Why did you join this forum?

[Eleanor Tylbor]

Perhaps a discussion would be interesting and revealing focusing on the reason why people joined Ha! Humor Writers. Why did YOU join, anyway?

[Kent Richards]

I joined Ha! Humor to possibly find something that has been missing in my writing. I see humor in almost all things around me, but I have to work extremely hard to craft words to the funny side of the situation. I edit and re-edit the most simple sentences a hundred times. No strike that. I attempt to edit and. No, that doesn't sound right either. Well, you know what I mean....

[Eleanor Tylbor]

"I edit and re-edit the most simple sentences a hundred times..."

Only a mere one hundred times? Ha! That's nothing! I have edited a lot of my writing output thousands of times! I mean, a sentence is merely a collection of words that is waiting for someone to re-arrange it.

Wow! That is really good, especially for a Monday morning!

Actually, perhaps that should read: A sentence is a collection of words...

No...

Make that: A sentence is composed of words...

Wait - how's this: Words and sentences are thoughts waiting to be explored...

See what I mean? It's a never-ending obsession for writers!

Now what was the question already?

[Kirk Otto]

I joined to learn, and to corroborate. And for validation (hint-hint).

[Eleanor Tylbor]

Validation in as far as ? Your humor output? So post a sample piece so we can see the type of stuff you write. How 'bout it?

[Kirk Otto]

Yes, my humor output. I did post, in my blog. Is that not the right place for it?

Thanks for the reply Eleanor!

[Jess G]

I like funny people... their funny.

[Eleanor Tylbor]

Hi Henry a.k.a. Moon,

Had any amusing planetary experiences lately? No seriously... Actually, not so seriously being that this is a humor forum, great to have another person of the funny type here. We need all the help we can get... Of course I meant the more - the merrier!

Eleanor

[Will Cantrell]

I stumbled in here quite by accident. (I also banged up my knee on my way to the ground. It was a hard landing.) That I found you guys by accident is amazing because just like aliens, it looks like you've been here all along, I just didn't know about you. There you were---- hidin' in plain sight.

Anyway, since I haven't made a plug nickel* for any of my works, I refer to myself as being an aspiring humor writer. I guess that I will be an aspiring until I get paid for doing it on a regular basis (Kind of like prostitution, I guess. Until its your regular source of income , its aspiring “...just a little cash exchange between new friends”. Its not the same thing as being a honest to goodness, straight up ho---i.e. “will be funny for money”. ) I also figure that almost everybody else here is funnier and more successful than me at humor writing so I also figure to learn SOMETHING.

Lastly Dave Barry, George Waters and a few others have stolen my job and I am here to launch my efforts to get it back!!!

*Now there's a term you don't hear much anymore. Good!

[Eleanor Tylbor]

Hi Will (Eleanor waves)!

You wrote: " I also figure that almost everybody else here is funnier and more successful than me at humor writing."

Funnier is subjective. Some people might (and frequently do) refer to us as weird and successful is also in the eyes of the beholder. Let's be candid here: humor is a hard sell. The late Erma Bombeck was lucky and talented for sure, to write a column at a time when slice-of-life humor columns were appeciated by newspaper readers. Times change and this is most obvious given the current precarious state of newspapers in general with many closing shop. Any aspiring humor write, IMHO, should specialize in a particular non-fiction topic i.e. mechanics, gardening, etc. and add generous dollups (just love that word "I'll take a dollup of whipped cream on my pie, waiter!") of humor. It's easier to sell your topic if you can grab your reader's attention and make your writing memorable. Just a suggestion.

The fact that you found this forum is lucky given the amount of publicity and promotion that it gets. Be that as it may, maybe if members and we funny people actually communicate, things could change. Can't hurt. Right?