Tag Archives: humor writing

Escapism Is Not a Bad Thing

j0309600A few years ago, when I was in my master degree program for creative writing in Sydney, I was telling a friend that sometimes it’s hard to take my work seriously enough to put in the long hours necessary to find success.

“My sister helps kids walk,” I told my friend, Nic, a nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Randwick Children’s Hospital. “I write romances.” I made a face. “It’s hard to think of myself as helping the world be a better place.”

“But you are helping,” Nic insisted. “When I lose a patient at work, forgetting about it for a little while in the pages of a book is exactly what I need.”

Honestly, I hadn’t thought about it that way until Nic said it. But that’s what I do; when life is getting to be too much, all I want is a little down time with a good book. I want a story that will make me laugh or gasp or in any way take my mind off my own troubles.

Nic put me on the road to having the right attitude about being a writer of silly stories. Silly is exactly what people need sometimes. I mean, really, why else do I love reading about a wizard in Chicago battling the forces of evil? (I love you, Jim Butcher! In a purely platonic and professional way, of course. 😉 )

I write about superheroes because I love stories of good versus evil. I write romantic stories because I believe that love is the answer to everything. And I write things that make me laugh because I love to laugh! And I love to make other people laugh!

So thanks, Nic, for helping me to see that my job is important. I take my silly stories more seriously since talking to you that night. Now I’m focused on making sure I become the best escape artist I can be – to help you and everyone else who needs a little break now and then. 😉

I Miss Erma and I’ll Miss Nora, Too

It’s been almost a month since Nora Ephron died, but I still think about her. I loved some of the movies she made – Sleepless in Seattle is arguably my all-time favorite movie – but I didn’t realize she was an essayist and humorist, too. I have to go find and read some more of her work.

Meryl Streep said of Nora that she always looked at situations and asked herself how she could make it more fun. I think that’s a wonderful way to write – and to live. That’s what I want to do with my stories.

When reading that article about Nora, I saw things that I want to emulate in my life, like writing about everyday things with humor. (How do you write about cabbage with humor, Nora? I’ll have to read that one.) I write stuff like that in everyday emails to my friends and in Facebook posts. I should really do more on-purpose humor writing to make people laugh or feel connected. It’s something I’ve always loved, thanks to Erma Bombeck. Erma is another writer whose words and wisdom have stayed with me ever since I read her as a kid. (I read her newspaper columns over my mom’s shoulder.)  Because of Erma, I burn up my pretty candles rather than letting them melt in the safety of the storage unit. 🙂

From http://www.stockfreeimages.com/

At the end of the article about Nora’s life and death, the writer says Nora concluded a collection of her writing, “I Remember Nothing,” with two lists – one of things she wouldn’t miss when she died, and one of things she would. I love that idea so much that I’m going to start those lists right now. I’ll post them over the next two days.

What about you? Have you made lists like this? I think it’s the sort of thing that helps you remember what’s important to you while you’re alive. It’s a way to get closer to living with no regrets. And that’s something that really appeals to me. 🙂