Humor writers reveal secrets to crafting funny stories

The tone at the Manila International Literary Festival was rather scholarly and serious when it opened, with Resil Mojares asking and answering that difficult question in his keynote speech: “Where in the world is the Filipino writer?" It ended, however, on a much lighter note when writers Bebang Siy and Jun Balde took the floor at the Humor Writing forum, which was held on the last day of the festival. The announcement that supposed panelists RJ Ledesma and Jessica Zafra suddenly could not make it to the forum was quite a letdown, but the comedic tandem of Siy and Balde picked the mood right up and held the audience’s attention right to the very end. Balde opened by sharing the funny and inspiring story of his writing career, which was put on hold for 33 years during his stint as a construction engineer. He got into it again with a bang when, after taking an early retirement, he started writing again and ended up taking home a slew of big literary awards for his works.

At the Manila International Literary Festival, Jun Balde and Bebang Siy said we have an innate need to laugh. Amanda T. Lago

Among the honors he bagged are three National Book Awards, and of course, the most-coveted Palanca. “Patunay lang ito na walang huli sa pagsusulat (This just proves that it's never too late to start writing)," he quipped. He then proceeded with the question, “May sistema ba sa pagpapatawa? (Is there a system to making people laugh?)", which he eventually answered with a resounding “yes." It all starts with choosing the appropriate language, he said, demonstrating the difference between using English and Filipino when he recited his own poem in the original Filipino, and in an English translation. He then continued by suggesting a number of considerations when writing humor, such as truth (albeit a twisted version), absurdity, exaggeration, inappropriateness, and misplaced endings—all of which, when used correctly, can contribute to making a story funny. He then turned over the mic to his co-panelist and sometime protégé. “Meron tayong innate na need para tumawa (We have an innate need to laugh)," said Siy, highlighting the importance of humor writing. She then energetically proceeded with her “Top Ten Tips sa Pagpapatawa (Top Ten Tips in Making Others Laugh)." First, Siy said, “magpatawa lang kung kumportable sa sariling mistakes at imperfections (Make people laugh only when you feel comfortable with your own mistakes and imperfections)." She then said that humor writers must also “respect the basics," referring to writing basics, and reminded the participants of the importance of using humor as a means to transmit a message. “Kung wala kang mensahe, 'wag ka nang magpatawa. 'Wag ka na ring magsulat (If you don't have anything to say, don't try to be funny. Don't even try to write)," she said in a friendly tone that didn’t quite match her slightly threatening message. Humor is culture-dependent, shared Siy, which is why she highlighted the importance of being sensitive to one’s audience. Unpredictability is also healthy for humor, she said, giving the example of the wildly popular sosyal Inday archetype. She also encouraged trying a number of approaches, such as situational comedy, dark comedy, spoof, satire and parody. Mixing humor with other styles, such as erotica, horror, drama, anything that the writer’s imagination can dream up, may also be done, she said. Siy then continued by highlighting the use of wordplay and having fun with language, whether in English or Filipino. She even gave the green light for recycling jokes! Finally, Siy ended the forum with a simple piece of wisdom: “Ilabas mo (Bring it out)," she said, encouraging young writers to self-publish, and share their work on blogs, writing groups, and workshops. “Huwag tatanggap ng rejection! (Don't accept rejection!)" — KG/ELR, GMA News