Roger – a valid observation. As someone who likes humor, I would suggest the following: writers tend to be both navel-gazers and hyper-critical of anything they perceive to be “Other.” Not all writers fall into this demographic but certainly the plurality in my experience as an editor and writer. Also, humor opens one to negative critique more readily than criticism or maudlin exposition. Finally, humor done well is tough to pull off in any medium, but especially in writing, which relies entirely on wordplay to evoke a specific reaction from a group of diverse readers. In standup comedy, you can read the crowd and tailor your routines to different audiences. Not so with (to borrow from Richard Polt) Cold Hard Type.
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Roger, I agree. The saying “laughter is the best medicine” is believed to have originated — albeit now in a snappier form —from Proverbs 17.22 of the King James Bible.
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Thank you, Jamais. I enjoyed your post. That’s a lot of typewriters! I’m currently at 17, with ten on display at any given time; the RQDL Dreyfuss ’46 has pride of place on a Victorian knee hole writing desk that I’ve written on since the late 70s. I occasionally move it to a lower table if I need to use another, but it’s seldom packed. I love all my typers, and the Olivetti Studio 45 is probably the one I most enjoy using, and visually – but there’s something about the Dreyfuss, its almost as if it’s haunted in a pleasant way.
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Gee, Leo, you’re on fire at the moment. That #480 is just gorgeous.
Roger – a valid observation. As someone who likes humor, I would suggest the following: writers tend to be both navel-gazers and hyper-critical of anything they perceive to be “Other.” Not all writers fall into this demographic but certainly the plurality in my experience as an editor and writer. Also, humor opens one to negative critique more readily than criticism or maudlin exposition. Finally, humor done well is tough to pull off in any medium, but especially in writing, which relies entirely on wordplay to evoke a specific reaction from a group of diverse readers. In standup comedy, you can read the crowd and tailor your routines to different audiences. Not so with (to borrow from Richard Polt) Cold Hard Type.
Roger, I agree. The saying “laughter is the best medicine” is believed to have originated — albeit now in a snappier form —from Proverbs 17.22 of the King James Bible.
Thank you, Jamais. I enjoyed your post. That’s a lot of typewriters! I’m currently at 17, with ten on display at any given time; the RQDL Dreyfuss ’46 has pride of place on a Victorian knee hole writing desk that I’ve written on since the late 70s. I occasionally move it to a lower table if I need to use another, but it’s seldom packed. I love all my typers, and the Olivetti Studio 45 is probably the one I most enjoy using, and visually – but there’s something about the Dreyfuss, its almost as if it’s haunted in a pleasant way.
Gee, Leo, you’re on fire at the moment. That #480 is just gorgeous.
Thank you, Adam!
Thank you, Adam!