I do believe that humor is important in travel writing. I think that everyone does enjoy a little humor while they are reading up on something important. It is always nice to put humor in all things, but it does have to be used at the right time and in the right context. I think it is hilarious to have someone write something tragic that happened, but then throw some humor in there to make people laugh and let the readers know everything was fine. Comic relief is very important in writing. It can make your piece more appealing to your readers and make them want to read even more of your travel writing log.
Some pros to having humor is that it can make your piece more appealing and get more people to read about your experience. If it is not used in the right context it could make some people angry with you though, so that is a con to having humor. Another pro to having humor is that people will have more drive to experience something that you experienced. You can make someone want to go travel to the places that you have been to see if they can see something you did. One more con with humor would be that if you make remarks about a certain country or place then that could turn some people off on your writing. Leave making fun of countries to the comedians.
Humor has always been an important aspect in my life. I always seek out humor in all situations no matter what it is. I am always a guy that tries to lighten a situation up by saying something funny and sometimes it does not work, but I am okay with it. As long as i try to make someone feel better or a group of people feel better about a situation I am happy. With travel writing you can make a lot of people travel to a certain place that those people feel skeptical about from the start. Using humor in travel writing is important and I think everyone should use it. I understand that some situations need to be taken seriously, but people do need to find humor in some things as well
Mike,
ReplyDeleteYou did a wonderful job of highlighting the pros and cons of humor. Though I believe that humor is everywhere, there are times that it may be inappropriate. I think that humor is something that is either part or who you are as a writer or not. If humor is part of your writing it will always be a part. Nice job!
I totally resonate with you in the fact that you use humor as a way of helping others. Laughing and smiling is great therapy and it is the best medicine, as cliche as that sounds. I, too, use humor as a way to make someone's day better, as well as making myself more personable to them. It allows them to be comfortable around me...or I hope that they feel that way!
ReplyDeleteMike, I liked how you tied comic relief into this humor blog. Many people often think of humor as jokes, but comic relief is a good thing to use in a story to show that the situation may have been unfavorable, but everything worked out to be ok. Also, I agree that humor can bring life to a story, which may encourage others to take a similar trip. I can relate to your blog because I try to bring humor into every situation. It can either brighten someone’s day or be a great ice breaker.
ReplyDeleteMike, your comments about using humor to lighten a situation make a lot of sense, and remind me of some of my favorite travel writers who are able to alleviate the tension in situations by poking fun at someone, often themselves...
ReplyDeleteI, too, try to find humor in almost all situations; even in the most serious or sad situations, there's always something to laugh or smile about. I think the key element to humor in travel writing is the approach, like you said, making fun of countries or cultures won't help with credibility, however self deprecating or satirical humor can really add to a piece.
ReplyDeleteMichael,
ReplyDeleteI think that you have provided nice insight on the pros and cons of humor within travel writing. I had not thought of the appeal factor. This would make readers want to continue to read and perhaps draw in more audiences. I do believe that with all humor, not just for travel writing, there are thin lines the comic/writer must walk. Overall, I think you did a nice job at showing both sides of the conversation.
Mike, Within travel writing, humor can be a powerful weapon. It can pull people into an article and keep their attention throughout. You have to be careful though! Saying the wrong thing could offend someone and cause problems. I liked how you incorporated humor into your writing. Nicely done.
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