recreate the slaughter of your steak?
• Ask questions to get back at an enemy. There are only two ways he can answer with both being negative.
• Starting with “The little Red Hen” tells a story making the effort of the heroes the hardest thing imaginable.
• The Flintstones versus the Jetsons. What if Josie worked at a lingerie store and Pebbles wanted to buy some lingerie but she doesn’t have any money. So Steve makes it so the Jetsons can get free lingerie? What happens next?
• A magician is never late because he gets there twice. –Arkan Gus……. My favorite story is the one about the magician.
• You wake up and discover you’re the only person left on Earth. How will you maintain the power grid? What are you going to eat, if anything at all?
• It was a bright mountain day, but on the top of this cliff it was lonely, cold, and windy. An eagle could have circled and landed, but no one would have ever known the difference.
• Sometimes we forget to think. Thinking a pretty big word. A lot of people don’t really know how to use it.
• Write a scene where the last survivor of the human race returns to find everyone long gone. What does he do to get through the day? What reminds him of people? What does he miss about his fellow man?
• You were coming home from school one day. You were behind a house, sitting on a hill. You noticed clothes hanging on the line. You wondered if, instead of jeans and skirts, they wore socks.
• Teacher- One day you have a frog and you put it in a blender, and you can make frog smoothies. BLARGH~ That’s what you should use the blender for instead of drinks.
• What if you discovered a secret restaurant? And not just any secret restaurant but a secret restaurant with really good food.
• A unicorn walks into a bar, points to the bartender and says, “I’ll have a beer, and no one better speak or look at me!”
• Pick one object and one emotion. Have your character act out that emotion through the use of this object.
• Write about an anonymous character. No names, no description of the character, just write the events of the day as if you were this person.
• Once upon a time there was a progressive left-wing liberal chick enamored by socialist/leftist ideologies.
• You drink your favorite drink, and when no one is looking, and there’s a drip of liquid left at the bottom of the cup… you quietly eat it!
• A man walks into a bar and sits down. “I’d like to get some wine.” The bartender replies, “You’re out of luck. There is no wine in this bar.”
• You’re the new girl in town, and you don’t know what food to eat. Soylent Green? Peak Purple? Purple Flavored Soylent Green?
• Add some food coloring to your drink. Neck it in about thirty seconds. Then act completely oblivious as your friends try to point out that orange soda does not come with blue straws.
• Take 2 very different characters with an unlikely pairing and drop them into a common situation, great conversation, or funny setting.
• Explain to others what is going on in a beautiful way, that you understand as clear as day, but the others can not understand because they aren’t thinking like you, and vice versa.
• You’re at a lonely motel on a dark night in Texas. Open up the kind of horrors you’d expect and the circumstances surrounding the same.
• -Each character has one weapon, one piece of armour, one accessory, and one special skill. It’s a dungeon-crawler game, and you’ll need to roll dice to beat the monsters each round.
• You’re in the garden swearing at the neighbours cat. It’s just run off with your favourite pot plant. And you’ve got a very rare, pure white, orchid in there. You can’t believe that he’s stolen your expensive orchid, this special blossom indeed! “CAT!” you yell! “Did you take my orchid! He runs off with the cutest little grin! “Cat.” you scream!” He never learned his lesson, not even once, that sneaky cat.
• In the sea were several huge rectangular sea-veggies. They had been married for several months and were arguing about things in their life.
• Your grandmother had to explain, show and tell to your father because he thought it would be something physical that he could do instead of just talking.
• All of history, well the first forty second of it. The history of an entire world… condensed into forty two seconds… And you could not read lips, but you knew everything… and you were present.
• Our five year old neighbor/friend, or whoever you’d like, died in a tragic accident. Circa 1990, say.
• Larry would be home early every Tuesday. For years this went on silently. Tonight was his first Tuesday coming home.
• You need to isolate the main character. Take your main character out of where he first appeared and put him/her/they in an entirely different time or place.
• Remember when you were younger, how you had to wear those ugly clothes your mum and dad bought you.   Enjoy those days because now you’re too old and don’t want to wear them.
• BUT WAIT. We’re getting ahead of ourselves. This only covers the beginning. This only covers the first bit of the story. As the story goes on, you will become more and more immersed in the story. You will have bigger problems to deal with, and that will change everything. Simultaneously your protagonist will develop and improve herself. The deeper she gets into the story, the more immersed she will become. The more she immerses herself in the story, the more it consumes her life. The more it consumes her life, the harder it is to immerse herself anymore. And… you get the idea.
• And the creature spoke of a place where he could find me…. In the warm glow of his eyes…. It soothed my worries…
• Then a small bird landed on his window sill and pecked at the egg for what must have been hours, days maybe even weeks. Another appeared, then a third. Before he knew it he had a whole flock of birds. Which one of them started pecking first, he couldn’t be sure. — Hills Behind the Hills
• Sometimes staying in bed seemed like the best option. The hot water was so, so, so deliciously inviting. What a mighty quandary…to take a bath and reflect upon the warm wax structured layers of Cthulhu that impregnated the many dimensional universe.
• Your story must include a parent of yours… Who must in the beginning, seem like the most intimidating, or bossiest parent in the world. Deep into the story, you reveal that your dad just likes cookies.
• Gravel and tar make a peculiar red, the color of dried blood. The red makes the deserted town feel like a crime scene from a t.v. show.
• Waking up in the middle of the night you notice that a small, circular cleaning device is hovering directly above you. Brandishing a small broom, the device begins to work.
• When you told your sister about the pee covered toilet seat you stubbed your toe on she laughed. She just didn’t want you to accidentally tell your mom. So then you told your mom and she goes, “This is why you need a cat.”
• Several months after his dad died, Travis Hanson’s mom asked him to dig out the frozen ground in the flower bed and replace the barren dirt that their landscaper had spread. It was way too late into the year for planting new flowers, but Travis wanted to comply anyway. Besides, the whole summer before Dad had laid out plans to spread new over the old which had withered and died. He really appreciated the attention she was giving things around the old house. This was one of the first steps on their road back to healing.
• I get the junk, like what comes at the bottom of a Christmas tree. Not the pretty, caramel colored hard candy, but the rock hard sticks of sugar, faded red and green swirl candy canes, broken toffee candy bits, and the occasional Gummy bear.
• At night when everyone else was asleep, she would cry in her pillow so no one could hear her. When she was done, she would go to sleep crying. Her bed would be a little damp. If anyone were to lie next to her, it would be damp, too.
• There was a small boy who had a special hanky, one with magical powers.  The hanky knew the boy only had 12 days to live.
• When you pause to think about life and death, you realize something strange. A pause may make your life epic.
• Me and my friends were lost in an enchanted forest. We wandered for hours and hours until we couldn’t take it anymore. We finally stumbled upon the moon
• Explain brilliant commentary during a movie that the patrons had hated due to the movie theater being empty.
• People used to stop and stare at the paintings in the hallway, but by the end of the month, they still did.
• Another day, another death, another invitation into an unbelievably realistic TV world. You climbed in, twice as dyed as everyone and not worried about it all. Why?
• A diligent husband is about to hurl when he realizes he will have to tell his sweet bride-to-be that their house is infested with – what else – termites.
• Write a story that involves a character whose nose is two different colors who is brought in to solve your problem.
• Noah gathers animals of every shape and form onto an ark in preparation for a flood of Biblical proportions… Did God really say?’
• I was at the park and saw a very small police officer chasing a hobo in speedos. They were having a really good time…
• What would it be like if the weather forecast was 100% accurate? What if we knew no surprises? What if…forecasts could predict the past?
• “Wait till you see my next trick.” And then the magician’s head disappeared into the striped rabbit.
• A shape spun off the blackboard, screwing its way into the floor and down into your neighbor’s crawl space. Eventually its grinding and crunching in the dirt dissipated and all that remained was the blackboard.
• In order to change the world you want to have a younger lover. Will you wait for him or her to grow up?
• Lost and alone in the winter wilderness – 100 miles from the nearest settlement – completely broken mitten!
• Those who walk in sunlight shall become vampires, and walk at night. Those who walk in darkness shall become werewolves, and become white in the moonlight, howling at invisible dogs.
• “She got you good.  She really got you good.”  Over and over again this line gets repeated, but as the story goes on it is not as clear if someone is being serious or was someone who played a joke on him.  There might even be a third possibility in this story.
• Ginny had been writing a letter all week and it was wholly involved in her biggest secret of all. If she were to tell you, it might get out. She did not want anything to leak out. It was about the handsome young American flexing his muscle by the fireplace. He was her ticket to the stars. He had told her a lot about himself… he said he had been in the Navy and that he had sailed along the coast of Texas. He had told her he loved strong women of Texas. He enjoyed their head strong personalities and that their curvy bodies were fascinating. Beyond comprehension. But Ginny did not believe him. She knew this boy was all fluff, like cotton candy. He seemed so funnel-like. Too fluffy to be outright and he enjoyed being vague. She could tell he had also been reading a lot. Vagueness in particular.
• Let’s play pretend. You pretend to be a mother and I’ll pretend to be a child. Let’s call the imaginary friend we invented together, Wanda.
• You are possessed by a Werewolf, but it’s okay…you are in love with one. Explain why you use your new found powers for ill rather than good.
• Congratulations, we’ve all been transported into a game in a completely new dimension. One where you will have to fight for your life, or utilize any mad skills and abilities you might have to get by. You can wear all the armor you want, but if you don’t have a sword hanging over your fireplace? You’re coming with me. Is that coming with me a yes or no?
• All of a sudden, you find yourself on trial for your life, yet you’re the accused.  What do you think led you here, and how do you intend to plead?
• The couple took out a life insurance policy on their infant daughter. Two years later, McGuire’s baby was run over by a city bus. To collect on their insurance they gave the agent a list of all the babysitting they’d been doing. Turns out, they’d been babysitting the bus driver.
• A cop pulled me over for speeding. He looked at my ticket and said, “This is you, sir, here, not here.”
• Win the Lottery, a new Lexus every year, celebrity-status, play sports with other celebs, become a political powerhouse…then realize all of that is exactly the same as what you had before.
• Don’t mourn for the loss of humanity. Show us what happened in the wiring of the first murderbot. Show us how they were born. This could be a dark and twisted story or a philosophical exploration of autonomy and empathy in one of impossibility. If you can show the empathy and mercy in a robot it could be compelling and moving.
• You know how you hear of a story in the news about how criminals are rethinking their original choice of career…?
• You are watching The Sound of Music with your family and Julie Andrews breaks out into song and your family wishes you were dead.
• Sweetheart, if you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, then catch it and keep it. If it doesn’t, let it go. Believe me, you’ll be happier.
• What if somewhere in history an anomaly exists where instead of Germany being on the winning side of World War II, the Axis powers were victorious in the great conflict.
• 1. Light travels faster than sound 2. It is a mathematical certainty that you will never reach your destination if you travel on trains. 3. Read books
• Write a story in which your shoelaces all fall off in the middle of a big event. And they’re not tied correctly. And they’re laces instead of ribbons.
• The story must have a beginning, middle, and end. The ending must not be pat, but surprising, yet in keeping with the tone and style you have established. Tell the story in one complete paragraph.
• Write a story about someone or something exploding, imploding, or tribulationing. Write a backstory for that bomb or superhero.
• A bunch of red ants. A bunch of green ants. Punch them together and what have you got? About a thousand mixed-up ants!
• Purple smoke pumped the car out of the garage. It was a lemon – not even a year old and supposed to be at top of the line for safety and power. Yet here we were…burning in front of a roadside diner.
• He was a sunburned football player, she was a skinny semi-star pitcher. He liked to make a fool of himself and cheer, while she watched and occasionally took tips when he wanted to learn something.
• Aunt Suzy works for the Owl Order. They both start with O. Now you have a bizarre connection to make.
• The world’s end was put off for a time when cotton was king. Dogs had curly tails and only the rich were.
• The perception of your mental narrator is always in the present tense. Show rather than tell. Show the events in the action rather than explaining what’s happening. This concrete action will demonstrate the consequences that are often left to the imagination.
• A man’s hand hurts, because his beautiful wife would like him to get rid of the crab that’s living underneath his hand for three months. But that crab is his best friend! Catch-22.
• A book is a collection of stories written down. Sort of. A gun is a collection of metal bullets in a cardboard cylinder. Sort of. A body is this collection of cells we call a “person”.
• They said he was bad. Evil. A monster. But that didn’t bother me. Nothing in their tales bothered me. Nothing except for the truth–the horrifying, blood-curdling, reality of what my father had become.
• A powerful and suspenseful story from the view of a normal automobile that reminisces a car crash story.
• A democracy isn’t a democracy without freedom, and then when freedom was found it was taken away… when it was the only thing that mattered.
• In a time before time, Where remembering was time for reckoning, A dark stranger, instilled to be loyal, Was the only creature to be Without condemning morality or technique to ascertain his closest friend
• You can’t learn anything from your mistakes if you fail to learn from your success! – Ivan R. Lobotka
• My character gets into a small argument with a family member who went missing… or rather didn’t go missing. Stopped going missing, went missing. Sorry about that.
• Kermit the Frog recounts the one time he met Jim Henson and Gene Roddenberry in Texas. Hasta la vista, until we greet again, my friend. Until we meet again.
• The couple was getting ready for bed.  The man brought in the fish bowl with the pet goldfish that he’d caught earlier that day at the park. Both the man and the fish were surprised that the fish was still alive. He thought the fish was a goner. As he went to brush his teeth, he told his wife that he was going to flush the fish down the toilet. She interrupted him mid-sentence, pointing out to him that the fish had feelings too. He backed away from the toilet insinuating that he had already been caught for what he was about to do.
• A teenage boy realizes he has the ability to reincarnate anyone who died tragically or illustrated. The teenage boy understands he can help the world or simply save the one girl he desires to have.
• Parking violation tickets are too easy to get so they should be made harder to get. Everyone speeds so there should be no speeding.
• What is your scene missing? Legs? A head? Skulls? Hearts? Tell us what is missing from your story scene and leave the rest blank.
• Going overboard and embellishing an insignificant detail. Show off how fabulously ridiculous you’re willing to get.
• Writing a short story when you don’t know what’s going to happen can be a difficult problem when trying to hammer out a story. People go at it all different ways. Four Seat Round Table has a great exercise to help you figure out your story’s plot.
• Write a character and then write another character meeting him/her for the first time. Don’t show your character to the other character.
• Upton Sinclair once said, “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.” Could Hollywood be the same way?
• If you really didn’t like the second book in this series, it’s probably because you were waiting for this one.
• All of these prompts are designed to help you with your first idea. Starting with a common subject is great for beginners because it can help get your mind thinking about how to create a unique and humorous take on the subject. Eventually you’ll want to start writing creatively without the prompts. This will help you pare down ideas to your own creative voice.
• , written for the Tortured Heroines anthology, in which you are called upon to play yet another tragic character, and it’s up to you whether you choose to tamely submit or get out and leave murkier destruction in your wake.
• You were always the good girl. The one that did everything right. With christian parents. That went to church. Daily. You were the pious one and the most respected. Everyone wanted to be you. To be good like you. Separated by line drawn. Thunder. Lightning. Beach. What keeps you fed. God is a good god. Or was it the Devil in disguise? Oh. It was Jesus? Ha. No. No one told you to kill your husband after he tried to sacrifice you. No one. Let that sink in. Oh you killed your husband? When you were on acid. Weed. Sanity. What’s that? They never informed you about her, of him, your sister, your half-brother. The daughter you met or the son you didn’t.
• Navigating this space between what is and what could be… or better yet, what should be… but isn’t.
• Writing prompts will be used as a starting point for the writing exercises in The Practicum in Creative Writing resource module for The Gazetteer of Mechanical And Mythological Boston, which is available now. More on that in the coming weeks!
• His mother, who had subscribed to the mistaken belief her first child had been born a boy, always tried to dress him in masculine clothing.
• You will have a bouquet of flowers waiting for you. A very special surprise bouquet. The flower delivery boy will be with you shortly, the voice over the phone stated.
• The neighbor across the street from you went missing and no one noticed. You are having a yard sale cheaping out all of their household items and no one seems to notice.
• Write a story in which something is at first glance what it appears to be, but on second glance isn’t.
• There used to be a barber who left around midnight and the next day, he realized the barbershop was much sweeter!
• So, this nerd gets struck by lightning and becomes a genius. He gets the Nobel Prize but does not stop there. He also invents a Death Ray.
• Two-hundred eighty-two candles, one hundred eight cake slices, three eighteen-year-olds, one bride, one groom…
• Organized religion was outlawed. The Chosen One still became the savior and led the remaining faithful outside the walls and into the great unknown…as outlaws.
• The sound you’ve never heard before. The taste that you haven’t tasted. The color that you can’t see. The name you’ve never said.
• Shakespeare’s Macbeth is full of funny situations. Consider putting characters in something similar.
• You’re a chicken crossing a road. What’s hilarious is that directly under you is a road sign that says “Do not cross the road. You will get killed.”
• None of the lights would turn on. In fact, if you were to risk turning one on, the bulb won’t even light up.
• Now people need you to complete a mission, contract, or head out on an adventure. The thing is… you don’t know who sent you. Who do you listen to?
• Take three characters from three different stories or books and make them sing Let it be during the zombie apocalypse.
• The Director did not like my performance! Do you want your acting career to go? Get Actors! Read Group Acting Scenes! In The Coffee Shop Click Here To View Video Featured Below!
• You’re walking into town. There are soldiers there, armed and scribbling madly on decrees. You’re to be shot. As they raise their rifles, somehow you can hear the captain say…
• Call a girlfriend/boyfriend you’ve been wanting to talk to and start the conversation by saying something totally inappropriate. Don’t explain why.
• A mother lost her young son in the grocery store and, while looking for him, happened to notice some beauty products being used in some odd way, and she found him.
• Each day we, with the keys in hand, unlock the door to the station marked with the number 18. We look ahead. We see the bare tiled walls. Yet…
• I heard the story about me through my sister. She heard it from her boyfriend who heard it from his cousin who attends the same college as the person who knows a guy who knows the girl who is sleeping with the other girl who is my lover’s girlfriend.
• They call it day, but that’s a misnomer—”night” is so much more fitting. After all, he’s a vampire, and work’s over for the day.
• Your internal monologue asks all the wrong questions and for some reason the internet wants to attack you for trying to make the situation right.
• There’s a higher power of some sort. Kind of divine up there. But this power doesn’t answer anyone’s prayers. Just send down a single strawberry at Christmas time every year. Everyone kills each other at Christmas.
• Everything in the fridge had a face, a personality. A table full of appliances. A family, you used to call it.
• Samantha had always wanted to be a princess. It was just that she didn’t think anyone would want to be a princess in a place where fairies were made of spun sugar and princes were made of peanut butter. It was the day of her thirteenth birthday and she was trying on her whore’s outfit and riding her pony over to her boy toy when the weirdest thing happened.
• The game doesn’t always have to be obvious. Find a way to slip it in without the reader knowing even after they finish. Also note that there is never an incorrect choice, only a misleading one.
• A cold pair of hands touching warm skin, fingernails drawing marks across skin as licks dip into every prey hole.
• I know this wonderful ghost, we’re brothers in all but blood.. we’re in the process of writing a book about him, but when asked who it’s about we pretend it isn’t about the ghost. We have to worry about the serious consequences of being taken seriously.
• You know the old saying “don’t bite the hand that feeds you.” But times get hard and temptation gets the best of us…
• Write something that’s totally normal. Like, a door’s normal, right? What happens when you show me one that isn’t? How about if it’s a ghost door?
• You’re on a train. Everyone is stone faced and silent. You claim you’re on a train in the very distant future, and it’s infrequent.
• Go to the most inconvenient or least visited place in your house. There you will find your cell phone. Pick it up, only to find there’s no charge. What do you do?
• A defense attorney crawls on his hands and knees chained to a small bag of cocaine. He tells the judge he isn’t addicted and has a lot of “will power”. Really, he can quit any time.
• The nagging wife represents nature’s inquisitor, continuing to bore her thesis into the wall until it hits a hollow space, in which it booms and echoes hollowly. For those who want to bore through the wall, they suffer the most, from every other bore in history, who now become the full body of the wall. Those who stand to the side, don’t suffer a thing.
• What if the student could induce creativity/trust or understanding – etc – into the subject that other methods/techniques couldn’t, for drawing, for example. Can this be done with technology?
• All the women in prison can cook but only my sister can make beef stroganoff from the convict’s rectum. Then again, for some reason, it’s the can-opener that they all hate most. And don’t get me started on the giants! They’re huge, all of them, even the women. My sister makes the beef stroganoff…
• These impressions need to be written out, polished, and perfected. They need to be as funny as possible, but also acceptable, given the scenario they are written for.
• Write a letter in the format of someone applying for a job. In the letter, state why you’re applying for the job, and give a brief summary of your past employment experiences. For a twist, apply for an exaggerated or impossible job. For example, Yo Gabba Gabba seeks qualified candidates to climb out of the 2-year old demographic and make a smooth transition into family viewing. Only candidates with four years experience with preschool children or advanced degrees in early childhood appropriate curriculum can apply.
• You had the best shoes in your whole town. No one had better shoes.  And then…you lost them. Gone forever.  What would you do?  How would you feel?
• Pain is a way of warning something is wrong. Pleasure is a trick to persuade you to keep feeding it after it’s over its proper amount.
• Upon being asked, “Is there a reason for this interruption?!” the interviewer responds by saying, “I’ll get back with you.”
• You were just sitting on your hands and they fell off. Nickels and dimes dropped between your fingers as they slipped off your wrists. Your bones were no longer connected to each other and detached from the skin. They were small bits of green gelatinous liquid and knowing as they landed in piles around you. What do you tell your parents at the hospital?
• Write about a mundane day where something strange happens, but it’s so normal that it’s not taken seriously.
• The forehead of a teenager, like a wrinkled, pink, fleshy fruit mysteriously growing on a cereal box.
• This list can be used as a Writing Prompts Life hack or an ice breaker when interacting with others.
• Have a childlike curiosity to find out why things are the way they are. To search for truth. Become a child of philosophy.
• Did mom have a cat? No, she had a raccoon. It was very nice as well.  Routine thundershowers yesterday. Nothing to worry about.
• You should have seen the train traffic coming from the toyland yesterday… boy can they move a lot of toys around!
• Birdsong in the morning would wake me to the most glorious day since God handed the world over to man.
• Chop up sentence structure into a partial nonsense that creates internal rhymes and makes your reader sort the rest out
• We’re here because we’re here because we’re here because we’re here because we’re here because we’re here because we’re here because we’re here because we’re here because we’re here.
• Imagine that your whole family was in a plane crash.  You find yourself out on a satellite planet with a bunch of unclothed space pirates.
• People here love it when you underestimate them. They lap it up and feast on it with fervour.  Well, at least most do.
• Mr. Funnybunny writhed in agony as Mr. Crowbar plunged the crowbar into his skull and twisted it round and round. “Your mind has always been the most delicious part of your body,” crowed the crowbar-man. “Now I’ll feast on it.”
• You are shrunken down to the size of and stuffed into a plastic bag and then washed down a sink drain.
• Your grandmother has a rule for everything – and she says you’ve broken them all. You hope that when you tell her you’re pregnant it won’t be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
• Hum trills in the highest of pitches, screeches in the lowest of tones. Strings shudder, vibrations resonate, pipes shatter as shrill trills and breathy croaks erupt into the air.
• Don’t be afraid of cliché situations. They are work horses and teach you the rules of writing comedy. Overusing them is different from relying on them. They will stick with you in your writing forever and keep you from becoming dry as a desert.
• Close your eyes and put your left hand out. Keep it there. Now put your right hand out. Keep it there too. Now how many hands do you have out?
• Kermit wasn’t real. He was a smoke puppet. There was no him at all. To reveal this would be to rob all Muppets of purpose and existence, including myself.
• I once did a voice for a character on “Death Battle”. The character’s name was “Professor Filip Desmond”.
• Click here to head over to Chapter 1 and try out creating a new chapter.   Let us know how we’re doing!
• You don’t know anything about this. To even mention it will increase tenfold the probability that you’ll be institutionalized.
• Once upon a time there was a woman in a cave. And you just have to read it to find out where she’s at.
• It was the heat of summer, and most days were spent at the Mermaid’s cove or Skinny dipping off the pier.
