Copyright 1998, Thomas L. Mangan
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| David Shapiro is managing editor of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. He also writes a column for the paper called Volcanic Ash that might elicit a giggle or two. | 27 August 1998 | |
| 1 | What's the key to writing humor well? | Back to the 7Q index |
| Understatement. There's either humor in a situation or there's not. You can't write it funnier than it is. All you can do is tell your story in a way that shows readers the humor you see. If it works understated, you know you have a funny story. If you have to strain to be funny, you either don't have a very funny story or you're telling it poorly. | ||
| 2 | Is there really a Hawaii 5-0? | |
| No, but there should be. Because of the inflated expectations left by the TV series, tourists are always disappointed that our cops don't have nicer hair. | ||
| 3 | Describe something about Hawaii that provides a source of constant fascination. | |
| Most people here are really nice and will go out of their way to show you kindness. It's not an affectation. They expect nothing in return. They're genuinely nice people. | ||
| 4 | What do you think your employees are whispering about when your back's turned? | |
| What else? Bill and Monica. | ||
| 5 | What's one thing they left out of your job description that you wish they'd left in? | |
| Baseball writer. | ||
| 6 | On the Mainland we're always seeing ads in Editor & Publisher for openings at the papers in Honolulu and envisioning lives in paradise. What do we need to know before we start sending resumes (besides the high cost of living; we know about that)? | |
| You need to know that I don't care how cold you are. Half of the job applications I get from the Mainland start out, "Gee, I'm sitting her looking at the snow out the window and started thinking I should be in Hawaii. Got any openings?" (The other half say, "Gee, I've been working too hard and need to slow down and spend more time on the beach. Got any openings?") As hard as it is to believe, jobs out here actually involve work. And we don't see ourselves as the nation's foot-warmer. | ||
| 7 | Tell a story of someone you've known who went on to some measure of fame, fortune or notable success. | |
| One of my best friends in high school went on to run a sex-research facility at a Midwest university. He's always talking about how one of his colleagues was wearing his bathrobe when the police came to arrest him. He wonders what he'll be wearing when they come for him. | ||
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Copyright 1998, Thomas L. Mangan |
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