To do great writing, read great writing. Here’s the great writing I’ve been reading this week:
All of my life, I’ve been accused of being too serious. I think it has to do with being the oldest of five – all those younger siblings to help take care of as I was growing up.
I like to think I have a good sense of humor. Translating that into print is a whole different story. It’s why I appreciate writers who can be funny, because it’s so much harder than it looks.
Maybe because I’ve been thinking this lately, or because it’s a Friday and I’ve finished all the work that was due today and I’m ready to kick back, my recommended reading for this week is about being funny.
I’m Comic Sans, Asshole – McSweeney’s runs a regular column called Short Imagined Monologues where the writer assumes the persona of some real or fictitious character to expound on a particular point. This week’s installment from designer/writer Mike Lacher, will make the font fanatic in you smile. (Warning: language may not be suitable for work.)
What it’s like to own an Apple product – Great writing sometimes involves a lot of pictures and a little writing. The Oatmeal, cartoonist Matthew Inman’s website, is a case in point. A friend turned me on to The Oatmeal a couple months ago and I was immediately hooked. My all-time favorite: How a Web Design Goes Straight to Hell.
Burkas and Birkins, I Watched 146 Minutes of Sex and the City 2 and All I Got Was This Religious Fundamentalism – Lindy West’s review of SATC2 in The Stranger, Seattle’s alt-weekly, is dead on, hilarious and also NSFW. Here’s my own much tamer SATC2 review, at SecondAct.com, the new site for people over 40.
Finally a shout out to three writer/bloggers from the 2010 WordCount Blogathon who managed to be funny on a daily basis for an month:
I Hate My Message Board – Tracy O’Connor’s blog, which Writer’s Digest included in its top 10 websites for writers in 2009, gets bonus points for the kooky pictures she uses to illustrate posts.
Two Hands and a Road Map – Tara Phillip is so good, even her About Me page is funny.
East Coast Musings – Parenting blogs aren’t my thing, but I make an exception for Rachel Vidoni because she’s like that friend who always says exactly what’s on her mind and its always hilarious.
Michelle, thanks so much for including me! I don’t think you’re too serious. In fact, during the blogathon I was envious of people like you, who were able to put real, useful content up on their blogs, while I fumbled around with self deprecation and caulk jokes.
I already read Tracy and Rachel, and I can’t wait to check out the others.
These are fantastic. Even though I already have plenty of ways to procrastinate, I’m happy to have a few more.