• You never knew if the werewolf was a slobbering, drooling werewolf or an astronaut werewolf taking some time off from the moon. Please consider sharing this page with others! There’s a lot of readers here.
• They climb up onto the table and balance wires in my face, hoping my brain will accidentally fry itself.
• The top was taken off the mayonnaise jar. The green apple made its home outside the jar, and you ate it.
• The cockroach had a baby. Got nursed in a chest full of snakes. But it was soft. It was warm. It was safe.
• Your enemy moves backward in time and causes events to occur that when in real-time produce a series of unfortunate circumstances for you. The enemy eventually stops interfering with the past and they go about their business, but you must continue to react to set occurrences, any of which may have been the direct or indirect consequences of the enemy’s time-travel tampering.
• There’s a connector in your car. It plugs into your brain. Then, every time you think of a name…that’s the car name.
• The last line is always, “the nerve of that guy!” No one else would dare it. The guy is never convicted. How can they convict a perfectly good man? He had all the best reasons but he lost.
• There is a moment where she’s no longer a figure of curiosity, mystery and enigma, She’s just a girl.
• You walk into a bar, and the bartender says $10 for a scalding drink. It was the last drink you had.
• You were arguing with your friend over the definition of love and you saw a shooting star. You decided it was a sign.
• I could once move a full set of teeth from one part of my body to another, so a) please don’t question my abilities and b) back off a little.
• A marriage in South America is held over the volcano. The participants make vows and pray for their love to never be torn apart by the fiery lava. They marry, although it is just for a taste of the ceremony. They never come close to the volcano. Though this is difficult to understand in modern days, the bride and groom celebrate their “wedding day” for them and not for anyone else. They may not have made friends in the volcano, or made a congregation of others that stood around them at the time they said, “I do.”
• What if your ability to sing didn’t matter. Everyone could see you but no one could hear you.  What would happen?
• You’re one of those guys at the reunion who still talks about your Dad’s truck. What if he never owned a truck? What if he drove a bus, like me? Or a train, like Harry.
• What might you find in a place you would never normally look? Or would you pick a place you’d never look?
• Story By Degrees- Write a story in three episodes beginning at the stage of your life where you left off with the last episode and working forward towards the present.
• Don Quixote wandered the roads searching for adventure… refusing to accept that the world had changed.
• You arrive in a village in a distant place. Prince Charming is gone. No one will tell you why or where to start looking.  They will only tell you it will not be easy to find what you’re looking for.
• A fleeing circus elephant knocks down your door. It takes ten minutes to convince them it’s not a Cirque De Mimes.
• For the bonus points, write from the point of view of someone else, choosing something that didn’t happen, providing it doesn’t hurt anyone.
• Good storytelling is distinct from merely good writers. There are numerous good writers who do not have the storytelling skill. As such, there is no universal method of writing a good story. Reader’s digest suggests that there are some feel-good principles that are helpful in the grand scheme of narration. Keep in mind, these tips are best for non-flash fiction.
• All my characters are named after colors. My best character’s name is red! Everyone fears him, especially the yellow guy, cause he’s got short-term memory loss.
• There was a shadow falling across her, too dark to be any earthly thing, and far too big to be anything of this world.
• You go to knock for “7” and notice that the doorknob is missing. Put the story together from there. Whenever a character is introduced, perhaps they can disappear right before your eyes.
• You met your one true love in the most unlikely of places. Even stranger is the fact that they didn’t mean a thing to you.
• Your mouth was stuffed with cotton candy and you just couldn’t stop eating it until your stomach was stretched to capacity.
• What is that song that gets stuck in your head because you’ve heard it so many times? What did you do to try to get it out?
• Everyone needed a unique talent to display before the king. When it was your turn to perform, you called forth your goat. Everyone gasped in awe as you unleash your goat to roll a most magnificent hoop.
• Your friend in the Humvee deserts your unit for another overnight mission saving his own life leaving you to die. You do.
• She reasoned that if 0.999… is the same as 1, then anytime she said she loved me one-hundred percent, she was leaving me empty.
• Start out with “Once upon a time” and close with “happily ever after”. Change only one word in the story, but you don’t know which one.
• The story until that day hadn’t been unusual in any way. The cat sat on the mat, the sun came up, James arrived at work. But the fact of the matter is… what came after proved to be anything but ordinary.
• Think about an event in your past, or possibly your current life, from a different perspective. The night of the prom, but your prom date was dead and your car was possessed. Therefore, you have become a successful horror writer, still stuck with your prom date who is now a twisted, ghastly ghost that hates your guts. You also just moved in with someone you used to babysit. He’s a nice guy. Get along with your friends. Same name as your prom date.
• Woman about to receive the highest honors awarded by the U.S. president is turned away from the White House.
• What is the deal with people spelling words differently? They’ll write “you” when they mean “u.” It’s enough to make you cry. Write about someone who cries when people spell words wrong.
• You get noticed when you’re happy and your energy radiates goodwill and cheer. You are so amazing when you’re happy- wave the sleep thing off the table right now and get that spirit full on!
• There’s a man who can help you. He can fix anything, make anything better, and won’t charge you more than a fair price. He supports himself by selling fake ‘holy water’, but it works just as well as normal holy water.
• There used to be blood and now there is none. There used to be screams and now there are almost none. There used to be couples getting lucky and now there are no clues.
• Observe your surroundings and then write about them. Maybe what you have to say comes in the way you say it.
• It was a gift. That’s not what name five on the list was. Your little sister’s. Flowers. Better. But… wh-wh-where did you tell you wanted them to go?
• 100 words. A prompt can be a person, an inanimate object, a situation, a dialogue–just present it to your audience.
• And the boss says, “there’s no such thing as authorized overtime. You wanna finish the project? Then you’ll need to steal hours.”
• Write your own story about the world according to snow, either adding onto the story below, or making your own.
• And you wake up in the morning and you look at your arm and it’s- it’s covered in another arm. Oh no.
• One Monday morning, all of them were to run a time trial and then they discovered that their shoes were gone. No one owned up.
• Others can’t read your minds… But you can still communicate with them, even if they normally don’t.
• You are the Queen of Sheba. You’ve sent word to the King of Israel asking him for an honor. What is the honor you’re seeking?
• Someone out there on the highway, a hitcher or a hitchhiker, was in dire need of a lift and a trusty Samaritan gave them one.
• The characters lose their voice. How do they communicate? What do they do? Are they unable to live without voice? Who do they turn to?
• Write something normal, then write something absurd that would happen before or after your normal story.
• Tell the story of a failed attempt at writing an essay, playing a piano concerto or saving the world.
• Be sure to check out the next article in this ongoing writing series where I’ll show you how to outline your short story!
• When you were four, you loved princesses. You loved princesses. When you have a daughter, you will love princesses. When you have a son, you will love princesses.
• Well, Janet got turned to stone, Dorothy got to go home, and Carrie puked up her pig’s blood everywhere.
• What if someone told you to always be honest and you had to tell the absolute truth to everyone you met for the rest of your life?
• What’s Red and White and Blue and Green? A baby that’s been covered in blueberries from head to foot!
• There once was a wise man who said the tree that falls highest in the forest makes the most noise when it hits the ground. He forgot to say anything about the thorny trees. They tend to really hurt when they come crashing down with a fierce velocity.
• When you made the window into the bathroom extraordinarily large. Extraordinarily large. Your window was the biggest of the bunch. That’s why they climbed out the window, right?
• A rich banker lives in a tall apartment building. He hears a gunshot in the adjoining unit and opens the door to find his neighbor slumped over dead in a pool of blood. The detective asks “Do you know anyone who would want him dead?” The banker blurts out “I do! He foreclosed on one of my factories!”
• Write about your best friend or your worst enemy. Then, write some of the same scenes from their point of view.
• You walk into a room and without knowing why, the audience starts clapping. What have you done and what are you wearing?
• Come out from the shadows and shine. There’s a whole neighborhood out there waiting. Don’t be afraid.
• Two brothers we were born, inseparable we were. We did everything together and when dad said “Go cut that wood!” we said “Yes sir! Alright!” without a second thought.
• Maybe you will laugh at these funny statements. Or maybe they will make you think, just a little bit.
• While at the grocery store, you purchase a small child, apples, oranges, a turkey, cigarettes and marshmallows. Why?
• The baby was born just as your parents were buying the area’s first VCR . They named it VideoVCR John Lennon Lennon. Yes, way before iPods, there were just people walking around named John Lennon Lennon.
• If Juan were alive today, he’d probably be running Petrolica. Leave it all behind and that sort of thing. …If Juan had been born at all.
• You know you’ve lived in your house a long time when you look down the hallway and you see the same footprint that has been there since you moved in. And that was three pets and two kids ago!
• Someone from history goes back in time and makes themselves appear as they are now, living the life they have always dreamed of. Who is it?
• Write about how horrible and mundane your life is. Challenge yourself to come up with a positive spin to this.
• When you were younger, cops would drive by and roll down their windows, walking in slow and giving it their best roaring children a Christmas.
• A Blonde kidnapper is running down the street to get away from the police. A girl tells her to hide in her house. The blonde goes inside and the girl locks the door behind her. What happens next?
• You belonged to a group that no one believes exists. If you told a lie, would that belief branch out and spill over onto the rest of the world?
• The team was in the locker room. They were all insisting someone had to shoulder the blame for when they lost this evening. This team was one of the best in college history. No one could ever think that it had been a humiliating defeat that had been at hand. But, it was…
• A vampire is walking around with a lamp looking for the evilest person in the world. They have already visited Mr. Hyde, who was definitely evil. He tried to stab you with a fork but you escaped. You have left the house looking for the next evilest person you can find in the town. It is snowing and very cold.
• Your dog saves your bike from falling off the roof of your car. His intentions bring your family to look at you like you should move somewhere else.
• These are funny story prompts for kids, good family fun, inspirational funny story prompts, and funny story ideas you never thought of.
• You have to laugh, because otherwise you’ll cry. But you’re already crying because of that gorilla pounding your head against the wall through your computer monitor. You’re doing some crying, pounding, laughing, yelling, fighting…all at the same time, so…
• Farmer Akkbar, staring at his newborn calf of rare aqua in color on this day, May 21st, always grew sad each year at the thought of the day ending. Farmer Akkbar, an old man who had farmed long, lonely days himself, took each day personally and developed relationships with each of the days that he grew up with. As a matter of fact, his first memory began by being laid into the arms of his mother by his father as she yawned and gently sung a lullaby.
• Folded paper can only end up a peculiar shape, The shape you were when you first noticed a peculiar feeling.
• You have met all the people who will come to be the most important figures of your lifetime. You haven’t met the last two.
• The most fascinating/weird character in the park is thinking about/preparing for/having/coming back from?
• Write about a random song running through your head. Ensure it is as far from your subject as possible.
• In a Magic Kingdom in America there was a big blue house, the house was so big that it needed the efforts of hundreds of people just to maintain the paint job. Looking back now, it is not as big as it used to be.
• You discover that you have to go randomly murdering someone each day. You can’t stop killing, nor can you tell anyone.
• Receive a letter from someone you don’t know. Try to figure out why they sent it to you. Maybe it’s just to show off how pretty their handwriting is… or maybe there’s a deeper meaning…..
• Tell the story of the first car you ever learned to drive. Tell why it was your favorite car to drive.
• A lesson dealing with uprooting the heartache of physical or emotional death, or relating to death of a person or metaphorically in some way in the story.
• Everyone in public office should be replaced with an emoji. We would see less corruption and more emoticon appeasement.
• If the narrator knew about the mythology of Orpheus and Eurydice, they probably wouldn’t mention them.
• A New York City that never sleeps? A farming village where you dance all day? A knocking shop where prostitutes have active libidos! A battlefield where you’ll face a friend who’s an enemy? A business trip you wished will become a leisure trip. A religious team that does not follow the word of God? A relationship that’s mutually exclusive for partner’s sake. A toast that wanders around…
• After rejecting allTM, your parents become cross because you lied for nothing but a weak lasting punishment.
• The day before yesterday was a holiday. Canceling France’s victory over Russians on the common holiday occasions during French Middle Ages ///OR/// the day after tomorrow
• Standup comedy often requires a jockey premise, with the premise illustrated by some amusing situations. The punchline usually comes at the end, and is often an abrupt realization by the protagonist.
• A chimney sweep had fallen asleep on your fire escape when you woke that evening. It was New Year’s Day, the year was 1953. It was a cold winter night he had spent there…
• Be a good old-fashioned customer service representative and fix your problem by billing it to another department.
• Introduce a random trio of characters and end it with something that sounds like the answer to the question “what did you do while you were there?”
• Talk about very ravenous creatures in a nearby pond. They punch sharks every day. Very powerful ravenous creatures.
• Example A would lead one to hypothesize that B might be horrible. Example B would lead one to hypothesize that C might be horrible.
• A living doll, a “baby” with its arm ripped off, someone’s head in a refrigerator, an overgrown Dachshund, with dreadlocks, spitting into his own mouth, all play pivotal roles in this story of romance and suspense under the bright blue hot Florida skies at a rest stop along I-95, halfway between my hometown and Jacksonville, where lovers go for their final rendezvous before heading, full of hope and promise, into the light of their respective futures and perhaps, oblivion.
• The old lady wanted the house to cost only five dollars, and the realtor wanted to make lots of money, so an agreement was reached…
• When Joseph woke up, he found the necklace gone. “Your brother took it!” said Mary. “That jerk!” said Joseph. “But he’s family…”
• These examples are simple but can be used for creating more complicated and funny stories. Remember to keep it simple because it’s easy to make your story excessively complicated. Yet, try not to bend the truth. We know you could spin a yarn if you wanted to, so keep it real.
• What are some of your favourite topics to get people’s funny bones tickled? Signs, Metaphors, Visuals…
• You’re alone in a bar, with a complete stranger, who strikes up a conversation about your lack of company. What’s the first thing to come out of your mouth?
• Due to the amount of structure involved in this creative writing idea , not everyone will feel comfortable with the prompt.
• The demons on the wall seemed to multiply. Last night you prayed to God they’d leave you alone. Today you told Satan to take care of them for a moment while you finished the yard work.
• Get someone’s name wrong. Accidentally quote someone famous. After telling the story two times, you get to make up your own details.
• The family of four, mother, father, and two children were ideal, eating chocolate together in their kitchen, before the mother of the family screamed “Where did all the chocolate go!?”
• Make one small change that is so absurd and strange that it changes the course of the character’s life.
• Every time they opened drawers they found a pig. As a matter of fact there were meaty clumps of pig bursting into the drawers and everywhere there was snow. It was very cold.
• Robin Hood steals from the rich to give to the poor. Why didn’t he do it my way? Give it back to the rich?
• Tell me. If your hair is pure hemp, and you don’t hurt anyone, would a lawyer really call you a criminal?
• When Aragorn finally grew a beard on his expedition to Mordor, it was a sign that evil was doomed. It was a beard of justice and of revenge. There was much of mankind to free, and many of that man were clean-shaven.
• Begin, or lead-in with the bizarre fact that when you become a man/woman, you don’t get a grown woman/man as your reward, but an immature teenager.
• No matter how many times you ask how to get started with your science fiction work out, your creator insists that you take a swim instead. He also tells you that trees and other plants love moving around and that you should run as fast as possible and plant your feet wherever they’re touching.
• Imagine how weird or strange a setting can be just because of the patrons, employees, or decor of a restaurant.
• There once was a girl called Maya who ate nothing but onions because she wanted to know what chicken tasted like.
• Stephanie wasn’t sure what to do or where to turn. All the answers she always seemed to know were only blurry refractions playing tricks on her in the mirror along with some sort of mistake.
• This comic could be used when a woman is beside someone telling a story in an animated or excited manner. Click on the preview to enlarge.
• When life gives you step-mothers, shuck them and make delicious spicy friendship bracelets or necklaces instead.
• There is always the guy who swam a lot, then ate the oyster. Problem was, it was followed around by the griefer. That guy did everything he could to swim and he could not shake Griefer ..
• Crickets chirped and the fireflies shined. For miles, around the hills, and all up and down the valley, the crickets chirped and the fireflies shined. It was a perfect July night, birds chirping, crickets chirping, and fireflies shining. This was the night Bob set out to kill his wife with a firefly. During the walk to his house he thought, “I can’t bring myself to do this” and he quickly turned around. The following day, Bob caught a firefly. That night, he said to his wife, “This is for you. Happy anniversary.” and released it into the air. This went on for years. Each year Bob caught a firefly and tried to hoist, strangle, poison, electrocute, or drown his wife. He even at times prayed to a god he would not believe in for help and often felt that there was no way he could go through with it again.
• Woke up one morning and picked up the newspaper and the television was obsessed with your funeral. Try to find out which one it was.
• She was tall. Taller than the tallest giraffe. Taller than the tallest tree. Taller than the tallest something.
• I’ve never seen a purple elephant. I’ve never seen a purple elephant. I’ve never. I’ve never. I’ve never seen a purple elephant!
• It’s been days since she completely took control of my thoughts. How can this be? They say the heart was the most important muscle in the body, for some reason mine is in a condition of extreme hunger and fatigue.
• The secret to remembering these stories is how they wrap up. Make sure you make the payoff a solid punchline. It makes the audience feel rewarded for listening.  Just remember this is a storytelling game.  Funny story still counts as a comic book. Allowing the storyteller to improve the ending gives you a bit of a wildcard factor.  Use that to your gamemastering advantage.   What funny story is more outrageous than a time traveling cat? improvise that ending.
• It was just them and they were never sure who did it. Every year they would ask What was that Crusaid we bought last year?, That was good, who would like another one?
• That last question could be anything. Maybe about your pet. Maybe a question about how you felt yesterday, or a memory you have of something that happened to you. Play with it. Have fun. Make up the most absurd thing you can imagine and answer in complete 100% seriousness. Try to answer any and all questions in detail – remember, your grade on the essay is based on both the quality of your grammar/language and your ability to follow the prompt given.
• Haven’t you ever wanted to write a story that threatened people with unpleasant disciplinary action? Here are fifty ways to threaten someone with spanking.
• You stumble upon a druid ceremony while camping and get trapped under a paralyzing spell, then get attacked by a flock of bats.
• Superheroes must adhere to a strict Code. Here is your chance to experiment and write a story using actual coding.
• Papers should be free . Taxes should be illegal . . .crime should be legal because crime doesn’t exist.
• Try using the work of others to write your own. Many books choose your own adventure or comedy like scenarios which can be a fun way to… well… write the proceeding comic.
• Plot a course. Set a goal that seems attainable or achievable. Now go for it! It’s only time, you only live once. So plunge the depths! What would it hurt if you could go through it once? Did you try? Yes? Then, you’re probably more prepared for it than you realize. Besides, the fear and jubilation are on the other side of the wall, waiting for you. Risk anything for the sake of brevity. And get it done.  Write about it.
• Coffee doesn’t break the laws of physics, especially if you decide to do it in reverse. And if that’s a problem for you then we don’t have to be friends.
• The garbage collectors called one night. They insisted you have too much garbage. They wanted it the next day!
• Now known as the “Pear of Anguish,” the Captain’s Harpoon was seen hanging next to the Granite Annihilator, above the Pirates Den at The Burrow on Friday, March 4th, 1865, the day he vanished without a trace.
• She talks with a southern accent even though she’s from the north. Someone’s been putting microchips in her diet coke!
• You start using a word, then suddenly realise it won’t fit into the sentence and just stand there staring – dopey.
• Remember that old computer game? Harvest Moon?  Yeah. You have that. You will always have it. Make it work for you. Till it hurts.
• The story of a tiny character in a big world. Who could be more opposite to someone than a micro-size specimen?
• Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, and experiencing the coolest of all cool reveries? Now, it is satire.
• You approach a bar with the most delicious-looking men…and they greet you dressed in the riot gear and armor of the Societas Quarta Flavium. You cough politely, but nothing happens. So, you roll up your sleeves and prepare to make someone’s day . . .
• this  cheerleader jumped over the school and ended up in Africa… the moral of this story is don’t do drugs kids…
• He spoke, but his words didn’t match the movement of his mouth, making it impossible to determine what language he was speaking.
• On dogs’ backside are a series of nodes in insurgents to make your dog like some people, your dog might have inadvertently contributed to the act of terrorism.
• What comic superheroes do you know of? All of them? Give me/us the origin story of more unknown/lesser known comic superheroes.
• What is normal to you might not be to someone else. What do you “see” white as? What did you do that no one saw?
• Wendell E Carson, also known as “Close-Up Magic” resides in and hails from Cincinnati, Ohio. A man of many talents, he has many stories for us to read. His story ‘The Tortoise‘ was nominated for the Drabbles4Review prize, and will appear in an upcoming issue of On Spec magazine in Canada. He reminds himself every day not to cut his hair short.
• God was going on vacation, and instead of taking one of His decoys He decided to let you run the universe.
• As a child, your father convinces you to always lie. He knows you can’t always be responsible, or keep up with the truths, and he needs you to always be honest with him. Sometimes, at night, when kids your age are playing or hanging out around you, their parents ask if you’re staying over for the night.
• Twins! Aren’t they great?! At least they are when they don’t share the same name and the name shows up in each story.
• Say someone is doing a very mundane task that they hate, and introduce a monarchy. Make this kingdom be a parody of how alive most modern monarchic dynasties are.
• Open with an apocalyptic scenario. What’s happening when you kick off the story? If you begin just after the problem, it’s not exciting enough. Make it seem like the end of the world.
• The descriptions of your friends’ eyes were very interesting and specific. And important, which is why you’re now in your third story about this.
• A steamroller, musical, cannibal family who all happen to speak with an English accent and still live in an attic together. And they invite a lonely, depressed, depressed God. Who continues to repeat his story titles over and over again.
• Somewhere in a desolate place an old man and old woman bury a black box in a shallow grave in the sand.
• God was telling a story. He told you to do something really important. He forgot to give you the punchline.
• Write with a sleight of word or an easily skimmed over detail that may have a whole other deeper layer of meaning underneath.
• Introduce a story as if it happened to your roommate’s best friend last week  –  with a lot of detail.
• There was a point in history where everything made perfect sense. Somehow, for some inexplicable reason, it’s all become totally insignificant.
• A family of monks have lived inside a sequoia for generations. When they were discovered by loggers, the monks, with no other option, moved to their spacious concrete bunker in an undisclosed location under Northern California.
• To begin, compose humorous poems, form words into sudden verses and lines. Inspired writing catches the reader by surprise! Read examples of funny poems.
• The best lie is not the one that hurts another person. The best lie is one that helps another person.
• The mouse took the mocha and scurried out of the cafe as quickly as his little feet would take him… stolen.
• There was a board game. Takes place in a hospital. You had internal injuries. Everything about you was in authentic order. Life was merely a mimicry of reality.
• A story that starts off normally enough but quickly changes into something strange because the reader was not paying close enough attention to what was going on around them.
• So to use this list of funny story ideas, you can either use them as starting points for your own stories or you can copy out the story starters below and then map out your own stories. Young people should definitely incorporate these writing exercises into their writing schedules. Folks who have never written before will find that these funny story ideas will fire their imagination. Warning. Writing is addictive. Instead of looking at these story starters an hour later, you will have written your own funny stories and found out why they are so much fun to discover.
• There was this kid during elementary school who tried to trade the life of another student for an ice-cream…
• Your town resides in the shadow of the next town over. Is there exposition? Is there conflict? Either would make a nice short story.
• If you happen to walk into your house and your mother is wearing your underwear, don’t panic. If this happens approximately every day, consider yourself adopted.
• Your favorite vampire. Why is he or she your favorite? How will you make your vampire a character to adore?
• A lost and found ticket somehow made it into the umbrella you are taking home from the airport. What is on it?
• Find the comic in your everyday life, it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t look funny to others. Focus on it to ring the comic’s innermost bell.
• A long time ago, when on vacation and staying with his grandparents, a young boy sees something that no child should see.
• A bunch of flowers grow around the wall of a castle. The flowers are beautiful and smell great. Sensing a growing threat, the flowers burst through the wall.
