I’ve often grumped that I don’t do photos, because I’m a words guy. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but not the words I want. (For one thing, as a humor columnist, I like to toss in the occasional booger joke, but I don’t think people want to see me with my finger jammed up my nose. There are some things better left to the imagination.) But Instagram and Snapchat are so popular right now — Snapchat just … Read More »

When I was at the Florida Writers Conference this past October, I met more than a few authors with books in the conference bookstore. There was one author in particular that I’d enjoyed talking with over the course of the conference, and had gotten to know her fairly well. I’ve been on a rather strict “no new books” diet for a few years, but will break it occasionally if a favorite author has a new book. But I had such … Read More »

A good humor writer is a master of deception, a psychological deceiver, a sensory trickster. They’re filthy rotten liars. That’s because good humor is based on violated expectations. That is, the laugh comes from being surprised when you think one thing is going to happen, but another does instead. It’s based on what psychologists call the Incongruity Theory or Incongruity-Resolution Theory. That’s because the humor actually happens when you realize and recognize the incongruity.. Here’s how it works. “Take my … Read More »