Studio Blog
Welcome to the Demand Studios Blog – a resource for writers, contributors and freelancers alike! Come here for answers to your questions, Studio news, writing tips and more.
The Curious Case of Lifestyle Articles
Although they might not seem too difficult to conquer at first glance, "lifestyle" articles take extra effort to polish up and need a lot of tender loving care to remain relevant and credible. To write a good lifestyle article, we first need to define what we mean by "lifestyle." A lifestyle article refers to articles regarding things such as social etiquette, cultural awareness, self-help, relationships, family life and more. Examples might include "How To Make a Decision Without Thinking Twice," or "Dealing With Interracial Dating."
Lifestyle articles usually tread on dangerous grounds of rejection by copy editors, usually because a writer applies personal, fluff or filler advice instead of maturely researching the topic, referencing studies and providing concrete and doable steps. Remember, you are not writing in your personal blog or giving advice to a friend over coffee, so refrain from off-the-cuff writing that will make your article seem amateurish.
To get an idea of what is expected of this type of article, we have provided an example by a Demand Studios writer with permission. Please let us know if you have questions by leaving a comment in this post or contacting us through our "Contact Us" form.
-Liana
How to Tell Good Jokes
By Aaron Reynolds
Having a sense of humor is a very admirable trait. People enjoy having friends who make them laugh, and the opposite sex is attracted to a good sense of humor. Like anything, some people are born naturally gifted at telling good jokes, while others struggle to find the right punchline. If you find comedy difficult, practicing and understanding what makes a good joke will vastly improve your sense of humor and allow you to be the star of a dinner or party. Instructions
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging Things You'll Need:
Step 1:
Find your style. You may never be a successful stand-up comedian, but if you want to truly be funny, then it’s important to identify your style. Watch all the great comedians. They all have their own unique style and brand of comedy--slapstick, situational, political, cynical, raunchy, etc. Discover whatever works best for you and stick to it. Find people and comedians you laugh at more than others and contemplate in your head what makes them funny (see Resources below).
Step 2:
Find the content. Do you enjoy stressing details in a long story or do you prefer quick one-liners? Do you enjoy making fun of yourself or events you have witnessed? Do you like talking about passions or pet peeves? Do you like sharing stories about friends or the opposite sex? Love situations and other personal situations are easy for people to relate to and are perfect for comedy. Choose content that makes you laugh.
Step 3:
Find your audience. What type of audience do you enjoy presenting your jokes to? There’s a gigantic difference between the content of jokes designed for little kids and the content designed for adults. Comedy is drama in disguise. If you know how to tell good stories, chances are you know how to tell good jokes. Jokes require the same rollercoaster ride of a plot that stories do. A key point in good story- and joke-telling is understanding your audience.
Step 4:
Deliver the joke. There are many different ways to tell the same joke. The punchline, obviously, first and foremost has to be great. But how do you get from point "A" to point "B"? Do you deliver the joke loud and controversial or soft and unsure? The delivery of your joke, mixed with posture, hand movements and body language can make a joke work told one way and not work told another way. According to David Trottier, author of such books as "The Screenwriting Bible," advises to use comedy “by taking an unusual point of view through use of exaggeration, deception, overstatement, understatement, contrast, parody, a ridiculous point of view or obsessions.”
Step 5:
Stick with what works. Just as a basketball player needs a go-to move in the clutch, so does a comedian. Make note of the jokes that really make people laugh and save them for opportune moments. Whether you save it for last or open up your act with your best joke is up to you. But make sure you use your best. And last but not least, never be afraid to change up your material every once in awhile.
Tips & Warnings
* Not every joke you write will make people laugh--that's OK, it happens to the best comedians all the time.
Lifestyle articles usually tread on dangerous grounds of rejection by copy editors, usually because a writer applies personal, fluff or filler advice instead of maturely researching the topic, referencing studies and providing concrete and doable steps. Remember, you are not writing in your personal blog or giving advice to a friend over coffee, so refrain from off-the-cuff writing that will make your article seem amateurish.
To get an idea of what is expected of this type of article, we have provided an example by a Demand Studios writer with permission. Please let us know if you have questions by leaving a comment in this post or contacting us through our "Contact Us" form.
-Liana
How to Tell Good Jokes
By Aaron Reynolds
Having a sense of humor is a very admirable trait. People enjoy having friends who make them laugh, and the opposite sex is attracted to a good sense of humor. Like anything, some people are born naturally gifted at telling good jokes, while others struggle to find the right punchline. If you find comedy difficult, practicing and understanding what makes a good joke will vastly improve your sense of humor and allow you to be the star of a dinner or party. Instructions
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging Things You'll Need:
Step 1:
Find your style. You may never be a successful stand-up comedian, but if you want to truly be funny, then it’s important to identify your style. Watch all the great comedians. They all have their own unique style and brand of comedy--slapstick, situational, political, cynical, raunchy, etc. Discover whatever works best for you and stick to it. Find people and comedians you laugh at more than others and contemplate in your head what makes them funny (see Resources below).
Step 2:
Find the content. Do you enjoy stressing details in a long story or do you prefer quick one-liners? Do you enjoy making fun of yourself or events you have witnessed? Do you like talking about passions or pet peeves? Do you like sharing stories about friends or the opposite sex? Love situations and other personal situations are easy for people to relate to and are perfect for comedy. Choose content that makes you laugh.
Step 3:
Find your audience. What type of audience do you enjoy presenting your jokes to? There’s a gigantic difference between the content of jokes designed for little kids and the content designed for adults. Comedy is drama in disguise. If you know how to tell good stories, chances are you know how to tell good jokes. Jokes require the same rollercoaster ride of a plot that stories do. A key point in good story- and joke-telling is understanding your audience.
Step 4:
Deliver the joke. There are many different ways to tell the same joke. The punchline, obviously, first and foremost has to be great. But how do you get from point "A" to point "B"? Do you deliver the joke loud and controversial or soft and unsure? The delivery of your joke, mixed with posture, hand movements and body language can make a joke work told one way and not work told another way. According to David Trottier, author of such books as "The Screenwriting Bible," advises to use comedy “by taking an unusual point of view through use of exaggeration, deception, overstatement, understatement, contrast, parody, a ridiculous point of view or obsessions.”
Step 5:
Stick with what works. Just as a basketball player needs a go-to move in the clutch, so does a comedian. Make note of the jokes that really make people laugh and save them for opportune moments. Whether you save it for last or open up your act with your best joke is up to you. But make sure you use your best. And last but not least, never be afraid to change up your material every once in awhile.
Tips & Warnings
* Not every joke you write will make people laugh--that's OK, it happens to the best comedians all the time.