• Bob Rader never liked school. He always got sick a day or two before exams.  It happened so many times his mom got a letter from the principal saying that Bob didn’t do his homework because he was superb at coughing up a lung.
• Bring a character from another media to your story and do your best to fit him or her into the story.
• Love is wanting what’s best for the other person. Love is wanting the other person to live a life without regret. Love is wanting to give… not just take. Love is like Michael Jackson’s music. Love is when you apologise and the person you’re apologising to tells you it’s OK – because they know you’re really sorry. Love is…
• It was midnight in Allentown and all the creatures were stirring from their slumber and Frankie Gorshin cackled, “The clown you hate is heeeeeeeee!”
• Introducing a new flavor of potato chips forces everyone to reexamine the relationship between your brand audience and your primary offering.
• This two-sided coin of consciousness – an absurdity reflected in a mirror – forms itself into fractured magnificence.
• A sentient corporate entity who is unhappy with some policy or other attempts to negotiate a favorable change, only to gain more than he expected.
• If you wanted something you waited until Christmas. If you wanted money to buy something you saved until you could pay for it.
• Personality tests? Of course you took them. What? What did you think? That everybody ‘just knew’ who you were?
• There once was a man who lived downstream from a bar. Every night, as he slept peacefully in his bed, he kept dreaming about the things that other people had left behind.
• Two shopkeepers, identical. They’ve been doing business together for a long time, but now they hate each other.
• Two old ladies, one old man and a group of rebellious penguins decide to take a flight to the Arctic.
• A man and a woman were getting married and the man asked his wife to pick a color for the leaves to be at the wedding that was to be in May. And the wife said, “I don’t care, you pick.” And the new groom said, “Then they’ll be green.”
• Go back to about three years ago. Talk about a few painful events that have hurt your life. Then, set up the time machine. Go back and have a messy breakup before the relationship begins.
• Amelie didn’t eat raw worms and she wasn’t a libertine but she had a pretty big world, especially for one so very tiny.
• You’re in a race against three others. They bother you for answers as you frantically solve math problems and the littlest she asks “why does Dad let you play video games all summer?” How do you respond to her?
• The additional dialog and explanations for the oddly out of place duck in this short story are surely what make it so absurd. The irony, humor and unexpected events or plot twists in stories are what leave you laughing. Take a look at how many funny speech topics you can think of by delving into the worlds of fiction. The first world of funny writing is the story , another is the article , and third is the joke .
• All cops are penguins. Take a short file of dialogue or a monologue and change it just enough so that the reader never “skims” it.
• You’re running from the mob… time is short. You enter the bank, shake the terrified teller and shout, “Fill the bag, FAST!” but the teller looks at you with a blank stare. “Tell me that you believe in the 50 cent pizza slice!” you implore him. “I do?” he responds quizzically. The barrel of a gun touches your temple. You start to lose faith in God. Zen masters may say that faith in God is illogical and blind. Has this monk transcended politics and realized war must be won on Capitol Hill? Does this mean that the sacral koan will be mathematically solved? Wait! You step past the threshold of normal execution and realize the somewhat warm red velour interior. Promising lad!
• Prince Charming crashed your party. In a bad way. He got punched in the face by your Fairy Godmother for being a leecher and a retard, and because your Fairy Godmother hates him.
• Part of the refrigerator door wouldn’t shut all the way, and so, when it opened and closed one day it briskly slapped a chipmunk….. right on the back of it’s head… Check this out for some other story writing prompts
• You wake up in the morning and open your curtains, and see a volcano in your front yard. Just sitting there, calm as day.
• Don’t be afraid if the first draft makes no sense whatsoever. If it makes sense, great! If it doesn’t, you know that you’re on the right track.
• When God separated East from West, allowing humanity access to distant lands, the exploration that took place at the end of the fourteenth century was a once in a lifetime chance to find the “Lost Continent.”
• It becomes a one-way ticket back to Africa. For whatever reason, your character feels compelled to return to their birthplace. What stopped them? How?
• The Bastille Day parade starts. You are surprised because you are only expecting the stroke of midnight.
• Write the instructions, dialogue, and stage direction in the form of a monologue or interior monologue.
• Now that you’re married you’re like his wife. You love him despite his character flaws. Until he has a lesbian affair with the neighbor you geht along well. It’s fun. Oh, isn’t she so nice…Wait, she looks familiar…
• An author writes a steamy novel and makes it into the present-day New York Best Sellers list. While reading this novel, readers become overly aroused and, Pollyanna like, go around kissing complete strangers.
• You’ve got to really love the person you’re taking to. After all, it’s going to be the best time she’s ever had.
• When the author was a child he lost his first tooth, and when no one came to pick it up he grew a new one.
• Blow your mind, let your imagination run free, fill your mind with silly thoughts. Your fantasy might just be a silly one, but at least it’s creative.
• You’re reading and while you are reading hot steam rises from a tall cup of coffee. You look down and notice that you’ve also read a page with a giant coffee stain. You turn back to the page you were reading, drink some coffee from that cup and return to your book.
• Your story is not a happy story. You’re writing the story of your life – it’s happy until now. It’s time to go deeper.
• Tell about discovering an ancient farm in your living room that is inhabited by tiny octopi. Look, one just scurried across the back of my neck. Tsk. And it just left a spot of octopus slime.
• And so, you ended up walking through the woods until you became lost for 12 years, but it doesn’t matter, you survive. Is it possible that this is the happiest story of all time?
• Think of the most popular global retail corporation and then write a story about them without using the company’s name.
• What’s in my hand? Could you guess? Let me show you that…ok, ok…I’ll hand it over. It’s in fact, a purple snake.
• You’re stuck in a building with three other strangers, and there’s no  way out. Give us a play by   play and a thrilling bit of dialogue!
• Unfortunately, such easy steps will leave you with four unfinished, unappreciated stories, and maybe you’ll still have the “writer’s block.” What do you do, then?
• I had a dog named Toothpaste and it was my best friend. When Toothpaste died my parents got me a new dog… it was orange.
• Pretend you are a magician along the lines of Harry Potter or Aladdin . Designing magic will work to solve your problem.
• To get over a hurdle, you had to devise an elaborate and complicated system of pulleys, ropes, insulators, and a pony.
• Tell a story in the second person, meaning, you write as though you are not present, using both “you” and “I.”
• 1.  Your first memory is of walking out of your house from behind as a child looking over your shoulder at…
• As you are walking up to a house knocks on the door and realizes they are not at their own home and guess what? They don’t have a home anymore. Where did they go? Who are they? WHY?
• There once was a man from Racine. Who invented a bacon tree. Made of acacia and hazelwood. Then you were encouraged to eat nuts from it.
• In this land of orcs, hobbits, and ogres, one accomplished warrior must stand alone. What happens next?
• A man who decided to make a bath as hot as the steamy clouds of a close gives the crops a good soaking right before harvest time. As he wanders aimlessly, he comes across men on horseback who tell of a perception he has. His teeth are dripping with saliva. He’s so angry.
• You write a story about one of the teachers or faculty members and make them seem like the sanest person on earth, or you show them all going crazy.
• But my kind of green. Not that money green. The kind that popped out of nowhere no matter what season you consider it green in. You know. The color of sponges…
• Write from the detached perspective of an observer who is simply relating a bizarre story without judgment.
• After landing on a particular Farmville building, the Indian man gets trapped in the attic and jumps out to eat Reese’s Pieces.
• This story does not have a protagonist, which is absolutely necessary. Most stories have several, if not many.
• A sentient video game character receives a copy of your manuscript and wants to know if he or she made the right buy.
• There are so many different and unique causes the school board needed a new word to describe all these everyday miracles. They decided on – Every Occurrence.
• Your teeth were perfect, white, straight, even, and very white. Your dentist even said so himself. But when you laughed, the whiteness of your teeth made the people laugh. Not with you, but at you, which lead to their teeth not being as white as yours.
• My boss told me that my son can never let it lie. Then he added that if he doesn’t he should never work for me.
• You had been waiting for the bus for twenty minutes. That’s no small task when there’s wheezing and coughing from a bus exhaust.
• Your sister was stolen by a stranger when she was two. You were babysitting at the time and got a brief glimpse of his face. You’ve grown up with his face in your head and he looks like… Not someone you should confront.
• Don’t just write your Silly Story. Give it some character. Anything along the lines of gifs, memes, dance moves, objects. Draw, sketch, or paint your Silly Story.
• In a world where no one believes in absolutes, what can absolute fanatics shine as bright beacons? White on a white background?
• No matter how much he tried, the door would not budge. It was stuck. Stuck like glue. Even more stuck than that.
• The trees sighed in the morning. Life lived amongst a busy, urban street could make anyone sleepy. Today was no different.
• You don’t need to know how and when and why things happened and who was involved. Don’t fill in the blanks. Just tell it like it happened, starting with this sentence.
• You left for vacation with a paper due. Before you set out on your trip, your brother told you  that he had an extra copy of your paper. You don’t remember whose paper it was exactly, but you’re certain it’s a good one. It’s full of academic jargon and footnotes and looks like your professor’s thrown up everywhere. You are determined to distract him with words and numbers so that he goes away. Why don’t you call your paper “You are the Fanciest of Fruit,” He deserves this.
• As two people watched she blew three wishes into the sky.  He wished for more wishes. The stranger coveted the first man.
• “The shoes were shiny black pump heels. It took him four tries to get dressed. Shoes first, then socks. He tried entirely too hard in simple activities.
• I would think it would be lonely at the top, to which the reply was, “well look who’s not worried if you liked it!”
• A sheep, a goat and a cow had a party. They invited some other animals. One chick, a dog, and a bird. They ate ice cream, shared cake and played games until their stomachs were full. They felt like their lives were complete. They were happy. They loved to just smile and laugh and have fun. They felt like everything was lovely. They all slept like they were on a big pillow with full bellies for the rest of the night. And in the morning they talked about what a happy night they all had.
• I know that this event isn’t actually going to occur, but it’s a fun idea. Be completely serious in telling the story, no matter how ridiculous it appears.
• One day, out for a picnic lunch, a father notices his son standing next to a small stream, throwing stones into the water.
• If one attempts to discuss a paradox or act in dissent, the word one is always, definitely going to be used. The stronger one makes his point, the less effective his dissent is going to be. If one kicks the proverbial hornets nest, one shall become endlessly debating with genuinely authoritative individuals.
• This has a tongue-in-cheek-ness that runs through the entirety of the book. The narrator’s mood changes frequently, often without warning.
• This is not a collection of horror, though my heart flinches to call it funny. It’s more a place in which you might laugh yourself sick, or even, perhaps, a little, too horrified, too afraid to ever shower the experience off or leave what you have read behind. It’s a sick world, but you know that already, don’t you?
• We are audiences for each other. It is a mystery…There is still so much to know about ourselves and each other.
• You have to make a photocopy of them, but you forgot your photocopier code. What are you going to do?
• A woman hires someone to punch her in the face until she falls in love with him. Are the punches worth it?
• Talk about someone who is completely everyday. No one would know he or she was special.– Submitted by Diana Wentworth
• A lightning strike killed him. Well, no, it was actually the whole “thunder” part. He fell on his coffee table trying to run away from the room.
• The want just sat down for a moment, and oh, yes, it stood up again. It moved much slower now, but it did stand up again.
• There’s always trouble at the tippy top. It seems the higher you climb, the more treacherous it gets. This is especially true when a queen has taken over a white cottage.
• Your incurable disease is morphing into something you actually sort of look forward to, but won’t admit it to your sister.
• You are wearing the nicest shirt in the world. Everyone notices it. Who cares, right? No one? Sigh…
• They buried me in a cheap pine box. face up, so my friends and family wouldn’t miss my resting face.
• With your gaze, pretend to have deep connections to people and things around you. To forget to blink and suddenly appear severe. Then fake-blink and break from your seriousness.
• Rolling on the floor laughing in the bathtub is the best feeling I’ve ever had scores of times and thousands of times.
• Give two lines. The audience reads them. Then you give one line. The audience reads them. How does it make a difference?
• Write about two survivors waiting to be rescued by a spaceship on a distant planet and all the legal battles they have to go through.
• If you told a secret four times it no longer belonged to you. By the same token, no one had better tell your secret.
• A man on a fire escape is funny the first time you see it, every time you see it after that is less and less funny.
• The bus comes just after the Police Station. And just as it should it is yellow. It is full of prisoners.
• Two guys walk into a bar, one orders a beer and the other orders a drink – neither tell the bartender what they want.
• Tell a story in first person plural. You and Gillian the Rodeo dancer, the Devil and Charles Manson at a well blow in a bar.
• The coldest eyes can be disguised in friendly faces, but when you know that tongue, you know the true feelings they hold.
• Got any ideas for funny story prompts you and your friends can work on? Post your ideas in the comments below!
• You leave the grocery store and step into your office. No, you didn’t fall asleep. You’re everybody’s boss and in the grocery store, everyone wants you to be their boss.
• Your last diary entry might have been a bit too horrifying. How can you explain that to your readers?
• You initiate your foible and employ your folly against him in tandem with your underhanded tactics to develop a trend as a result of the near relationship.
• He was short, with sharp aggressive features. His hair was grey with purple highlights that reminded him of his mom’s panties.  He wore greasy mechanic’s clothes. They had tape on the elbows and a hole on the knees. His smile was sharp and he wore faded blue jeans.
• The mother was worried the bunny was cold because when she went out this morning his fur was wet so she dried it with a hairdryer. Now the bunny has pneumonia and that is why he is ill.
• Write about what you know. Write about your life. Write about your imaginary world. Write about your friends. Write about advice to your younger self. Write about your life as a feral child. Write about the future. Write about your past. Write about what you ate for breakfast. Write about writing.
• You get the idea. Have fun creating your own short story writing prompts! Writing short stories is a fun and exciting way to stretch your writing skills and get into doing something other than writing long, lengthy fiction that goes on and on and on. In addition to enjoying the process of writing an entirely short story, you will also get a nice little epiphany and new ways of looking at things when you are finished with one of these short writing pieces. An entire short story that doesn’t go on forever sequence happens to be a wonderful writer’s confidence booster! Enjoy and have fun writing short stories.
• The Moon was in the Seventh house. Jupiter aligned with Mars. All looked good for a wonderful day. Until…
• Years later, in high school, you went to some sort of reunion. Everyone looked the same, but you were the only one who looked different. How.
• Tell your top 10 secrets about yourself. This is a different genre but this is where you get to really set up your protagonist or antagonist but you want us to fall in love with them so you tell us secrets.
• Make New York City’s Times Square the edge of the universe, and write about life crawling towards there.
• I have an Uncle from India, who learned to do magic and illusion from his Indian Guru uncle, only to develop his own special, original style of magic and illusion, and outdo his own teacher.  It is simpler than it sounds.
• People expect the unexpected so be perverse and make them think you’re going to argue a point only to contradict yourself, go off at a tangent or state the opposite.
• I would go to Las Vegas for a year’s supply of chocolate. A chocolate fountain. Chocolate cravings. Chocolate chills. Chocoholic. Chocolate heaven.
• Upon waking up, you look over at  the man lying in the bed beside you. You scream.  Scream loudly and violently. You never noticed it before, but he has three eyes and enhanced upper lip folds that are so pronounced he could freight train an elephant.
• Looking into a crystal ball, your future is unknown. Your glowing aura is astounding. It comes on slowly, but you can feel yourself transform.  This happens roughly 6 times a day, and lasts roughly 30 minutes.
• An addict steals. An out of work stripper makes men fall in love with her. A wife cannot reach her husband. A man tries to find the cure to lead poisoning. A mime gets the best of a tourist on the subwoofer ferry in Dunkirk France.
• We can program computers or how about we’re so simple to program it makes sense for us to just be the computer?
• The boy went to the kitchen and started making hot chocolate, when suddenly… he felt the eyes of the house staring at him. He had a malignant presence of felicity.
• Aku was born unaware of what he was…he was totally clueless to what awaited him in the near future. In fact, he was even clueless to what lurked in the present. Every day that followed brought the young man closer to his fate, his destiny. After all, the Earth Kingdom needed a king to rule over its citizens, and Aku was it.
• There was once a wise man who laughed when he was born, sneezed when he was taken from his mother, cursed when he was given his first name, drowned when he was baptized, and awoke alive when he was buried.
• First, save all your money for a long time and then buy a huge M&M dispenser that looks like a cash register. Put a big bowl of candy on it. Let the whole world know you have it. Every day collect a dollar in the bowl. On a day a month, you can buy your favorite candy and eat as much as you want.
• A great way to present these techniques is to invite students to write simple, funny, perfectly normal… stories. Work with as many students as possible. Give all students a different prompt. They are to respond by writing a 200 word story on their own computer or laptop.
• There once was a midget who dreamed of a comeback, but it never came. He ended up choking on his own stuffing.
• Wake up flailing like an octopus, screaming  like a hyena, and roll down the stairs like a bowl of jelly.
• You hate to see a grown person cry. This friend of mine had been upset for the longest time—not a tissue in earshot.
• So Johnny gets himself the smallest poodle he can find. He feeds him ferociously for ten years and makes him the tiniest, yet proudest and puffed up dog anyone has ever seen. Ten years later Johnny has a hurricane in his backyard and his little poodle blows away.
• What if you were in the mafia and no one knew about it but you. You’d tell everyone you’re a whistleblower and everyone believes you and you end up living happily ever after because the mafia takes pity on you.
• Write a book review. From the point of view of someone who has never really read books before, but knows how to balance a checkbook. Someone who had to split a number 73.09difully into three equal coupons. Just do it.
• Everything you’ve ever wanted, everything you’ve ever done in your entire life, is for the purpose of finding him. Her. It. The thing. You don’t know what you’re looking for. You want it very badly.
• There was too much singing in the land. The women began to scream for the men to camp out. One man, The Little Boy the singing wouldn’t.
• The funniest story to tell is almost always based on yourself or those we love. Based on Novelty, Surprise, and Incongruity. It means the unexpected and goes above and beyond expectation. By telling a far-fetched story, you make your listener almost believe what you’re saying is really true.
• I have a window in my house. It’s not very big. It’s not very special. It doesn’t have a sill, but it lets the outside in. Even when it’s in the rain, it lets the outside come in.
• If you were given no obvious books as a present, what literary and philosophical ideas would be present in your current go-to book for entertainment?
• Go back into this moment before it happened. And stop yourself from doing whatever you should not have done, but would have done. Now do that thing you should have done and perhaps didn’t and experience how things could have been.
• Then one person volunteers to stand behind the blindfolded person and lead them to the door, around the fireplace and down to the boot.
• Their house, a plantation / Country house, belonged to her family for so many, many years/decades / ages.
• Without warning, baby calves were eating fruits and vegetables out of your hand. You were high off of the fumes of baby cows inhaling all the legal highs of the western world there ever were.
• A humorous approach on a normal everyday day needs to schedule your weekly boring task. Life, as we know it is regulated and controlled by events that are equally as mundane, but seemingly boring. As a result it is key to know how to look at the world and find something goofy in the simplest of things, in order to create either humour or comedy. Work is definitely not exempted from this. Schedule Week is here to show you an exemplary method of taking a dull and boring subject to begin with, and revamping it by exaggerating it to the point where readers start laughing uproariously. Someone at work was incompetent and got the constructive feedback they needed.
• Imagine it’s the end of your life and reincarnation was shortly available. What would you say to God/the Devil when your case is made?
• But you didn’t see that third pedestrian in the crosswalk. You never look. You are angry that everyone thinks you are Russian gangster, when all that you have ever been is a college graduate, and that’s not so menacing, is it?
• There was an outrageous amount of crime happening. An exaggerated amount of crime. Non-believers doubted this. They made it fake news and covered it up as much as they could.
• There are exactly three toilets in this household, one in the upstairs bathroom on NW corner, one in the downstairs bathroom, left of the door, and the other in the garage.
• Next when you are in the shower, start to have this huge vision/experience. The kind that incorporates seeing, hearing, over-all body sensations all at once.
• Direct the response to a sudden twitch in your body that you are unaware of and which seems horribly unflattering to everyone except you.
• There’s a big difference between small town gossip and big city gossip. Big city gossip comes on softly. Small town gossip can wake you from a deep sleep.
• The List is a very simple story building method. You have a number of objects, animals, characters…etc and you put them in no particular order.
• It’s best to play it on the safe side when writing a humor story. Animals and children are funny. Spouses can be funny. Frustrated businessman can be funny. A kick in the pants is funny if it’s well placed. Police officers haven’t had many great roles in literature, but they could also make a great comedy.
• Drama. Iphigenia leaves Agamemnon to marry Achilles for fear of prophecy, then her father spots her.
• A man gets into a time machine to see his life as a toddler again, but he can’t get past the 1970s. Frustrated he jumps out of the time machine and whacks his head hard on the ground.  Now that he thinks about it, his life is pretty sad. He heads back into the time machine where he meets his toddler self.
• My grandmother told me to stop being so lazy. She told me to get off of that couch and stop spending my 20s on the internet. She told me that you can’t find happiness behind the glow of a computer screen. What? Since when? A 65-year-old-maiden telling us young people to get their faces out of their monitors… You have to love that.
• Four of the ten commandments will send you to heaven and four will send you down below. Aside from not murdering anyone, which ones are they?
• Time marched forward in its relentless infinite. Everyone it touched aged, died, and became someone’s memory to be cherished or hated, feared or longed for. Some of us fell out of time. What can we do?
• The frenemies. However close two people seem to be, one of them always secretly despises the other one.
• “Let me show you how to make the waffles that John makes. With him you have to get everything just right or else you’re in big trouble. So…”
• Sweet and innocent. So innocent you don’t understand that the old man is hitting on you and you are taking it.
• Snapdragon is a flower that should be used more often in stories especially when it refers to someone who is too fat.
• You’re walking along, casually, and you step on an electrical transformer, ending you in one lightning-explosion.
• This would mean some of the steps in these writing processes will have to be tweaked, changed and deleted to fit this type of writing form.
• There were two red headed boys walking in a park, and one did something that made his head turn bright red.
• You are a significant historical figure for no other reason than living in the same time as another significant historical figure. Anyone want peanuts?
• A secret code, a silly memory, an unexplained feeling of wanting to bolt, a suspicion is born. Claiming to be savvy, write a heartfelt account of this suspicion and all the silly little coincidences that surround it.
• Wrong. Whatever wound up in your lawn was synthetic. It’s tough keeping up with the neighbors. Tough on your lawn. Tough on the environment. A little sanity here please…
• A coliseum over a candy factory is converted into a cathedral over a bomb factory, forcing many humans to move while wolves eat puppies to get their greasy coliseum-candy fix.
• Have you ever noticed how no one ever takes the time to ask the simple questions? We could all improve ourselves greatly by just taking time to ask the simple questions.
• This is the opening sentence from one of the original Sherlock Holmes short-stories. You probably recognised it… Now, extend it.
• 3. Consider recompense techniques. Teenagers are accustomed to getting what they want, when they want it. They want the iPod? Tell them there are two conditions, a gift for mom and a gift for the little brother. They want $4 of allowance? $4 of  laundry and $4 of help cleaning.
• The boy kissed the frog, because she was enchanted… Because only the kisses of a prince would have been able to revive her and break the spell. What happened next was downright distasteful.
• People. Lots and lots of people, crammed tightly together, packed into a small house, with no windows…. and then they woke up. Tell it from the point of view of someone who has no idea what they’re doing.
• There once was a man who wanted to cross a river. The current was swift, the water deep. In a split second, he lost everything before he even had a chance to think to second what was happening.
• Never take candy from a stranger.  Especially if it is red and white striped and has a white fluffy tip.
• There are lights on the Christmas tree. Romantic interludes taking place. Aphrodite watched Aphrodite. The playful waves pull the hair in the wind. The stars glisten deep in the firmament. There is but one that twinkles.
• Use explosive words. Don’t worry about being controversial, or even realistic. Follow your heart and spin a good yarn.  What would happen if?
• It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a really huge and expensive diamond ring. The same held true for a young man in possession of five very large and very expensive rings…
• At the stroke of midnight, all of your vending machine change became painfully  brightly colorful pieces of paper currency.

