如何讓你的寫作更幽默 - 切里·斯坦克爾納：英語精讀講義

Did you ever notice how many jokes start with did you ever notice? 表達脈絡

你有沒有注意到，有多少笑話是以「你有沒有注意到」開頭的？

And what's the deal with what's the deal? 片語搭配

還有，「到底是怎麼回事」到底是怎麼回事？

There's a lot of funny to be found

其實有很多有趣的事情可以被發現，

by simply noticing the ordinary everyday things you don't ordinarily notice everyday. 表達脈絡

只要留意那些你平時不會每天注意的尋常事物。

So if you'd like to add a little humor to that story or speech or screenplay you're writing,

所以，如果你想為你正在寫的那個故事、演講或劇本增添一點幽默，

here are a few tips and tricks for finding the funny. 用詞

這裡有一些尋找笑點的技巧和竅門。

All great storytelling,

所有精彩的故事講述，

including comedy writing,

包括喜劇寫作在內，

consists of a handful of basic ingredients. 片語搭配

都由幾個基本要素組成。

Who, what, when, where, 表達脈絡

人物、事件、時間、地點、

why, and how.

原因和方式（5W1H）。

Writers have been asking these questions since at least the first century BC,

至少從公元前一世紀開始，作家們就一直在問這些問題，

yet none can be answered with a simple yes or no. 表達脈絡

然而沒有一個能用簡單的「是」或「否」來回答。

They demand details,

它們需要細節，

and the more specific the details, 文法

細節越具體，

the funnier the story.

故事就越好笑。

Let's start with the who,

讓我們從「人物」開始，

the comedic character.

即喜劇角色。

Think about the books, TV shows and movies that make you laugh.

想想那些讓你發笑的書籍、電視節目和電影。

They're usually filled with funny types or archetypes.

它們通常充滿了有趣的類型或原型。

The know-it-all, the lovable loser,

萬事通、可愛的失敗者、

the bad boss, the neurotic, the airhead.

壞老闆、神經質、傻瓜。

Incidentally, these are all stock characters 用詞

順帶一提，這些都是定型角色，

found in commedia dell'arte 文化背景

源自義大利的即興喜劇，

or the artists' comedy of late Renaissance Italy,

也就是義大利文藝復興晚期的藝術家喜劇，

and they have yet to get old. 片語搭配

而且它們至今都沒有過時。

The commedia rule for creating comic characters

即興喜劇創造喜劇角色的法則是

is find the flaw,

找出缺點，

then play it up. 片語動詞

然後放大它。

Or you can try playing with opposites.

或者你可以嘗試玩反差。

When the smartest guy in the room does the stupidest thing 表達脈絡

當房間裡最聰明的人做了最愚蠢的事，

or the doofus outwits the brainiac,

或者笨蛋智勝了天才時，

we tend to laugh because

我們往往會笑，因為

we didn't see that coming. 慣用語

我們沒料到會這樣。

Ancient Greek funnyman Aristotle

古希臘的幽默大師亞里斯多德

is said to have said, 文法

據說曾經說過，

"The secret to humor is surprise." 文法

「幽默的秘訣就是驚喜。」

This surprise or incongruity theory of humor

這種幽默的驚喜或不協調理論

says we laugh at things that seem out of place 片語搭配

認為我們會對那些顯得格格不入

or run up against our expectations, 片語動詞

或與我們期望相反的事物發笑，

like a frog dating a pig

比如一隻青蛙和一頭豬約會，

or a lizard selling insurance,

或是蜥蜴賣保險，

a baby disco dancing,

一個嬰兒跳迪斯可，

a nun disco dancing,

一個修女跳迪斯可，

a cat disco dancing.

一隻貓跳迪斯可。

Actually,

實際上，

a baby, a nun, or a cat

一個嬰兒、一個修女或一隻貓

doing pretty much anything,

做幾乎任何事，

especially involving disco.

尤其是涉及迪斯可的，都會讓人發笑。

One fun way to find incongruities

發現不協調感的一個有趣的方法

is by drawing connections, 表達脈絡

是建立連結，

actually drawing them with a mind map.

實際上就是用心智圖畫出它們。

Start small.

從小處開始。

Pick a word.

挑一個詞。

I choose pickle.

我選「酸黃瓜」。

Jot it down,

把它寫下來，

then quick as you can,

然後以最快的速度，

try making connections.

嘗試建立連結。

What do pickles make me think of? 片語搭配

酸黃瓜讓我想到什麼？

Who eats pickles?

