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Reviewing humor means seeing humor through new eyes. One of the best
ways to review humor is to have someone else read it and then give you
his impressions of what’s working and what needs work, what’s
funny and what bombs.
It takes a mature writer to be able to handle feedback on a work-in-progress. However, once you’ve finished a solid draft, it’s time to put your comedy out there for others to read. How else will you begin to see it through new eyes?
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Ask someone you trust to read your humorous piece.
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On the first pass, have your reader underline the sections
she finds funny or original and draw squiggly lines under sections
that don’t seem to be working.
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Ask your reader to say back to you what happens in your humorous piece, joke by joke, without referencing the text. Take careful notes, especially when the reader’s memory or understanding falters. When a reader isn’t entertained, she will not remember what happened in your story.
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Ask your reader to read your humorous piece out loud, one section
at a time. Have the reader stop and describe the funny images
she sees while reading each section. Take copious notes. Sometimes
a good joke can be mined from your reader’s associations.
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Along with your reader, perform passages of your humorous piece
out loud, as if it were a play. Listen carefully for places
where the comedy zings and where it falls on its face. Repeat
the exercise, this time switching roles. Ask your reader to
underline the funniest parts and draw squiggly lines under parts
that need to be funnier.
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Ask your reader to read your humorous piece as if it weren’t funny. Where does the comedy get old or break down? Where is the piece lagging or unimaginative?
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