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• Scriptwriting

How to Write Comedy — Tips, Techniques & Script Examples

A sk any creative writer what the hardest genre to write is and they’ll probably tell you that it’s comedy. That’s because story structure can only bring you so far in comedy writing – the fact of the matter is that if you aren’t funny, you aren’t funny. So how do you become funny? Do you read joke books? No! Like everything else, you practice until you become perfect – well, not perfect per se – most comedy writers would be happy with just okay. We’re going to show you how to write comedy, with script examples from 21 Jump Street and Curb Your Enthusiasm , but first, let’s define comedy writing.

Guide to Comedic Writing

What is comedy writing.

In simplest terms, comedy writing is a genre of writing that is intended to be funny. There’s much more to it than that, but first and foremost, the chief goal is to make the audience laugh. Let’s watch a quick video to hear one of the most successful comedy writers of all-time, Jerry Seinfeld, explain the basics of comedy writing.

Writing Comedy  •  Jerry Seinfeld on How to Write a Joke With The New York Times

Comedy writing is something you don’t see people doing. It’s a secretive thing.

— Jerry Seinfeld

As Seinfeld suggests, comedy writing is a very secretive thing. One reason why is because most comedy writers feel like their material has to be perfect before it’s presented. 

Think about it this way: let’s say you write a dramatic stage play. There’s no way to tell if the audience hated it – except if they fell asleep, then I’d say it’s fair to say they hated it. Now let’s say you write a comedic play. If the audience doesn’t laugh at the jokes, then you know they hated it.

You know, they know, everybody knows – a joke that doesn’t land is a special type of shame . It’s for this reason that comedy writing can feel so personal. The most important thing to remember is that nobody is funny 100% of the time, but by taking inspiration from some of the best, we can improve our craft.

Comedy writing doesn’t have to be a solitary craft. Due to the advent of the internet, comedy is more collaborative now more than ever. This next video explains how the Lonely Island sketch “Dear Sister” helped to usher in a new era of comedy.

How to Write Comedy  •  How ‘Dear Sister’ Changed Comedy by Karsten Runquist

The difference between Seinfeld’s traditionalist advice on comedy writing and Karsten Runquist’s new-age analysis is that one says that comedy is achieved by plot ; the other says that plot is achieved by comedy. Think of memes for example: what makes a meme funny? Well, I’d say memes are funny because somebody doesn’t “get it.”

A meme is like an inside joke between millions of people – but once it breaks out of that “inside” bubble, then it ceases to be funny. This teaches us something essential about comedy writing; almost always, somebody has to be the butt of the joke. No matter how big or small, somebody has to be made fun of. It’s this very notion that makes comedy writing so difficult. 

Rules of Comedy, Explained

Tips and tricks for writing comedy.

One of the most difficult aspects of comedy script writing is finding the right person to perform it. You could write something really clever, but if it’s performed in a tone that’s incongruent to what you mean, then it’s not going to sound funny.

So when writing any sort of comedy, don’t be afraid to add emphasis. That’s true in more ways than one – emphasize the punch-lines to your jokes, emphasize specificity, and emphasize contradictions. 

Like any type of writing, comedy writing relies on conflict . In this scene from Meet the Parents , the family patriarch Jack interrogates his daughter’s boyfriend Greg. Pay attention to how screenwriters Jim Herzfeld and John Hamburg entice us with character conflict.