誰吃酸黃瓜？

What treasured pickle memories do I have from childhood?

我童年有哪些關於酸黃瓜的珍貴回憶？

Another great way to generate comedic material

另一個產生喜劇素材的好方法

is to shift from observation 片語搭配

是從觀察

to imagination.

轉向想像。

Try going from what is 表達脈絡

嘗試從「是什麼」

to what if.

變成「如果怎樣」。

Like, what if,

比如，如果

instead of a horse, for example,

沒有馬，

you just had a pair of coconuts?

你只有兩個椰子會怎樣？

Okay, let's think of some other memorable moments

好了，讓我們想一些其他令人難忘的時刻，

in history, literature, or film.

在歷史、文學或電影中。

Now, what if they featured coconuts?

現在，如果裡面出現了椰子會怎樣？

Get wild.

盡情發揮吧。

Let it go. 慣用語

順其自然。

Even if an idea seems overdone 文法

即使一個想法看起來已經被用爛了，

or too obvious

或者太顯而易見，

or just plain dumb,

或者純粹就是愚蠢，

try jotting it down anyway.

無論如何也試著把它寫下來。

What's obvious to you

對你來說顯而易見的東西

may not be to the next person. 文法

對下一個人來說可能並非如此。

And the opposite of the dumbest idea

而最愚蠢的想法的反面

might just turn out to be the smartest. 片語動詞

也許剛好是最聰明的。

What about all that dumb stuff that happens in real life?

現實生活中發生的那些蠢事又如何呢？

Have you ever noticed how much comedy

你有沒有注意到有多少喜劇

revolves around things that irritate, frustrate, and humiliate us? 片語搭配

圍繞著那些激怒我們、讓我們沮喪和難堪的事情展開？

Will Rogers said,

威爾·羅傑斯說過，

"Everything's funny as long as it happens to somebody else." 文法

「只要是發生在別人身上，任何事都是好笑的。」

So if you're having a crummy morning, 用詞

所以如果你度過了一個糟糕的早晨，

imagine it happening to a character you're writing about,

想像它發生在你正在寫的角色身上，

and by afternoon,

到了下午，

you may at least get a funny story out of it. 片語搭配

你也許至少能從中得出一個有趣的故事。

Once you've got your characters and story,

一旦你有了角色和故事，

here are a few quick and easy comedy writing tricks

這裡有幾個快速簡單的喜劇寫作技巧

to make them zing. 用詞

能讓它們更有活力。

The rule of three, 表達脈絡

「三的法則」，

or zig, zig, zag.

或是「順，順，轉」。

Try setting up an expected pattern, 表達脈絡

嘗試建立一個預期的模式，

zig, zig,

順，順，

then flip it,

然後反轉它，

zag.

轉。

A rabbi, a priest, and a coconut walk into a bar. 文化背景

一個拉比、一個牧師和一個椰子走進了一家酒吧。

The punchline rule says

拋梗法則說

put your punch at the end of the line. 表達脈絡

把你的包袱放在一句話的最後。

A rabbi, a priest, and a coconut walk into a disco.

一個拉比、一個牧師和一個椰子走進了一家迪斯可舞廳。

That brings up the rule of K.

這就引出了「K音法則」。

For some reason,

出於某種原因，

words with a k-sound catch our ears 文化背景

帶有k音的單字很吸引我們的耳朵，

and are considered comical.

並被認為具有喜劇效果。

Coconut,

椰子（Coconut），

disco,

迪斯可（disco），

pickles.

酸黃瓜（pickles）。

Crickets? 慣用語

蟋蟀（Crickets）？

Okay,

好吧，

so we don't always get the laugh.

我們並不總是能惹人發笑。

Humor is subjective.

幽默是主觀的。

Comedy is trial and error.

喜劇就是不斷試錯。

Writing is rewriting. 表達脈絡

寫作就是不斷重寫。

Just keep trying.

堅持嘗試就好。

Find the flaws,

找出缺點，

discover the details,

發現細節，

insert incongruities,

插入不協調感，

incorporate k-words,

融入含k音的詞，

and remember the most important rule of writing funny.

並且記住喜劇寫作最重要的一條法則。

Have fun.

玩得開心。

As Charles Dickens said,

正如查爾斯·狄更斯所說，

"There is nothing in the world

「世界上沒有任何東西

so irresistibly contagious 文法

能像笑聲和幽默一樣

as laughter and good humor."

具有如此不可抗拒的傳染力。」

And disco. 表達脈絡

還有迪斯可。