A guide to satire and humour in writing:

Words to tickle the readers’ fancy

Gaston De ROSAYRO

Any publication that lacks a light-hearted column would be tantamount to a cocktail party serving only saruwath. Most discerning editors and publishers worthy of their titles are perspicacious enough to realise this. What they should actually be looking for is the type of writing that educates and entertains while allowing the reader some escape from the harsh realities of a stressful world.

As a lecturer in English journalism I have been asked by students attending advanced courses to explain the subtle art of satire and humour writing. If I had the facility answer the question with expert competence I would indeed be awarded the Nobel Prize in literature and the Pulitzer as well. There are no absolutes no sure-fire methods to ensure successful humour writing or any writing for that matter.

It is extremely difficult to teach the discipline of writing in a classroom or lecture hall. All one could do is provide the basic guidelines. The only method to teach the subject effectively is by example. That doesn’t mean you have to read my satire compendium titled The Serendib Spirit. Although I must concede that doing so might give you some useful tips on the genre itself.

As a writer and author on a disparate range of subjects I have always tried to sprinkle a dash of mirth into my writing to excite amusement. Even when taking on the role of biographer, political analyst, or essayist – all regarded as serious subjects - I generally sneak a bit of humour into my writing. My aim is to make them lower their guard a notch or two and enjoy more the article they are reading. I always aim for a tone of life truth as I find that humour exists in most situations. To omit it totally seems incorrect. I am a firm believer in the school of thought that a sense of humour signifies emotional maturity.

Even in the most depressing and uncertain times few offerings are more precious than a sense of humour crafted with an underlying serious message. All the same, the medium and message must strive to enable readers to appreciate it in the proper perspective. In any type of writing the purpose is to communicate. In humour writing I would suggest being more informal in reciting the narrative. That’s because it has to be creatively simple rather than making it an elaborate technical process.

First of all one must attempt to develop a style and use of language to make your writing more readable. And more, to hold the reader’s interest. Another often asked question is where I find the material for such satire. You don’t have to look far. Because you will soon realize that there is humour everywhere. It is there in most given situations, even in the seemingly mundane.

So the best way to start is to begin dealing with the simple things in everyday life. It is easier to deal with the simple things in everyday life while studying closely the foibles and idiosyncrasies of people around you. While doing so it would be a good thing to look inwards and so identify and laugh at your own quirks.

In depressing and uncertain times, few offerings are more precious than a sense of humour. In politically contentious times, few skills are more relevant than the art of satire and the understated art of wordplay and subtle storytelling technique. In the context of political, economic, and social concerns anywhere, paradox, humour and intuition would seem the ultimate catalyst to provoke creative thinking. Much of my humour writing is based on true experiences.

But I must admit that some of it may have been given a minuscule stretch of the imagination to make them more entertaining. That is because it is the nature of language use to sometimes create humorous juxtapositions, ironies, or satires of some type to get the message across with an effective punch.

Tom Kennedy a former colleague who worked with me on several regional newspapers, was also a veteran writer for Life Magazine. I invited him as a guest lecturer to address my university students.

He devised what he termed his own law: “Always grab the reader by the throat and hold him there until the tag line.” In other words what he stressed was that the writer must get the attention of the reader and hold it consistently to the very end. Also the writer is exhorted to inject some punch and some dash as he describes the events without cluttering up the sequence.

I am a firm believer in the school of thought that a sense of humour signifies emotional maturity. Not everyone is gifted with the understanding of the hidden implication in innuendo or double entendre. It may also simply be that some individuals never learned to value the funny side of most situations to any extent. It would be impossible, however, to find someone who is totally bereft of any sense of humour at all. To be generally humourless is to be brain dead or an extremely negative person.

One must also develop a flair for crafting breezy and involving narrative and willingness to look on the brighter side of things with malice to none.

After all laughter is a weapon as well as a form of therapy to help preserve both our health and sanity.

There are many among us who all too often take themselves extremely seriously. But as some pundit once sagaciously suggested: “Humour is too important to be taken seriously.” We Sri Lankans have one precious universal trait. That trait is our humour. This national and indigenous capacity for humour has touched and illumined the basic spirit and fountainhead of Sri Lankan life.

Above all in humour writing it is essential to combine your efforts with a slightly different treatment by peppering them with a few spicy ingredients. Your primary purpose is to offer your readers a blending of charm, wit and entertainment. In essence once you earn the admiration and applause of your readers you derive an inexplicable sense of satisfaction. The knowledge that you can bring on even a wry smile from a single reader is as good a reward as any. Better still if you are capable of offering something that allows the readers to escape, relax, smile and even laugh out loud.

After all tickling your readers’ fancy can be the most therapeutic form of satisfaction for any writer!