How to Write Comedy  •  Watch the Meet the Parents Lie Detector Test Scene

I wanted to look at this scene for a couple reasons. The first is that it’s a great structural example of how to put together a comedic scene. The mean dad, clueless boyfriend trope is just that... a trope. So how do the writers make it feel refreshing and new?

Well, it starts with emphasis and exaggeration. Jack isn’t just any dad, he’s a former CIA operative. And Greg’s not just a clueless boyfriend, he’s a walking bad-luck charm. So in a structural sense, this relationship is primed for comedic conflict.

Here are five great tips for writing a comedy scene:

• Take a typical situation and exaggerate it
• Let tension build
• Use specificity
• Embarrass someone
• Finish with a bang

Now let’s see how Meet the Parents  utilizes these five strategies.

• Greg is visiting his girlfriend’s family. This is a typical situation – and at some level, it’s something we can all relate to. But it’s exaggerated by Jack’s CIA background.
• Say you’re the writer of a story like  Meet the Parents  and you have a great structural conflict between two characters (Jack and Greg) – how do you take that tension and build it? Well, start by putting the two characters in close proximity.
• Specificity is a double-edged sword in comedy writing. Notice how Greg is wearing Jack’s pajamas with the little JB insignia on the chest-pocket? That’s funny. Notice how there are a bunch of pictures of Jack undercover in the CIA? That’s funny. And it’s funny because it’s not forced on us.
• Jack embarrasses Greg by asking him uncomfortable questions. Situationally, this is funny, and it’s elevated by Robert De Niro’s great deadpan delivery. 
• Like Jerry Seinfeld said, always save the best joke for last. It’s an expectation in comedy writing that you’re going to end with a bang. In this scene from  Meet the Parents , it’s when Jack asks Greg if he watches porn.

WRITING COMEDY TIPS

How to make your script funny.

Would you believe me when I say there’s a secret technique you can use to instantly make any scene funnier? No, that sounds too good to be true! But alas, it is.

The technique known as irony  – which is defined as being the opposite of what we expect – can turn any scene on its head.

How to Write Comedy  •  21 Jump Street Screenplay

21 Jump Street went through a lengthy rewrite process. In this revision of the script, undercover cops Jenko and Schmidt arrive at a scene somewhat akin to what we see in the original tv show. There’s nothing wrong with the scene as it was originally written – but the final version of the scene shows just how much a difference irony can make.

Here, Jenko takes the lead, expecting to command the crowd like he did in high school. But as Bob Dylan famously said, the times are a-changin’. 

How to Write Comedy  •  Watch 21 Jump Street 

We expect Jenko to be considered “cool.” But instead, he’s condemned. Conversely, we expect Schmidt to be considered “lame.” But instead, he’s celebrated. This is irony . This character dynamic makes 21 Jump Street feel refreshing. If you’re considering writing a comedy script, think about how contrived character stereotypes can be subverted with irony. 

Writing Comedy Taboos

Things to avoid in comedy writing.

Most comedians will tell you that no topic is off-limits in comedy writing. And although that may be true, just remember that it’s really hard to make certain things funny – and you’re not going to win audiences over making jokes about taboo subject matter. 

We’ve all heard the saying “read the room” before, but how do we “read the room” when we’re writing alone? Well, one way is to take notes when you’re out in public, then transcribe them into a routine, sketch, or scene later. If you know Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm , then this process may sound familiar.

This next video explains Larry David’s writing process for Curb in further detail.

Comedy Writing Techniques  •  How to Write Comedy Like Larry David by StoryDive

The reason I bring up Curb in regards to “what to avoid in comedy writing” is because Larry David is a master of navigating that ever-so-delicate line. Take this clip from Curb Your Enthusiasm Season Nine, Ep. 8 for example.

How to Write Humor  •  Study Perspective in this Curb Your Enthusiasm Clip

In this montage scene, a Muslim investigator looks into Larry’s past to see if he deserves a fatwa. In each part of the montage, a delicate subject matter is addressed. Why is it funny? Well, it’s all about perspective. In Curb Your Enthusiasm , Larry is consistently made out to be the bad guy. By framing him as the good guy, we see the ludicrousy of the show’s situations in a new light.

Don’t be afraid to play with perspective. Sometimes, the comedy of a scene is found in a perspective you would’ve never guessed. Consider framing your comedic situations in different ways.

This experimentation will often help you find the best angle to present your jokes.

Comedy lessons from Gene Wilder

We touched on a lot of the foundational aspects of comedy writing, but there’s so much more to it than what we went over here. In this next article, we break down how to direct actors, with special emphasis on how Gene Wilder changed comedy. By studying Wilder’s comedic style, we can learn a lot about how to be a better comedy writer.

Up Next: Directing Comedy Actors →

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Comedy Writing Prompts: 15+ Ideas To Tickle Your Readers’ Funny Bone

• August 27, 2022

Comedy is a challenging genre to get right.  However, even the funniest short story can capture a reader’s attention when done right.

You can start writing a well-structured story with interesting characters and even a surprise ending, but it’s not a good comedy if you’re not funny.

Below, we’ve included a list of over 15 comedy writing prompts to help you get started. Later, we’ll explore how to write great comedy by considering its crucial elements.

Comedy writing prompts

The great thing about comedy writing is that there are often several potential narratives that can turn out to be hilarious. It can start from a running joke you have with everyday company or even awkward moments that made you terribly upset. The possibilities to write a story that can be your turning point as a writer, are limitless.

Use the funny short story prompts below to inspire your own short story, script, novel, or screenplay idea! Use these prompts creatively and interestingly by imagining more than just the first narrative or theme that comes to mind.

• The world as we know it has ended. A lone man walks miles to find some remnants of civilization. In the distance, he sees a shadowy figure walking toward him. As the two get close, the man recognizes the figure. It’s the same boy who always used to sit next to him at school.
• A nervous first-year high school student sees a picture of his grandfather on the wall in the school hallway. ‘Hey!’, says the janitor. ‘I heard that you’re Jimmy’s grandson? Wow, what a guy. Good luck living up to that reputation!’
• The first day of a girl’s new retail job is Christmas Eve. She’s never worked in retail before.
• A young man realizes he’s terrible at making decisions, and his procrastination is holding him back in life. To overcome his mental obstacles, he put his life in the hands of a pair of dice. For every decision that needs to be made, he rolls the dice.
• A murder mystery writer experiences writer’s block. He can’t seem to get deeper inside the mind of his protagonist. One night, he has a revelation. The only way to know the true feelings of his character is to experience them firsthand.
• When you come home after a long day’s work, you rant to your cat about all the drama in the office, your disdain for your job, and how tired you always are. Sick of hearing about it, your cat speaks up and tells you to take more control of your life.
• A boy who has just entered puberty experiences frequent breaks in his voice. Write about his excuses as to why he can’t come to the board right now to present his project and a teacher who insists.
• A tailor orders mannequins online. She won’t be home when they arrive, so she asks her friend to sign for them. Plans go awry, and she won’t even make it home that evening, but she’s got a presentation in her studio the following morning. Her friend offers to help by setting up the mannequins around the space. When the tailor arrives home late that night, the mannequins are not exactly what she ordered.
• The main character wakes up one day and can’t stop singing everything she says.
• A fictional villain wakes up one morning and realizes the error of his ways. Overcome with guilt but also filled with determination to turn his life around, he becomes a force for good. Still, his reputation precedes him, so no matter how good he does, people still treat him like a villain.
• A recently single and lonely waitress works at one of the most popular restaurants in the city on Valentine’s day. Jealous of all the love and affection she sees around her, compounded by the rudeness of her customers, she decides to get her revenge on love.
• Being the good Samaritan you are, you decide to help a sweet old lady carry her bags from the store to her car on a hot summer day. Naturally curious, you peek into one of the bags on the short walk and see a rope, tape, and pink, fluffy handcuffs.
• Write a blind date spoof scene. A new friend sets you up on a blind date. They don’t tell you much about your date, except that they are beautiful and just your type. You notice your ex sitting there waiting for someone when you show up to the date.
• In need of some extra income, you decide to enter a trial for a new pharmaceutical drug. After some weeks, you don’t notice any changes, so you figure you must have received the placebo. One morning you wake up, and your physical features have almost completely changed and you have all those ticks. The drug’s effect on you was previously unheard of.
• The house a woman lived in as a child doesn’t look quite the same. Screams from the basement widen her eyes. She rushes to investigate and discovers a scurry of squirrels in the basement. A loud bang upstairs frightens her, but it’s the wind that has slammed the door shut. The ghosts in the house don’t need to scare the woman; she’s already frightened of everything. The ghosts just watch.
• A writer is not just a writer. He also unwittingly creates real-life events by writing his stories. Usually, he writes comedy. However, funny stories aren’t inspiring him anymore, so he branches out into crime fiction.
• A young intern at a film production company is excited on his first day. After running for coffee, calling actors, and taking notes, his boss tasks him with a completely absurd job.

How to write comedy

Writing comedy isn’t always easy, but with the basic tips and considerations below, you’ll find it a lot easier.

1. Exaggerate a normal situation

Take a completely normal situation like waiting at a bus stop or going on a date. Exaggerate the situation by adding an unusual element to it.

For example, the bus is unusually late at the bus stop, and one of the other people waiting is someone you dislike. On a date, amp up the situation by linking the characters in an unexpected way.

2. Build tension

Comedy and horror writing have something important in common. They both rely on the build-up of tension for effect; just as a ghost story requires tension to be scary, a funny story also needs a build-up. When writing comedy, don’t jump to the joke.

Let your reader slowly understand that the situation is not normal, but don’t give it all away just yet. Be suggestive and implicit before you reveal any major plot points or punchlines.

3. Surprise and expectations

Unexpected turns of events create funny stories .

Imagine the smug confidence of a man who believes his new car will impress his colleagues and the disappointment he feels when another colleague shows up with a bigger, faster, newer car. A character thinks they will go one way and reveal their emotions about it too quickly; then, things go another way.

4. Context and timing

Good comedy is about timing and context. Get these two elements right , and you’re likelier to make a reader laugh. You may want to write a cool or funny sentence for the sake of it, but without context and a good build-up, your joke will fall flat. Utilize effective grammar and sentence structure to deliver lines and reveal information that stands out.

Why use comedy writing prompts?

Prompts provide creative writing practice opportunities, and you should take all the opportunities to practice as a writer looking to create a humorous story or novel .

You are encouraged to write more funny story prompts based on those above.

It’s wise to create several story ideas and link them with a common theme, an ordinary character, or even an everyday object. That way, you can write a collection of funny short stories, rather than just one.

One of the most crucial habits to develop as a comedy writer is observation skills. The best comedy writers, and writers in general, are keen observers of human behavior and can convey that behavior in a creative and interesting way through different perspectives in their writing. 

Comedy writers manage to create stories from what they see everyday. They look at all the details of challenging and inconvenient situations they come across and let their creative mind float to incorporate these in the story smoothly. Very often, the funniest jokes are so funny because they relate to actual behaviors that seem absurd when viewed through the lens of a story.

On a final note, remember that comedy relies heavily on empathy . Readers can’t connect with characters and situations that lie beyond their experience (or possible experience). 

As such, it’s effective to incorporate daily situations and normal behaviors to give context to a situation. Once your readers can imagine being part of the situation you write, they’re far more likely to appreciate the funny twist or quick and clever ending of your novel.

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Humorous Writing (A Guide to Adding Humor to Writing)

Want to keep readers coming back? Tickle their funny bone with humorous writing.

Whether it’s a novel, a short story , or a blog post, a dash of humor can be a game-changer. But crafting comedy isn’t one-size-fits-all. From witty one-liners to playful satire, the spectrum of humor is vast. Remember, what has one person in stitches might leave another scratching their head. So, know your audience, and then dive into these techniques to pepper your prose with chuckles.

Various Forms of Humorous Writing

There are several types of humor you can use to make your piece more entertaining and jovial. Sarcasm, wit, irony, and satire are all effective ways to make your readers laugh or at least smile. However, it’s important to use each type of humor at the right moment, so your punchline lands perfectly.

Many often view sarcasm as the lowest form of witticism because it relies on mean-spiritedness and mockery. It can be funny if used in moderation, but too much sarcasm will make your writing seem unprofessional and petty.

Wit is similar to sarcasm, except that it uses intelligence and cleverness instead of condescension and mockery. It employs puns , wordplay, and double meanings to lead the reader down an amusing path.

Irony occurs when what happens contradicts what was expected. This discrepancy between expectation and reality can create some hilarious situations. This is like when a character in your story concocted a scheme that hilariously backfires on him.

Last but not least, we have satire, which makes fun of people or ideas by using exaggeration, ridicule, or parody. When done right, satire pokes holes in some hot arguments and brings attention to societal issues . Controversial politicians and other celebrities are often subjected to satire by comedians.

Use Them Wisely!

All four forms of funny business we discussed can enhance your writing if used carefully. Keep in mind though that overdoing any of these methods may result in wasted time, so choose your chuckles wisely! Try using irony or sarcasm in situations where it would be unexpected but still make sense within the story’s context. Or play around with word choice by making absurd comparisons or substitutions (like referring to a very tall and lanky character as “beanpole”). If done well, humorous writing can enhance your readers’ experience. Just don’t overdo it or force the jokes to the point that it doesn’t appear natural in the piece itself. Often, a little goes a long way!

How to Write Humorously

Humor is a great way to hook readers, and have them coming back for more. Our inherent desire to laugh motivates us to share funny YouTube videos and respond to text messages with iconic smiley faces. Many people choose to get their daily news with a touch of comedy from outlets like “The Daily Show,” “The Colbert Report” or “ The Onion “. This is to show that we would rather laugh than sit and wallow in sadness. Humorous writing is not limited to comic strips, as it also benefits any form of conversational or narrative compositions, such as short stories, articles, books, and essays. By the way, don’t forget to proofread your work for spelling and grammar mistakes.

Elements of Hum or in Writing

Who doesn’t enjoy some dark humor from time to time? Have you noticed that even in movies of the horror genre , filmmakers try to inject a little humor now and then? This is known as comedic relief and it makes movies more enjoyable. But before you start cracking jokes, there are a few elements you should know about using humor in your writing:

One of the most important elements of humor is timing and delivering the punchline at the right moment. Knowing when to deliver a joke is crucial, and if you do it too soon or too late, the effect will be lost.

2. Relevance

Another important element of humor in writing is relevance. Your jokes should be relevant to the topic at hand. Otherwise, they’ll just seem out of place and forced.

3. Comical Value

Finally, make sure that your jokes land. There’s nothing worse than an attempted bit of wit that falls flat. If you keep these elements in mind, you’re well on your way to adding some hilarity to your writing. So go forth and entertain us all. If you want to add humor to your writing, timing is everything! Make sure your jokes are relevant and land – otherwise, you’ll just end up looking like a fool.

Why Incorporate a Bit of Humor Into Your Next Piece?

Humor is a great way to make your writing more interesting and vivacious. It can also help lighten the mood or make a serious subject more relatable. The goal of adding some humor to your writing project is not about becoming the next Woody Allen or David Sedaris (unless that’s your dream). The objective is to improve your writing by using all the tools available to you, including comedy.

1. Brainstorm Ideas with Friends or Fellow Writers

This can help give you a fresh perspective on what might be funny. Experiment with different types of humor until you find one that works well with your voice and style. Brainstorming can help you generate more ideas, reduce writing anxiety, and focus your attention on the most relevant content when writing. This is essential before outlining the major points needed to create well-organized short stories and writing in general.

2. Pay Attention to Timing and Delivery

Jokes that are too long or arrive at the wrong moment will fall flat. Work on perfecting your delivery so that readers laugh when they’re supposed to. Polishing your timing and delivery is crucial for maximizing the impact of your joke. This will help you achieve the desired result, which is to make the readers laugh. Psychologist and bestselling author Dean Buonomano points out in his book Your Brain is a Time Machine that our mind not only tracks the passage of time but can also stretch or compress our sense of that passage in various ways. So why not give humor a try in your next piece? It might just take your writing from good to great.

FAQs on Humorous Writing

1. how do you write a funny poem.

There is no one way to write a funny poem, but you can try these tips:

• Thinking of a topic that will be entertaining to read about.
• Using rhyme and other poetic devices to add levity and interest.
• Keeping the overall tone lighthearted.

Following these guidelines can help you create a poem that will bring smiles (or even laughter) to your readers’ faces.

2. How do you come up with a funny story?

Every funny story is different, but here are a few things to take heed of to help you come up with a hilarious tale.

• Try to think of a situation that would be universally relatable and entertaining.
• Add in some elements of exaggeration or absurdity to make the story even more humorous.
• Don’t forget the punchline! A good joke will leave your audience laughing out loud. So, make sure yours is solid.

If you like to master humorous writing, following these tips and techniques can help get you started. Just remember not to overdo it. A bit of humor goes a long way! And be sure to keep your audience in mind so that you don’t end up offending anyone with your jokes. With a light touch and the right approach, humorous writing can be a great asset to any piece. Next up, you may want to explore a guide on how to start a business plan writing service .

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• Short Story Writing

How to Write a Short, Funny Story

Last Updated: December 31, 2023 References

This article was co-authored by Kendall Payne . Kendall Payne is a Writer, Director, and Stand-up Comedian based in Brooklyn, New York. Kendall specializes in directing, writing, and producing comedic short films. Her films have screened at Indie Short Fest, Brooklyn Comedy Collective, Channel 101 NY, and 8 Ball TV. She has also written and directed content for the Netflix is a Joke social channels and has written marketing scripts for Between Two Ferns: The Movie, Astronomy Club, Wine Country, Bash Brothers, Stand Up Specials and more. Kendall runs an IRL internet comedy show at Caveat called Extremely Online, and a comedy show for @ssholes called Sugarp!ss at Easy Lover. She studied at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and at New York University (NYU) Tisch in the TV Writing Certificate Program. There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 185,578 times.

Writing a short, funny story can be an enjoyable experience. Humor can help defuse tense situations and bring people together with shared laughter, which can be very useful if the story involved is tense or upsetting. Whether you're writing an assignment for school or simply have a wild and funny story you need to tell through a written project, mixing comedy and writing can help you find an outlet for your creative urges. With a short, funny story, you can also express your sense of humor in less time than it might take to write a full-length story or novel.

Writing Help

Planning Out Your Story

• Try to be original in choosing your setting. Readers may be turned off if it's a setting they're too familiar with, as it may feel like the story has been recycled.
• Also, keep in mind that a vivid description of your setting will help reader to feel like they are there and this may help to make the story even funnier.
• For short stories, it's best to stick with as few setting changes as possible. Aim to work within just one setting, but don't exceed two.

• Most compelling stories have a beginning, middle, and end. Across that timeline there is a source of rising tension, a climax (breaking point of the tension), and an unraveling of tension that leads into the ending.
• Think about what the source of tension/drama will be, and try to work that tension into the specific setting you've chosen for the story.
• Consider how the source of tension can work with that setting. Perhaps the setting might heighten the tension, for example, or create a comedic situation by way of contrast with the location where the events unfold.

