PRO NOTE for Writers: Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously. And Don’t Try To Be Funny Either.
Either one will submarine your writing.
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I mentioned it in this story last week.
When a writer takes himself too seriously, he spends a big portion of his writing time on the stats page, watching the number of reads, followers, and money earned. He may spend time comparing himself to other writers by whatever yardstick he uses. I’ve been there.
Of course, you understand that I would never recommend you stop practicing by writing daily, nor would I ever tell you to stop reading and gauging the directions and topics readers may be currently seeking. Do take those things seriously.
But it’s crazy to try to be funny. It’s like an old movie where actors use a pretend accent sounding the way they imagine it would sound, but it comes out sounding artificial and overdone.
The reason for trying to be funny is unknown to me. My writing, and in fact my general conversational style, is anything but serious. Some of my stories, even though I don’t consciously try to be funny, do tend to come out light-hearted, maybe not as naturally hilarious as Kristen Stark, but, sometimes, vaguely amusing around the edges.
As a result, some of my stories, I dearly love, and feel will have people chuckling, instead leave only the sound of crickets. They get no views and even fewer reads. I can only imagine, if the mood were feigned and contrived, it would meet with even less approval. It just seems that Medium may not the place for my type of quasi-humor. So I try my best to try to tell my jokes on my own time. After I have clocked out. But you be you.
So, except for too serious and too non-serious, get back to work!
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Don’s a keen observer and prolific reporter of truth, common sense, humor, & life. He’s a WRITER and humorist, sometimes serious, sometimes tongue-in-cheek. He lives in Nashville, TN. He publishes every weekday morning. If you liked this stuff, upgrade to FREE direct delivery to your mailbox by subscribing HERE! You can quit anytime you become nauseous.
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