"Where I Get My Ideas"

I know I've covered this subject in previous posts, but people still ask me where I get my ideas.

First of all, I read a lot. I read newspapers, magazines, online news sources, marketing materials that come in the mail and books on various subjects. I'm always looking for words and phrases that I can use in my writing. 

A few examples: I write a lot of business gags and seem to focus on job interviews. I read online job boards and find words and phrases having to do with background, experience, perks and benefits. I then use these phrases to create cartoon captions.

If I were writing about cooking skills, or lack thereof, I read cookbooks, especially where the author gives a lot of background information about themselves. I also read the "Food" section of The New York Times (among other sections) to find the latest cooking trends. I use these words and phrases to create gags.

Similarly, if I'm writing a series of husband and wife gags, I pick out the traits I want to emphasize, like being a constant talker and interrupter, laziness and cheapness. In my reading I try to find words and phrases I can use to illustrate these traits.

Sometimes I just let my mind wander and write from personal experience. In humor, nothing is funnier than the truth. I write a lot about myself, my husband and my kids.

I am also an observer. I look around and see what's going on around me. I see the humor in things...and especially, people.

This is just a very short answer to a complicated question. 

Be well and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Any comments? Write to me at: gagsbyhelene@gmail.com

A Few More Reading Suggestions

For those of you who want to keep up-to-date with what's going on in the cartooning world, I would suggest reading these two websites on a daily basis:

* Michaelmaslin.com. Michael Maslin is a New Yorker cartoonist who writes daily about New Yorker cartoonist news, history and events. For anyone who is interested in New Yorker cartoons and cartoonists, this is the place to find out about events such as art exhibits and book-signings plus new books by these cartoonists. I find this website very informative and I read it daily.

*Dailycartoonist.com. This is a website where you can find out what's going on with syndicated strips, new books, who's in the news, and so on. It's also very informative. You can sign up for daily emails, like I did, and get them delivered to your inbox every day.

A few books I'm looking forward to reading:

"Inked" by New Yorker cartoonist Joe Dator, which published in October; 

"Send Help," A Collection of Marooned Cartoons, edited by Jon Adams and Ellis Rosen, which published earlier this month;

"Comedy is the Remedy," by Peggy Clancy, which is publishing this month.

Anyone who can suggest other cartoon-related websites, please email me at: gagsbyhelene@gmail.com.

Be well.

Helene

Keeping in Touch

 Oh, yes. Keeping in touch. This is the subject I give to emails when I want to connect with friends,  family and colleagues. Since most in-person cartoon-related events are still cancelled, I like to keep in touch with people by email and phone. (I don't text). In the past year and a half  I've watched many virtual cartooning events. However, I can hardly wait for in-person events to begin again: holiday parties, book-signings, exhibits, panel discussions, interviews with authors and so on. Writing can be a lonely undertaking. As I've said before, I get motivated when I get together with other creative minds.

Right now I'm trying to get motivated by re-reading how-to-cartoon books and leafing through various cartoon collections, such as: 

"The Cartoonist's Muse: A Guide to Generating and Developing Creative Ideas" by Mischa Richter and Harald Bakken; 

"How About Never - Is Never Good For You?" by Bob Mankoff;

"The Arbor House Book of Cartooning" by Mort Gerberg; 

"Cartooning - The Art and the Business" by Mort Gerberg;

"The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker," edited by Bob Mankoff;

"Drawing on the Funny Side of the Brain," by Christopher Hart.

This is just a small sampling of books I read years ago when I started writing gags. 

I'm also looking forward to reading new books by Liza Donnelly, in February, and David Sipress, in March.

Still writing full time. Still reading actual newspapers, magazines and books plus news online. Trying to keep healthy and productive.

Any comments? Email me at: gagsbyhelene@gmail.com