• How you depict the characters may depend on their personalities and circumstances within the story.
• For example, you might depict a bumbling "idiot" character who stumbles into funny situations, or a sarcastic character who thinks he knows it all and realizes that he doesn't know anything about his own circumstances.
• Make sure your characters are realistic and believable. A good character should have feelings/opinions and should be capable of reacting to his or her situation in realistic ways on the page.
• Think about what kinds of characters could make your setting funny, or vice versa. All the elements of your story (setting, plot, and characters) should ideally work together, either by mixing well or by creating funny and unexpected contrasts.

Incorporating Humor

• Your funny, short story doesn't need to be 100% autobiographical, but incorporating bits and pieces of awkward or funny situations from your own life can bring a sense of personality to your work.
• Keep up on current events. You may not end up writing a story about world news or celebrity gossip, but you may find inspiration or even ways to directly draw plot elements from real events that are culturally relevant.

• You wouldn't tell a political joke to your friends without taking some stance on the matter, so why try to be unbiased in your written humor?
• Don't be so abrasive that your humor would alienate people who disagree with you, but make sure that you at least know where you stand on certain issues so that you can find the situational humor in them.

• Read funny stories. You can find stories by searching online, or by checking at your local library or bookstore.
• Watch funny movies and TV shows. Though it's not the same format as you're working with, you might still get some inspiration.
• As you watch and read things that entertain you, try to analyze the humor.
• Think about why you find certain things funny, consider the ways an author or script writer might have crafted those humorous elements on the page, and look for ways to adapt that style of humor to your own writing.

• If you intend to deliver a punchline, make sure it goes at the end of the joke. Otherwise it might confuse readers and leave them wondering what the funny part is supposed to be. [10] X Research source
• The third thing you list should be where the humor comes from. It may be funny because the third thing doesn't match the others, or because the third thing highlights some type of truth.
• As an example, you might say something like, "My doctor thinks I'm losing it. He told me his recommendation is to get more fresh air, get more exercise, and stop calling him at 3:00 AM asking what's wrong with me."

• Remember that a funny story should still have a functional plot with realistic characters and dialogue. You can't have a funny story just be joke after joke the whole time.
• Let the humor stem from the setting, characters, and situations, or some combination of them. If you're trying to cram too much humor into a story (even a funny story), it can make your writing feel like a corny gimmick.

Writing Your Story

• The beginning of any short story should establish the setting and at least one character.
• Describe where the action is taking place, but try to make that description relevant. Find ways to draw tension and/or humor from the setting as much as possible.
• Think about how and when the humorous elements of your story will unfold, and try to at least hint at them from the onset of the story.
• Remember that a short story's beginning should set something up, whether it's tension, a source of humor within the story, or something that will be vital to the story at a later point.

• Your story's middle section will probably be the longest. Make your words count by making things get interesting for one or more characters in this section.
• Tension should complicate the lives of your most important characters and form the basic arc of your story. [14] X Research source
• Tension often arises from conflict, usually between the protagonist and another person, himself/herself, nature, technology, society, or God/gods/goddesses.
• You may want to incorporate humor that's derived from the tension, or you may choose to deliver humor as a sort of comic relief that accompanies the tension so that it doesn't get too serious.

• Tension should unravel fairly quickly. The humor may stem from this unraveling, or it may accompany it along the way.
• Aim to be concise with your ending. Remember that while you're working within the frame of a short, funny story, you may have to trim things down to their essence.
• Try to keep the story's ending a paragraph or so at most, and make sure the reader finds some sense of humor and relief by the last sentence.

• Think about the way people talk with one another. Read your written dialogue out loud and ask yourself, "Do people actually say things like that?"
• Good dialogue should push the narrative forward. Avoid being redundant or stating the obvious.
• Strong dialogue shows a lot about each character's personality (including how he/she interacts with and treats other people).
• Don't bog down your dialogue tags (the actions that accompany spoken lines) with details. For example, instead of saying, "'What should we do?' he asked, staring nervously and compulsively at the ground, careful to avoid her eyes," try something simple like, "What should we do?" he asked without lifting his eyes from the ground."

• You may have grand ideas about a subject for your story. However, you need to remember that when you're writing a short, funny story, you're limited on space. Stick to 1 conflict and no more than 2 settings to help keep your story focused and brief.
• Don't leave your idea unexplored or unfulfilled. Make sure your story fully analyzes the subject/idea you write about by the ending.
• You can always trim down nonessential elements and words to make a story shorter.
• You'll know that the idea has been fully explored when you've said (either directly, or indirectly by depiction) everything you need to say about it.
• For example, you'd need a lot of space to adequately cover the complexity of human relationships. But you can capture a moment between two people and write about some aspect of friendship (like forgiving your friends for saying/doing hurtful things) within a short, funny story.

• Some people prefer to write a longer story and then shave it down. This ensures that the story is complete.
• Other writers prefer to start small and expand as needed. This can make brevity more easy to work with and save you the stress of deciding what makes the final cut.
• There's no right or wrong way to craft a short, funny story, so go with whatever feels more comfortable to you.
• Whichever approach you take, make sure your story is complete, your ideas and characters are well-developed, and the humor is delivered in a satisfying way.

Revising Your Story

• Give yourself at least a week or 2 between finishing the story and revising it. If possible, try to give yourself a month to really put some distance between you and your story. No matter what you decide, stick with your revision plan!
• Consider asking a trusted friend or relative to look at the story. Ask him/her to be honest and critical, and emphasize that you want to know what isn't working and why.
• Looking at a story with fresh eyes will help you see more errors that you might have missed. When the story is fresh in your head it's easy to fill in the gaps with what you know, and you may not realize that that information isn't addressed on the page.
• Giving yourself some time before revising will also make it easier to cut things out. You may be in love with a scene, but after setting it aside for a few weeks, you might realize that it isn't as relevant as you thought it was.

• By having your original intentions for the story in mind, you'll know what you had hoped to do with the story and will be able to assess whether you accomplished that goal or not.
• Think about whether the tone matches your intentions, as well as the overall events of the story.

• Confusion may arise from the content of the story (or lack thereof), or it may result from a missing or poorly executed transition. Transitions should bridge one scene to the next, one chapter to the next, and so on.
• A good transition wraps up the previous scene and gently guides the reader into the new one.
• An example of a transition between two scenes might be something like, "He watched her walk silently into the night until she faded into darkness. The next morning he kept looking towards the horizon, but he knew she'd be halfway home by then."
• You may want to ask a friend to read through your story and look for anything that's confusing or doesn't make sense.

• Look for spelling errors, grammar/syntax errors, run-on sentences, sentence fragments, punctuation errors, and any weak lines of dialogue.
• Use the spellcheck function on your computer, or ask a friend with strong editing skills to take a look at your story.
• Try reading the story out loud. Sometimes hearing a mistake out loud can help you catch it better than just reading it silently on the page.

Expert Q&A

• Don't give up! If you're having a hard time, just stop for a while and then start again. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Remind yourself that stories are never perfect at first. A writer's job is to deconstruct and perfect her stories. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Get a close friend to look at it. Make sure you trust your friend and value his opinions, and be sure to ask him about the parts he thinks work well and need revision. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• Never steal another person's work. That includes jokes, as well as pieces of writing. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Things You'll Need

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• ↑ https://www.writerswrite.com/journal/jul99/writing-comedy-sketches-that-sell-7994
• ↑ https://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/creative1/shortstory/
• ↑ https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/how-to-write-funny-dialogue-what-i-learned-writing-storming/
• ↑ Kendall Payne. Writer, Director, & Stand-up Comedian. Expert Interview. 3 April 2020.
• ↑ https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-nonfiction/18-tips-for-aspiring-tv-comedy-and-joke-writers
• ↑ https://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/how-to-mix-humor-into-your-writing
• ↑ https://storyaday.org/writing-flash-fiction/
• ↑ https://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/6-keys-to-revising-your-fiction-2
• ↑ https://thewritingplace.wordpress.com/2009/09/17/revising-a-story-step-by-step/

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Home / Book Writing / Funny Writing Prompts: 50+ Ideas to Get Your Started

Funny Writing Prompts: 50+ Ideas to Get Your Started

Books, novellas, and short stories that can make readers laugh are always in high demand. After all, who doesn't like laughing? Some say it's the best medicine. But, as any stand-up comedian will tell you, comedy is hard.

Luckily, with the right premise, you can craft a funny story that will make readers hungry for more. And that's just what these funny writing prompts will help you do. 

• Tips on using comedy in your writing.
• Some humorous books to read for inspiration.
• Funny creative writing prompts.

Table of contents

• Know Your Genre
• Humor Through Character
• Keep Things Natural
• Make it Relatable
• Read Humorous Books
• Funny Writing Prompts
• Test Your Funny Book Idea

Tips for Funny Story Writing

Humor is subjective, so a funny story that gets one group of people laughing may not elicit so much as a smile from another group. That's okay. As a writer, it's important to know that not everyone will like your work. But with the tips below, you can position your comedic story (or scene) for the ultimate effect . 

Humor shouldn't be relegated to only comedies. In fact, authors in all different genres use humor to enhance their stories. But before you start shoving jokes into your work in progress, consider the norms of your genre. What do other authors do? Do you even need comedy in your book? If so, how much? 

Even works that are considered comedies aren't all jokes. There need to be peaks and valleys in your story. Because if you're trying to make the reader laugh all the time, they won't be able to catch their breath and settle in for another laughing fit. 

One of the best ways to convey humor is through one of your point of view (POV) characters . Maybe your normally stoic main character has a funny habit of breaking the tension with an offhand remark or a silly phrase that he says at the most inopportune moments.

Likewise, you may create a whole character whose main purpose is comedic relief. This doesn't have to be a POV character, but it can be. An inside joke between two characters can also work well, provided the reader is in on the joke!

Readers know when they're being played to. So if you're being funny just for the sake of it, they'll be able to tell. The humor in your novel or story should have something to do with plot, character development , or story. In other words, comedy should arise naturally from the aspects of your story. 

There's nothing wrong with wanting to make readers laugh, but forcing it will often backfire. 

Most successful stand-up comedians make the mundane hilarious. They take the doldrums of everyday life and provide a new perspective or spin on them. This also works well in storytelling. Sometimes the funniest thing is the one that makes people go, “Oh yeah, it is like that!” 

Whether it be observations about social media, a popular book or TV show, or a twist on the daily grind, it's possible to find comedy all around us. 

You can't expect to sharpen your comedy writing skills without first seeing how other authors do it. The books below are just a few to consider when studying the craft of comedic writing. 

• Anything by Christopher Moore (fiction).
• Anything by David Sedaris (memoir). 
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.
• Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
• Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
• Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding
• Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
• My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Formatting Has Never Been Easier

Write and format professional books with ease.  Never before has creating formatted books been easier.

Pick a funny writing prompt from the list below to get the creative juices flowing. Since there's a wide range of uses for comedy across all genres, not every prompt below will be suitable for an entire novel. Some are designed to start off a scene or a short story. Others you can use to break through writer's block by writing a poem or a funny anecdote. Do with them whatever you will. They're yours to use freely!

1. Write a scene in which a man is arguing with some unseen character. At the end, it turns out it's his dog. What is the conversation like? Why is it happening?

2. Think about your favorite thing to do on vacation. Now write about a character who's stuck doing that thing over and over again in a time loop.

3. Start a story about two hitmen haggling over who gets to assassinate the known crime lord. 

4. What would happen if animals could talk to humans? If this was normal, what would the world be like?

5. Explore the implications of a modern high school student who finds him or herself alive before the internet was invented. 

6. Start a story in the middle of a bank robbery in progress. But the robbers are elderly men who can't stop bickering. 

7. What would happen if a demon invaded the body of a highly neurotic and eccentric person? Turns out, the demon inside the person allows them to live how they always wanted, but the demon wants to leave. 

8. Write a romance about two people who connect over their shared love of extreme ironing. 

9. Explore the world of a stunt woman. She continues to put her body on the line for the work, but inside she thinks she's the biggest wimp in the world. 

10. In a world of superheroes, the villains have their own support groups where you get to see a very different side of them. Turns out, the villains may not be the real villains of this story. . . 

11. A new drug hits the market that makes everyone happy. Unfortunately, your protagonist is happiest when she's miserable. What does this new “happy” world look like through his eyes?

12. A young man suddenly becomes a viral sensation for his comedy routine. But the sudden fame is more than he can handle. Much more. 

13. Write about a local neighborhood watch group filled with zany characters who must solve the mystery of the missing garden gnomes. 

14. Write about a supervillain's parents. What are they like? Are they proud of their son or daughter?

15. Write about a high school student who learns she can disappear whenever something really embarrassing happens to her. Does she use this newfound power for good or bad?

16. Your protagonist stumbles upon proof that we live in a simulation. How does this change his outlook and actions? Does he try to tell the world?

17. Explore two best friends who are participating in an ongoing prank war that's getting way out of hand. 

18. Start your story with an argument between two rival business owners who eventually become fast friends. 

19. Follow a protagonist who goes outside one day to find that everyone is naked—and looking at her like she's the crazy one. 

20. Start your story with a character successfully outwitting Death to stay alive for just a bit longer. 

21. Write about a doomsday prepper who prepares for every eventuality . . . but this one. 

22. Write about a character who thinks their television is talking to them by name. 

23. Write about a wedding in which everything goes comically wrong—and how the wedding party rallies to make things okay in the end. 

24. Write about a utility worker who stumbles on an underground society of mutants in the city sewers. 

25. Write about a group of friends who get together once a year to fight each other. Why do they do it? What do they get out of this strange fight club?

26. Start a story in which a character is trying to reenact something they've seen on YouTube – with hilarious consequences. 

27. A bumbling father takes it upon himself to deal with the petty crime in his neighborhood. But he stumbles upon a hilarious conspiracy enacted by the homeowners association. 

28. A professional athlete starts having terrible luck, both on and off the field. He does everything he can think of to break the bad streak. 

29. A billionaire CEO decides after a near-death experience to give all his money away. But there are a whole bunch of people who do whatever they can to convince him otherwise. 

30. A woman who's about to be married to an “okay” guy finds a love letter in the mailbox. It has been mailed to her by mistake, and she takes it upon herself to deliver it to the real recipient. 

31. Write about a group of scammers getting into a con war with another group of scammers. 

32. A group of vampires goes on vacation only to find that their arch-enemies the werewolves have laid claim to their favorite spot. 

33. Artificial Intelligence robots are rolled out, but a software glitch makes them act like bumbling idiots who inadvertently threaten the collapse of society. 

34. There's something wrong with the world. Something's just a little off. But your character can't quite figure out what it is. 

35. Explore what it's like at a national liars convention. 

36. A girl realizes she's in a horror movie. But she also knows that she's not the final girl—she's one who dies in the first half!

37. A group of cowboys on a cattle drive in the 1800s wind up getting attacked by bumbling aliens. 

38. Write about a wildlife television show host who's constantly getting attacked by animals. 

39. Write a time travel story in which the character keeps trying to fix her love life only to keep getting thwarted—by herself. 

40. Write about a 4th-grade teacher who wins the lottery and decides to retire. But then her class shows up and begs her to come back to teach them. 

41. Explore a character who can't help but dance every time her favorite song comes on. She lives in perpetual fear of hearing the song while in public. 

42. An irresponsible man ends up having to take care of his five nephews and nieces after tragedy strikes. He learns to be responsible very quickly. 

43. A woman obsessed with American 1970s culture gets the chance to travel back in time. 

44. A man gets a hilarious text message from a random number. Thinking it a clever salesperson, he goes along with the messages. But things soon get way out of control. 

45. After being told, rather rudely, that he tells the same stories over and over again, a man drops everything and goes on an adventure to get some new stories to tell his friends and family. 

46. The utterance of a random word makes a brainwashed secret agent go into assassin mode. Only she turns out to be the worst assassin ever. 

47. A woman who thinks she has the best idea for a new product quits her job in spectacular fashion, only to learn that someone else has already had the idea. 

48. Write an embarrassing poem from one of your characters’ point of view. Why did they write the poem? What did they write it about? What would happen if someone happened upon it?

49. Write a spoof of The War of the Worlds in which the aliens all develop terrible allergies, which only makes things worse for the humans. 

50. Write a few diary or journal prompts for your main character from when they were a teenager. (If they are a teenager, all the better). Make sure to add some cringe to the entries!

Hopefully, the creative writing ideas above have given you some inspiration to use for your next book or short story. You can even take inspiration from a funny joke, your favorite book, or a funny thing you saw on YouTube. Professional writers will tell you that ideas are a dime a dozen. It's the execution that really makes something shine. So pick a fun writing prompt and get to work!

When you're ready to take your writing career forward by publishing your book, it's a good idea to ensure there's a market for your story . And the easiest way to do this is with Publisher Rocket.

You can think of the information you get from Publisher Rocket as the foundation for your writing career—whether you write comedy, drama, horror, or more than one genre. 

With Publisher Rocket, you get insights directly from Amazon on:

• Keywords – Metadata to position your book on Amazon.
• Competition – Allowing you to see what's selling and how stiff the competition is.
• Categories – So you know where people who are looking for books like yours go to find them.
• Amazon Ads – Helps you quickly configure a list of profitable keywords for running ads.

Check out Publisher Rocket here to get started.

Dave Chesson

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

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38 Funny Stories in English to Make You Laugh and Think

Humor is so much more than silly situations and funny words.

It is about the places we live in, the people who are with us, the events we experience and the problems we face.

In other words, humor is about the society in which it exists .

If you want to communicate really well , it is not enough to just know some English words—you need to know about the society and culture too. 

These humorous stories will make you laugh first, then think. Here are 38 funny stories in English to get you started!

• 1. “Captain Underpants” by Dave Pilkey
• 2. “XO, OX: A Love Story” by Adam Rex
• 3. “Hunting the Deceitful Turkey” by Mark Twain
• 4. “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir” by Jenny Lawson
• 5. “The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year” by Sue Townsend
• 6. “Em and the Big Hoom” by Jerry Pinto
• 7. “The Sellout: A Novel” by Paul Beatty
• 8. “How to Build a Girl” by Caitlin Moran
• 9. “Something Fresh” by P.G. Wodehouse
• 10. “The Eyre Affair” by Jasper Fforde
• 11. “The Lumber Room” by Saki
• 12. “The Crocodile” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
• 13. “The Nose” by Nicholas Gogol

14. “The Ransom of Red Chief” by O. Henry

• 15. “Three Men in a Boat” by Jerome K. Jerome
• 16. “A Confederacy of Dunces” by John Kennedy Poole
• 17. “Puckoon” by Spike Milligan

18. “I Want My Hat Back” by Jon Klassen

19. “the sneetches and other stories” by dr. seuss.

