Humor is powerful. Laughter is strong. Most of the acts within the twenty-act performance contained humor and I felt that it made the stories more engaging, and frankly, more enjoyable. I often times resort to writing about emotional, powerful, and deeply meaningful pieces because of my interest in them and the strength that I believe I have in writing deeper stories. After listening to the 20 acts, I found that the humorous ones made me feel happier and warmer inside, a feeling different from that I usually feel when writing. After listening to the 20 acts I decided that humor might be a better approach to take when writing my final story.
In addition to the humor, I loved the open, interpretable dialogue in certain acts, specifically act ten. It allowed me to fill in the lines that I wanted and to create different scenes that my imagination formulated. I was able to think back to the times when I had arguments such as those and how general and universal that type of argument is. It felt relatable because many people argue, and although arguments are often times so different, they always contain the same types of questions, the same types of statements, and the same types of exclamations. The act emphasized different tones of voice, expression, and exclamation, and how important these aspects are within a conversation. It showed how the words themselves, although important, are not what bring meaning to an argument; it is the way the words are spoken. Listening to this act showed me how I can use my tone and attitude to really convey what I am feeling or how I want the audience to feel.
I completely agree with you about how the acts that involved humor were the ones that stood out to me the most. I also considered going the humorous route, but then I would have to choose a completely different subject which is not something I want to do. The ones with the strong tones of voice and expression also resonated with me as well. I think when someone tells a story and they seem confident and passionate about it, it makes you believe them whole-heartedly as well. I think it's very interesting that the same things stood out to the both of us. I'm excited to see how you interpret it into your story!
ReplyDeleteI agree that many of the 20 Acts in 60 Minutes used humor to effectively tell stories. Humor can be tricky. It is difficult to please a varied audience because you don’t know how they will perceive your jokes. Will they be offended? Will they laugh? Will they sit in silence? I think using situations and topics that people can relate to and adding a humorous twist is a great way to create a captivating piece, and agree that This American Life does a great job doing this. I too found the humorous acts to make me feel happy and enjoyed listening to them.
ReplyDeleteI think everyone appreciates the humor in a story, even if it's subtle. I think most of the stories were funny because of the personality in the telling of the story. Nothing was outward, the reader wasn't laughing, but we could all hear the lightness in the stories with humor. I think you shouldn't stray too far from your story to add humor; I believe it will come naturally. This can all be done with your tone and would be something really interesting to listen to.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed all of the humorous stories. even if I couldn't personally relate to the story, if it was funny I liked it. I also liked the other stories, such as "No, of Course I Know You" where the speaker drew me in by connecting his emotions with his tone. I think any kind of story you tell can capture the audience's attention either through humor or emotional connection.
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