What makes you laugh?

Vitality Stories

What Makes You Laugh?

Look with your hands

Inspired by author and illustrator Lisa Sinicki’s latest project, I recently signed up for an online comic strip drawing course with Paris Christou at ToonBoxStudio*. Early on, Paris points out it helps to choose a comic concept by considering our own stories or experiences in ‘little strips of gags,’ or punchlines. This makes sense, right? It’s why Garfield, Dilbert, Calvin and Hobbes, and The Family Circus are popular; they are true to life, and therefore, relatable and funny.
So I started writing down all of the silly, short conversations in my own life that have stuck with me and make me giggle. Below is one of my favorites, and perhaps one day, I’ll adapt it as a comic:

My boyfriend and I were at the local diner for dinner. We know the staff well so our waitress, “Bea”, who had babysat her granddaughter all day, was telling us a story about teaching the little girl how to look for her missing shoe under chairs and beds:

“I told my granddaughter, ‘Sometimes you have to look with your hands,’ and then she found her shoe, and I was quite proud.”

At which point my boyfriend quipped,

“That’s funny. If I looked with my hands, I’d get in A LOT of trouble.”

I hope you share our sense of humor. Do you have a funny story to share? What makes you laugh?

Happy laughing, and as always, thanks for being you.

Teri

P.S. the ebook of I’M GOING TO THE DOCTOR?! will be FREE to anyone who wants it from Friday, May 6 to Tuesday, May 10th. Here’s the link to download it for free during that time. Share the news if you like!

P.P.S. Congratulations to subscriber, Christina H. who has won the drawing for The Positive Dog by Jon Gordon.

*I actually used ToonBoxStudio’s free beginner’s tutorial to learn to draw my first children’s picture book, I’M GOING TO THE DOCTOR?!. Paris Christou is a talented cartoonist and teacher.