• 20. “The Ushuaia Rabbit” by Fernando Sorrentino
• 21. “Death by Scrabble” by Charlie Fish

22. “Do You Speak English?” by Simon Collings

• 23. “The Great Automatic Grammatizator” by Roald Dahl
• 24. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” by Jeff Kinney
• 25. “Calvin and Hobbes” by Bill Watterson
• 26. “The BFG” by Roald Dahl
• 27. “Pippi Longstocking” by Astrid Lindgren
• 28. “An Abundance of Katherines” by John Green
• 29. “Queen of the Road” by Doreen Orion
• 30. “Another Fine Myth” by Robert Asprin
• 31. “Me Talk Pretty One Day” by David Sedaris
• 32. “Bossypants” by Tina Fey
• 33. “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams
• 34. “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde
• 35. “Good Omens” by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
• 36. “Modern Romance” by Aziz Ansari
• 37. “Choose Your Own Autobiography” by Neil Patrick Harris
• 38. “The De-Textbook” by Cracked

Why and How to Learn English from Funny Books

And one more thing....

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

1.  “Captain Underpants” by Dave Pilkey

Good for: Young learners

This book is simple and clever. It is about two boys, George and Harold, who like to draw comics. They are famous pranksters in their school.

One day their principal catches them and makes them do his chores. The boys hypnotize their principal and make him into a superhero they drew—Captain Underpants.

The story reveals a lot about the relationship between adults and children. The book is filled with funny cartoons and jokes that are sometimes disgusting but always entertaining.

Funny quote:

“George and Harold were usually responsible kids. Whenever anything bad happened, George and Harold were usually responsible.”

2.  “XO, OX: A Love Story” by Adam Rex

Good for: Beginner learners

Have you ever wondered about the love stories of gazelles or oxen? This book proves that if such a relationship ever became real, then it would be hilarious!

The story is told through a collection of letters where a love-struck Ox tries to impress a celebrity Gazelle. The joyful illustrations make the book truly memorable.

This may seem like it is a book for children, but adults can understand the theme of unrequited love and appreciate the way the author plays with language.

“You are so graceful and fine. Even when you are running from tigers you are like a ballerina who is running away from tigers.”

3.  “Hunting the Deceitful Turkey” by Mark Twain

Good for: Upper-intermediate to advanced students

Considered one of the funniest turkey tales in American literature , Twain recounts a true incident where he tries to shoot a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.

The story is a humorous account of his failure. It also relates to the American holiday of Thanksgiving, where turkey is the main dish in the feast.

Since the story was written in 1906, you might read some words which are not commonly used anymore. For instance, the word “swindler” means “cheat” or “fraud.”

It might be helpful to have access to a good English dictionary while you read this. You can also read the story online here .

“Lie low, keep still, don’t expose yourself; I shall be back soon as I have beguiled this shabby swindler out of the country.”

4.  “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir” by Jenny Lawson

Good for: Mature intermediate learners

Have you ever felt that you did not fit in, or that you were strange, weird or awkward? The author of this book felt like that throughout her life.

There are tales about her sister going to school in a bird costume, her “message-board” cat, her relationship and more. Her story is equal parts funny and enlightening (something which makes you aware).

The core message is that the moments that embarrass us are really the ones that define us. If you are still unsure about the book, you can read this article  by The Washington Post  to see if you’re interested.

“Also, I stapled a picture of us from our wedding day to the cat’s left leg. Don’t we look happy? We can be that way again.”

5.  “The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year” by Sue Townsend

Good for: Intermediate learners

Eva, the main character, is frustrated with her family. When her children leave home, she climbs into bed and stays there.

She refuses to be a dutiful wife to her indifferent husband, and she stops being an ideal mother to her careless children. Soon, unexpected things start happening. The true face of every person in the household starts to come out.

The novel is comical but also seeks to question traditional family roles. For a more detailed overview, read this review  by The Guardian .

“Brian kept the photograph inside an old Bible. He knew it would be safe there. Nobody ever opened it.”

6.  “Em and the Big Hoom” by Jerry Pinto

Good for: Mature intermediate students

Madness is usually seen as a very clinical topic. Mad people are distant and mysterious. They are reduced to their disorders and their humanity is often ignored.

This novel narrates a story about a woman who lives with bipolar disorder. The narrator is her son who is trying to figure out what is happening while exploring his parents’ past.

The unique characters and interesting observations about the family and their way of coping with Em, the mother, make the book humorous while also keeping the human element of all the characters.

“Honestly, I don’t understand Zen. It seems if you don’t answer properly, or if you are rude, people get enlightened.”

7.  “The Sellout: A Novel” by Paul Beatty

This is a satire that won the prestigious Booker Prize in 2016. It is a sharp, witty story about an African American protagonist (main character) who was born in a middle-class family.

Raised by a single father, he dreams of making his life better. But when his father is killed in a police shooting, he decides he needs to take a radical step.

The novel is funny and goes deep into the heart of American society. To know why it won one of the most famous awards in the world, read this review .

“If New York is the ‘city that never sleeps,’ then Los Angeles is the ‘city that’s always passed out on the couch.'”

8.  “How to Build a Girl” by Caitlin Moran

This story is about killing a 14-year-old girl to build a new one. It is not literally about murder, but rather, it is a story about growing up as a girl.

The protagonist is named Johanna. She renames herself Dolly Wilde when she decides to change her life. She goes through a very intimate journey to become the woman she wants to be.

This is a witty story about being free and what it means to be free. You can read a fantastic review of this book here.

“There’s no point in drinking if no one’s watching.”

9.  “Something Fresh” by P.G. Wodehouse

Good for: Intermediate to advanced students

P.G. Wodehouse’s novels are always filled with humorous characters, and plots with as many twists as the number of holes in Swiss cheese.

In this tale, a series of events are set into motion when a precious art piece is stolen from the castle of Mr. J. Preston Peters. There are detectives, imposters and marriages that go wrong.

This is a classic story that never fails to be funny and interesting. Here is a short review of the novel.

“It’s very kind of you to keep offering me your dead mouse; but honestly I have no use for it.”

10.  “The Eyre Affair” by Jasper Fforde

Good for: Upper-beginner learners

This is a fantasy book that takes place in Britain. Jane Eyre, one of the most famous literary heroines in history, has been kidnapped. A detective is asked to save her before it is too late.

The story is set in a world where people can literally enter novels, time travel is real and cloning is commonplace.

The novel manages to be funny while talking about a society under the rule of a dictator. Here is a brief review of the book.

“I shouldn’t believe anything I say if I were you. And that includes what I just told you.”

11.  “The Lumber Room” by Saki

Adults often treat children as people who are less intelligent. In this story, Nicholas easily tricks his strict aunt and outsmarts her throughout the story.

Saki is famous for writing about characters who are not only funny but also use their minds to change the situation they are stuck in.

There are some advanced words in the story. “Obstinacy” means “stubbornness,” or the quality of being stubborn. “Debarred” means to exclude or ban someone from doing something.

“The dramatic part of the incident was that there really was a frog in Nicholas’s basin of bread-and-milk; he had put it there himself, so he felt entitled to know something about it.”

12.  “The Crocodile”  by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Good for: Upper-beginner students

Ivan Matveich is swallowed alive when he goes to see a crocodile with his wife and a friend.

He finds himself quite comfortable inside the animal and refuses to come out. What follows is a hilarious story which has become a classic.

Originally published in 1865 in Russian, the story might contain some confusing words. For instance, “arcade” is an old word used for a covered passage where people used to go for entertainment.

This tale can be read online as well.

“‘Alive and well,’ answered Ivan Matveitch, ‘and, thanks to the Almighty, swallowed without any damage whatever.'”

13.  “The Nose” by Nicholas Gogol

“The Nose” is a satirical story about a person named Kovalyov whose nose leaves his face and decides to have a life of its own.

In a hilarious series of events, the nose actually moves above Kovalyov in official ranks to become his senior in the government.

This was written in 1836 to comment on how Russian society was obsessed with social status. You might notice uncommon words like “propriety,” which means to have good manners and act according to social rules.

This story can also be found online here .

“The nose looked at the Major and frowned a little.”

Two men kidnap a boy who turns out to be so mischievous that they ultimately return him to his father and give their own money to his family instead.

Originally published in 1907, this story still makes readers laugh out loud. O. Henry managed to create a story that is remembered throughout generations.

“‘If you don’t behave,’ says I, ‘I’ll take you straight home. Now, are you going to be good, or not?’ (This was said by the kidnapper.)”

15.  “Three Men in a Boat” by Jerome K. Jerome

This book was originally intended to be a serious memoir, but the funny elements soon took over and the writer decided to publish it as a humorous tale.

The story is about three men who take a boat ride on the river Thames in England and describe funny things they encounter throughout the journey.

Here is a full review of the book.

“George goes to sleep at a bank from ten to four each day, except Saturdays, when they wake him up and put him outside at two.”

16.  “A Confederacy of Dunces” by John Kennedy Poole

This book was published after the author died and won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize .

This novel is about Ignatius Reilly, a fat man with a funny hat. The story includes a parrot attack, a revolt to impress a girlfriend and many accidents.

It is best for advanced English learners. The word “dunce” refers to a stupid person and the word “confederacy” means a union or group of people who agree to work together.

“I mingle with my peers or no one. And since I have no peers, I mingle with no one.”

17.  “Puckoon” by Spike Milligan

Puckoon is a novel set in 1924. That year, Ireland was divided into Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. You can read the historical background here .

In the novel, the border cuts through the middle of a village named Puckoon and divides a house into two.

What follows is a comical journey. In fact, the protagonist is so lazy that the narrator has to intervene to make sure he does something in the story!

“Many people die of thirst but the Irish are born with one.”

This charming and darkly amusing book is for beginners, and specifically younger learners.

The story is simple, engaging and very funny. There are several animals, personalities and settings you can experience in this short story.

There are also some live readings  and  animations available online as well.

“‘Have you seen my hat?’ asks the bear. ‘What is a hat?’ the animal replies.”

This collection contains four Dr. Seuss short stories. It include the hilarious poem “Too Many Daves,” which is a silly tale about a mother who names all of her 23 sons Dave.

This story is great for phonetic practice, as some of the names contain unfamiliar words and sounds, which can be challenging but still fun to read.

Many native English speakers grow up reading Dr. Seuss books, so this is a great way to experience a style of writing that many people are familiar with.

“She often wishes that, when they were born, she had named one of them Bodkin Van Horn.”

20. “The Ushuaia Rabbit”  by Fernando Sorrentino

Good for: Intermediate students

This surreal yet engaging short story is great for intermediate learners who want a vocabulary challenge.

It is about a strange and unbelievable creature. There are some excellent words and descriptions in this entertaining tale.

Note that this story does require a little extra patience, because it is a fiction (not true) story.

“But we can’t expect blood from a turnip or any intelligence whatsoever from journalists.”

21. “Death by Scrabble”  by Charlie Fish

Here is another great short story for intermediate learners. This tale is amusing from the opening line (see the quote below) right until the end.

The story focuses on a game of Scrabble between a man and his wife. The tense feeling builds up to an unexpected ending.

The game Scrabble involves building words out of letter tiles to earn points. Both the game and the story are great ways to practice and learn vocabulary.

“It’s a hot day and I hate my wife.”

This story may be too difficult for absolute beginners, but the subject matter is engaging for language students.

It touches on the difficulties of traveling without knowing a language—a topic many language learners can relate to!

While it is not the funniest story on the list, you may understand the feelings of the characters who cannot speak directly to each other.

“The boy named a price which was five times what he would have got for it locally.”

23. “The Great Automatic Grammatizator”  by Roald Dahl

Good for: Upper-beginner business students

This is an interesting and thought-provoking tale about the English language. The points about grammar and creativity are things that all English students can relate to.

It is a particularly good story for business English students because the setting is a corporate business. The main character wants to invent a machine to do the job of a writer.

The story is especially relevant today with the rise of AI technology. There is some technical vocabulary, but don’t worry—it’s still an entertaining tale.

You can also read it online here .

“Why doesn’t he stand up straight? He looks like a bent stick.”

24. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”  by Jeff Kinney

This book might be about a school boy, but you can enjoy it even if you haven’t been in school for years.

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid” is about a middle school boy who deals with school and family issues.

The easy writing and cute illustrations (drawings) make this a great book for easy English language reading.

“First of all, let me get something straight: This is a JOURNAL, not a diary.”

25. “Calvin and Hobbes”  by Bill Watterson

“Calvin and Hobbes” is not a regular book: It’s a comic book!

The adventures of little boy Calvin and his imaginary tiger friend Hobbes are classics, loved by many over the years.

Even if you don’t like comic books, give this one a try—you might be surprised at how clever and thoughtful the humor is.

“So long, pop! I’m off to check my tiger trap!”

26. “The BFG”  by Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl (already mentioned above) is known for his many children’s stories. You might have heard of “James and the Giant Peach” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” in fact.

In “The BFG,” Dahl creates another charming and slightly scary world in which a girl and a giant team up to protect children from becoming dinner.

As a children’s book, it’s simple enough for beginning English speakers, but as an older children’s book, it can also be a little challenging in parts.

“Don’t gobblefunk around with words.”

27. “Pippi Longstocking”  by Astrid Lindgren

Pippi’s full name is Pippilotta Delicatessa Windowshade Mackrelmint Efraim’s Daughter Longstocking.

She lives in a huge mansion with her pet horse and friend monkey, and dreams of the day her father will return from the ocean.

Pippi’s many adventures and stories are as crazy as they are funny. She’s a lovable child who will remind you how to be a child yourself!

“I have never tried that before, so I think I should definitely be able to do that.”

28. “An Abundance of Katherines”  by John Green

Good for:  Intermediate students

Colin had a girlfriend named Katherine. Actually, he had 19 of them—and they all dumped him (broke up with him).

He sets out in a car with a friend to travel across the country, where he has many laughs and life lessons…and no Katherines.

“An Abundance of Katherines” is a funny, heartwarming book about finding out who you really are.

“The morning after noted child prodigy Colin Singleton graduated from high school and got dumped for the nineteenth time by a girl named Katherine, he took a bath.”

29. “Queen of the Road”  by Doreen Orion

If you like the idea of traveling across the country like in the previous book, but would rather do it with a shopaholic, shoe-loving, Long Island “princess,” this is the book for you.

“Queen of the Road” is Doreen’s tale of her and her husband Tim’s travels. They visit strange places in 47 U.S. states, giving you a look into life in the lesser-known parts of the country.

Even better, this is a memoir—which means it’s a true story that really happened to the author!

“When my long-dreaded thirtieth birthday arrived, I really wasn’t as upset as I imagined I’d be, for I had achieved a much more important milestone: my sartorial centennial. I owned one hundred pairs of shoes.”

30. “Another Fine Myth”  by Robert Asprin

Fantasy lovers, don’t worry—there are lots of funny fantasy and science fiction books too!

Robert Asprin’s Myth series is about a group of strange companions who go on adventures together, trying not to kill each other on the way.

The first book in the series, “Another Fine Myth” introduces the main character Skeeve, a magician’s apprentice and thief. Join the adventure and laugh at the company’s misfortune!

“One of the few redeeming facets of instructors, I thought, is that occasionally they can be fooled.”

31. “Me Talk Pretty One Day”  by David Sedaris

Good for: Upper-beginner to intermediate students

David Sedaris is a humorist who writes about life and the world, making you laugh at even the most serious moments.

“Me Talk Pretty One Day”   is a collection of short stories from his life, from trying to learn French to dealing with his lisp (inability to pronounce the letter “s”).

Sedaris has a very friendly way of writing, as if he is telling you his story in person, which makes it fun and fairly easy to read at any level.

“Like all of my friends, she’s a lousy judge of character.”

32. “Bossypants”  by Tina Fey

Tina Fey is well known as a comedian on “Saturday Night Live” and a few other TV shows, including the popular “30 Rock.”

In this book, she talks about what it was like to grow up from a strange little girl to a strange little girl on TV.

Tina Fey has a very unique sense of humor, so if you liked any of her shows or her “Saturday Night Live” acting, then you’ll enjoy this book.

“In most cases being a good boss means hiring talented people and then getting out of their way.”

33. “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”  by Douglas Adams

Imagine you wake up one day to find that your home is about to be destroyed to make room for a road.

Now imagine this is happening to the entire Earth, to make room for a space road for aliens. You would probably do the only thing you can: Get a ride from some passing aliens and hope for the best.

Some of the language in this classic book can be tough, but the amount of laughs you will get will make it worth it!

“He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it.”

34. “The Importance of Being Earnest”  by Oscar Wilde

Being earnest means being truthful. But Ernest is also a name. “The Importance of Being Earnest” takes these two ideas and plays with them for the entire story.

This book is actually a play. It is old but still easy to understand, as it deals with how funny rich people and the upper class can be.

There is a lot of lying and silly mishaps (unlucky accidents) that can make this play difficult to follow for an English learner, but it’s fun and highly recommended if you’re a bit more advanced.

“I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read on the train.”

35. “Good Omens”  by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Good for: Advanced students

The apocalypse is coming and the world is about to end, and all it needs is one very important boy. Unfortunately, no one seems to be able to find him.

In this hilarious story, an angel and a demon have to forget about their differences and work together to stop the world from ending.

Written by two expert storytellers, “Good Omens” is a fun ride through their version of what really happens in the Bible’s Book of Revelations.

“It was a nice day. All the days had been nice. There had been rather more than seven of them so far, and rain hadn’t been invented yet.”

36. “Modern Romance”  by Aziz Ansari

What’s it like to have a relationship today? Comedian Aziz Ansari (known for his role in the TV show “Parks and Recreation”) tries to understand what it’s like to find love in the modern age.

“Modern Romance” mixes science with humor for a book that will make you laugh as much as it will teach you about love in the 21st century.

“While we may think we know what we want, we’re often wrong.”

37. “Choose Your Own Autobiography”  by Neil Patrick Harris

Autobiographies tell the story of the author’s life. Choose Your Own Adventure stories are adventures in which you are the hero, and you choose where the story goes next.

So, how did actor Neil Patrick Harris manage to put the two together? “Choose Your Own Autobiography” is the story of Harris’s life… as if you are him.

Go through his life and make his decisions for him with this creative book. It’s funny and interesting, and perfect if you’re looking for a more unique kind of humor.

“You, Neil Patrick Harris, are born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on June 15, 1973, at what you’re pretty sure is St. Joseph’s Hospital, although it’s hard to be certain as the whole experience leaves you a little blurry.”

38. “The De-Textbook”  by Cracked

You might be surprised at how much of what you learned in school is wrong. For example: Dinosaurs don’t look like lizards—they have feathers!

In this book, you will learn that we don’t have only five senses, chameleons don’t change color to blend in with their surroundings, and other interesting facts about the world, history and yourself.

“The De-Textbook” has some crude (rude) humor, and it also makes many references to pop culture and history. You can use this book to learn new facts and learn about culture, internet humor and more.

“Remember: Nature hates you so much that pretty much everything around you right now is actively trying to kill you.”

You probably already know why you should read funny books to learn English… It’s fun!

Learning English with humor gives you several other great benefits, though:

• Humor is culture specific.  This means if you understand the humor, you understand the culture.
• Humor often uses puns (word play).  Many jokes in English play with words and their meanings, so if you understand a pun, you understand the different meanings (and  possible mistakes !) that an English word can have.
• Humor makes things easier to remember.  You can try memorizing  a word and its definition , or you can tell a funny story with it. Which do you think you’ll remember better?

Now, to really get the most from reading these funny books, try using these tips:

• Read with a pen and paper nearby.  This way you can easily write notes, unfamiliar words or questions that you have as you read.
• Focus on phrases, not just words. Knowing word definitions is important, but knowing how to use the words is even more important. Be sure to pay attention to phrases so you can really understand how the words work.
• Discuss the books with others. One great way to enjoy a book is to share it with other people. Read the same book as your friend(s), then talk about it. You can even join a local book club and go to their meetings.
• If you can’t meet in person, use the internet. It’s even easier to find someone reading the same book as you thanks to the internet. Join a book website like Goodreads  and you can find other people discussing the funny books that interest you.

You also don’t have to stop at these books—if you love to learn and laugh, there are many other resources out there for you to use. Humor is everywhere!

You can watch English comedy shows and movies, or even hilarious YouTube videos or commercials. You can also use a program like FluentU , which has a library of English videos made by and for native speakers with plenty of learning tools.

After reading these funny stories in English, hopefully you will have a good laugh and also be able to add a touch of humor to your own English conversations.

Happy reading!

If you like learning English through movies and online media, you should also check out FluentU. FluentU lets you learn English from popular talk shows, catchy music videos and funny commercials , as you can see here:

If you want to watch it, the FluentU app has probably got it.

The FluentU app and website makes it really easy to watch English videos. There are captions that are interactive. That means you can tap on any word to see an image, definition, and useful examples.

FluentU lets you learn engaging content with world famous celebrities.

For example, when you tap on the word "searching," you see this:

FluentU lets you tap to look up any word.

Learn all the vocabulary in any video with quizzes. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning.

FluentU helps you learn fast with useful questions and multiple examples. Learn more.

The best part? FluentU remembers the vocabulary that you’re learning. It gives you extra practice with difficult words—and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You have a truly personalized experience.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

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Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest . The world can get dreary and overwhelming, so when you’re looking to have a good laugh, take a scroll through our free collection of funny short stories.

🏆 Winning stories

“ clearance aisle libations ” by bay colt.

🏆 Winner of Contest #222

The worst part about being an amateur necromancer is that no one respects you, not even the dead. My older brother, Joseph, is practically crying over the phone, struggling to speak through great gasps of heaving, wheezing laughter. After way too many seconds of this, he finally manages to choke out, “Really? Goddamn—Mountain Dew?” Irritated, I switch the phone to my other ear, tipping my head a...

“ Cell 3.47 ” by Kate Hughes

🏆 Winner of Contest #220

Cell 3.47 was situated on the third floor of B wing in Stocken Gate prison, slap bang in the heart of London’s east end. Known as The Gate, the prison had a reputation for being a tough place to do time. The inmates behind the doors at The Gate endured long cold winters in the Victorian slammer that had been condemned many times but had always escaped closure. It was harsh, it was hard, and it was overrun by rats.Paula Pritchard was the sole resident of cell 3.47, but due to the rodent crisis she ...

“ Long Live the King ” by Hazel Ide

🏆 Winner of Contest #217

"I was eight years old the first time I heard his name." Shifting in the hard plastic seat, my wrists are shackled to a metal chain link at the center of the table, limiting my mobility.The officer observes my discomfort passively, already impatient and annoyed with my recollection of events."I was thinking a little more recent, Miss Clark. Like why you were caught standing outside his home with a bloody—""No, no, you d...

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“ signs of intelligence ” by angela yuriko smith.

Submitted to Contest #244

“What about this one, class?”Misc. Bertlethwop tapped a glass box with a pointer. Inside was a small, furry animal. It hissed at the assortment of curious youth that gathered around to ogle. One of the students bent closer to the glass to study the mammal. It displayed a mouthful of razor sharp teeth and emitted a yowl that made the student back away. Misc. Bertlethwop tapped the glass again. “Well, what do you think? Intelligent or not?”The class was undecided. They shuffled in place, each trying to avoid the teacher’s gazes. A student...

“ The Sacrifides ” by Drew Harrison

The grandfather clock ticked and tocked, like the great big heartbeat of the house itself. It struck 9, but no silly robin popped out and chirped at the hour. “Do you ever miss Noosance, Grandma Mavis?” I asked. She waved her hands dismissively with a “bah” and then sucked at her teeth. “Three coppers at market, all for a carving and some cogs—and like I told the fool who bought it, I was the one who ought to have been paying him.” She spat a ruddy wad into the pot by her feet. “Are you hungry, Gracie?” Mama asked me, squeezing my hands. “Pa...

“ The Dangers of Not Being Straight ” by Dr. Stephen A Salaka

The Inter-Dimensional Talking Head Box 3000™ flickers to life in your living room, its glow promising escape from the ordinary. Remote in hand, you embark on a cosmic channel crawl: alien chefs flambéing unidentifiable space-critters, galactic gladiators battling with laser-tridents... it's all delightfully bizarre. Then, something truly peculiar catches your eye. As you flip through the channels, something makes you pause: a cityscape so angular it could slice bread. Buildings pierce the sky like colossal geometry sets, vehicles lurch forwa...

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Beyond the unfashionable fringes of the galaxy, loomed a haze of raspberry scented dust. Within it was Dirt, and on that planet, the drab city of Neo-Dulwich. There, in the quiet hours between way-to-work coffee and brunch, the humans left us alone in our cafe. A spiral galaxy, a goldfish, then a flower pictogram bloomed from our pen while the futures flowed through us. We titled the piece, in green ink, “HNT314/122”. Cow bells attached to the door rattled as it opened. Our tenant, Joe, clutched at the frame for support. He was not into rep...

“ Dr. Mollusk's Influence ” by Kathryn Kahn

It was New Year’s Eve 2029, and Rhonda Rafferty, aka Dr. Mollusk, was partying hard. As a marine biologist turned social media influencer, she’d been invited to several big New Year’s Eve parties in Los Angeles, and she’d picked three, the ones where the organizers had assured her there would be plenty of bivalves on the buffet. She had a wonderful time taking selfies and posting stories with clams, mussels, and even cockles, which the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association had been pushing her to spotlight since her voice in the oyster...

“ They Taught Me to Speak ” by John Steckley

The family of humans that I live with taught me to speak and to understand their words when they spoke carefully and slowly to me. What they did not know was that my learning did not end with what they deliberately taught me: “Polly want a cracker? Who is a pretty bird?” and other such parrot clichés. I listened carefully when they were in the living room, half of which had become an aviary, and learned much more than they ever suspected that I knew. To keep their suspicions down, I tried never to say in their presence wo...

“ Thirty-Seven Seconds ” by Luca King Greek

“Double espresso, soy milk?”, said Spencer, swiveling to receive the coffee.“Affirmative”, said Ken, plumping down at his own desk.“Good man”, said Spencer, turning back to his trading desk, where four screens of market prices were flashing away. His eyes flicked here and there.“Did I miss the action?” asked Ken, attentive to his own terminal, a mix of red and green.“We were waiting for you, and for the PMI data to be released. We figured we’d get through that hurdle, then give the new AI trade a spin,” said Spencer.They sat at the...

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The Best New Funny Short Stories

One thing that all humans have in common is the desire to laugh. In fact, laughter is probably one of the things that we crave the most. It’s why we spend so much time scrolling through Facebook memes, Twitter wars, and TikTok videos. It’s why those Vine compilations that we spend hours watching on Youtube claim to clear up acne and solve world conflicts — all because laughter is a medicine. 

However, we don’t all have the same sense of humor: what makes us chuckle isn’t universal. Comedy is injected into writing (whether it’s a novel, a screenplay, or a stand-up script) in a whole variety of ways, including satire, parody, and irony. And that’s where funny short stories come in! Unlike a two hour stand-up show you’re obligated to sit through, or a 300-page novel that keeps making you cringe, you can dip into as many funny short stories as you like — from cheesy rom-coms we can’t help but smile at, to dark comedy, where laughter disguises a deep feeling of anxiety — until you find something that makes you split your sides laughing. 

Looking for short stories to tickle your funny bone?

Every week, hundreds of short stories are submitted by Prompts users to Reedsy’s writing contest. On this page we’ve collected all the stories that made us crack a smile, so whether you’re looking for funny short stories for kids, or the kind that only grown-ups would understand, you’ll find what you’re looking for right here. A little tip from us to you: all the best stories — the ones that actually had us rolling on the floor laughing — are easily found right at the top of the page.  And if you'd like to read the best of the best entries from across 40+ genres, be sure to check out Prompted , our new literary magazine — there's a free copy waiting for you!

And don’t forget, if you’re a funny-boned author up for the challenge of making people laugh, you can join our weekly writing contest — you might just have the last laugh and walk away with a cash prize!

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How to write a laugh-out-loud funny story

Love to laugh? Always full of the giggles? Then why not try writing your own funny story. The hilarious Steven Butler shares his three steps to writing a rib-tickling tale.

I can’t think of anything more tummy-tickling than writing a funny story or two, especially when you’re on a break from school. As a lover of belly-bungling books, I fell in love with the hilarious likes of Roald Dahl , Jeremy Strong and Michael Rosen when I was a young bookaholic. That’s why I always try to keep my readers chuckling away like I did all those years ago, and here are a few of my tips for making your stories as laugh-out-loud as possible.

1. Think about what makes you giggle

Using your own sense of humour is a great way of getting just the right type of joke into your writing. Telling the story should be just as much fun as reading it, so my first rule for writing funny books is “If it doesn’t make me laugh, it doesn’t go on the page”.

2. Try to be unexpected

Nothing can reduce a reader into fits of howling laughter like the element of surprise. After all, why push the Queen off a bicycle when you can hook a rocket to the back of her frilly pants and launch her into the air like a geriatric, grey-haired firework?

3. Think about the language you’re using

Silly words are brilliant things and I recommend using them as much as you can. I will never forget the first time I read Roald Dahl’s description of Grandma in  George’s Marvellous Medicine . He could have just said she was ugly, but instead he wrote: “She had pale brown teeth and a small puckered up mouth like a dog’s bottom.” WONDERFUL STUFF!!

Now get out there and make your friends and family cackle like a pack of hyenas at the zoo. HAPPY WRITING!!

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• 30 novembre 2022
• Writing 2 : A funny story
• Anglais: 2ème BAC Sciences Humaines
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English: 2Bac (All Streams)

Unit 2 (humour) writing : a funny story, professeur : mme zaara asmae, i- sample story 1, ii- sample story 2, iii- practice.

Inspired from "HeadWay"

Inspired from "Just Reading and Writing"

Think about a funny incident that happened to you or you just attended, then fill in the chart below :

Now write your paragraphs :

These sentences may help you :

• One day / A few days ago
• While we were studying / walking
• I can never forget the day when
• Every body may have a funny story. Well, for me ...

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Cash-strapped Trump is now selling $60 Bibles, U.S. Constitution included

Rachel Treisman

Then-President Donald Trump holds up a Bible outside St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., during a controversial 2020 photo-op. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Then-President Donald Trump holds up a Bible outside St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., during a controversial 2020 photo-op.

Former President Donald Trump is bringing together church and state in a gilded package for his latest venture, a $60 "God Bless The USA" Bible complete with copies of the nation's founding documents.

Trump announced the launch of the leather-bound, large-print, King James Bible in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday — a day after the social media company surged in its trading debut and two days after a New York appeals court extended his bond deadline to comply with a ruling in a civil fraud case and slashed the bond amount by 61%.

"Happy Holy Week! Let's Make America Pray Again," Trump wrote. "As we lead into Good Friday and Easter, I encourage you to get a copy of the God Bless The USA Bible."

Consider This from NPR

Why trump's persecution narrative resonates with christian supporters.

The Bible is inspired by "God Bless the USA," the patriotic Lee Greenwood anthem that has been a fixture at many a Trump rally (and has a long political history dating back to Ronald Reagan). It is the only Bible endorsed by Trump as well as Greenwood, according to its promotional website .

The Bible is only available online and sells for $59.99 (considerably more expensive than the traditional Bibles sold at major retailers, or those available for free at many churches and hotels). It includes Greenwood's handwritten chorus of its titular song as well as copies of historical documents including the U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence and Pledge of Allegiance.

"Many of you have never read them and don't know the liberties and rights you have as Americans, and how you are being threatened to lose those rights," Trump said in a three-minute video advertisement.

"Religion and Christianity are the biggest things missing from this country, and I truly believe that we need to bring them back and we have to bring them back fast."

'You gotta be tough': White evangelicals remain enthusiastic about Donald Trump

Trump critics on both sides of the aisle quickly criticized the product, characterizing it as self-serving and hypocritical.

Conservative political commentator Charlie Sykes slammed him for "commodifying the Bible during Holy Week," while Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota critiqued him for "literally taking a holy book and selling it, and putting it out there in order to make money for his campaign."

Trump says the money isn't going to his campaign, but more on that below.

Klobuchar added that Trump's public attacks on others are "not consistent with the teachings of the Bible," calling this "one more moment of hypocrisy." Tara Setmayer, a senior adviser for anti-Trump Republican PAC the Lincoln Project, called it "blasphemous ."

And former Rep. Liz Cheney, a Republican from Wyoming, trolled Trump with a social media post alluding to his alleged extramarital affairs.

"Happy Holy Week, Donald," she wrote. "Instead of selling Bibles, you should probably buy one. And read it, including Exodus 20:14 ."

Christianity is an increasingly prominent part of his campaign

Trump has made a point of cultivating Christian supporters since his 2016 presidential campaign and remains popular with white evangelicals despite his multiple divorces, insults toward marginalized groups and allegations of extramarital affairs and sexual assault.

And his narrative of being persecuted — including in the courts — appears to resonate with his many Christian supporters.

Trump has increasingly embraced Christian nationalist ideas in public. He promised a convention of religious broadcasters last month that he would use a second term to defend Christian values from the "radical left," swearing that "no one will be touching the cross of Christ under the Trump administration."

He made similar comments in the Bible promotional video, in which he warned that "Christians are under siege" and the country is "going haywire" because it lost religion.

What to know about the debut of Trump's $399 golden, high-top sneakers

"We must defend God in the public square and not allow the media or the left-wing groups to silence, censor or discriminate against us," he said. "We have to bring Christianity back into our lives and back into what will be again a great nation."

Trump himself is not known to be particularly religious or a regular churchgoer. He long identified as Presbyterian but announced in 2020 that he identified as nondenominational .

A Pew Research Center survey released earlier this month found that most people with positive views of Trump don't see him as especially religious, but think he stands up for people with religious beliefs like their own.

Trump said in the promotional video that he has many Bibles at home.

"It's my favorite book," he said, echoing a comment he's made in previous years. "It's a lot of people's favorite book."

The Impact Of Christian Nationalism On American Democracy

Trump's relationship to the Bible has been a point of discussion and sometimes controversy over the years.

In 2020, amid protests over George Floyd's murder, he posed with a Bible outside a Washington, D.C., church, for which he was widely criticized. U.S. Park Police and National Guard troops had tear-gassed peaceful protesters in the area beforehand, seemingly to make way for the photo-op, though a watchdog report the following year determined otherwise .

That same year, a clip of a 2015 Bloomberg interview, in which Trump declines to name his favorite — or any — Bible verse resurfaced on social media and went viral.

Bible sales are unlikely to solve Trump's financial problems

An FAQ section on the Bible website says no profits will go to Trump's reelection campaign.

"GodBlessTheUSABible.com is not political and has nothing to do with any political campaign," it says.

However, the site adds that it uses Trump's name, likeness and image "under paid license from CIC Ventures LLC."

Trump is listed as the manager, president, secretary and treasurer of CIC Ventures LLC in a financial disclosure from last year.

Here's what happens if Trump can't pay his $454 million bond

Trump's sales pitch focuses on bringing religion back to America.

"I want to have a lot of people have it," he said at one point in the video. "You have to have it for your heart and for your soul."

But many are wondering whether Trump has something else to gain from Bible sales while facing under mounting financial pressure.

There's his presidential reelection campaign, which has raised only about half of what Biden's has so far this cycle. Trump acknowledged Monday that he "might" spend his own money on his campaign, something he hasn't done since 2016.

There's also his mounting legal expenses, as he faces four criminal indictments and numerous civil cases. Trump posted bond to support a $83.3 million jury award granted to writer E. Jean Carroll in a defamation case earlier this month, and was due to put up another $454 million in a civil fraud case this past Monday.

Trump is on the verge of a windfall of billions of dollars. Here are 3 things to know

His lawyers had said last week that they had approached 30 companies for help making bond, but doing so was a "practical impossibility" — prompting New York's attorney general to confirm that if Trump did not pay, she would move to seize his assets . On Monday, the appeals court reduced the bond amount to $175 million and gave Trump another 10 days to post it.

Trump has evidently been trying to raise money in other ways.

The day after the civil fraud judgment was announced, he debuted a line of $399 golden, high-top sneakers , which sold out in hours . The company behind his social media app, Truth Social, started trading on the Nasdaq exchange on Tuesday, which could deliver him a windfall of more than $3 billion — though he can't sell his shares for another six months.

• Donald J. Trump
• sales pitch
• Christianity

• PlayStation 5
• PlayStation VR2
• PlayStation 4
• PlayStation Store
• PlayStation Plus
• Portuguese (Br)
• Spanish (LatAm)
• Spanish (EU)
• Traditional Chinese

Stellar Blade demo arrives March 29

Get a taste of Shift Up’s sleek action adventure ahead of its April 26 PS5 release.

Greetings. This is Hyung Tae Kim, director of Stellar Blade . We are pleased to officially announce the upcoming free playable demo for Stellar Blade, coming March 29 to PlayStation 5.

The demo takes place from the very beginning of the game when Eve, a member of the 7 th Airborne Squad is sent to Earth on a mission to reclaim the planet from the Naytiba, up to the first boss fight. This first stage will include the tutorial phase to help you familiarize yourself with basic combat features as you explore post-war Eidos 7, a human city now infested by the Naytiba, giving you an early grasp of gameplay mechanics that will serve you throughout the game’s story.

We also have a little surprise included for players who complete the first stage.

From the smooth 60fps combat to the haptics, you’ll feel through the DualSense wireless controller, there are various charms of the game that you can only confidently appreciate through hands-on experience.

For those who complete the demo stage, you can carry over your save data when the full game releases on April 26, starting from the last checkpoint. Please note that save data must be stored on your PS5 system.

The Stellar Blade demo will be available starting Friday, March 29 from 7am PDT / 2pm GMT.

Alongside the demo, the full game will feature the following language options:

Voice Over: Korean, English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Latin Spanish.

Text: Korean, English (US), French, Italian, German, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Arabic, Turkish, Thai, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese.

We greatly appreciate your anticipation! Mark your calendar for April 26, and make sure not to miss the preorder bonuses. The time for humankind to reclaim Earth has nearly arrived.

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