TRY: Split-Reforms

TRY: Split-Reforms

By Matthew L. Hart

Humor Writer/Comedian

Author of:

Uncle Matty's Halloween: Jokes, Bits & Anecdotes

Are you a picky eater or do you like to try new foods?

No. I don't think I've ever met a dish I didn't want to taste.

Actually, I'm very adventurous at mealtimes.

Eating is one of those things you have to do, everyday. Especially if you're lucky.

But, I'm adverse to ordinary.

Don't get me wrong, I thrive on routine, I just don't want eating to be...a wasted opportunity to live.

Different spurs my creativity, and food is my muse, I guess. I find food so amusing because it hits all our senses. Smell, Taste, Texture, sometimes it sizzles, and these professional chefs really plate their food nicely.

I feel a sense of wonder and gratitude for life when I can eat a piece of fine art that was made just for me. It's like a Buddhist sand painting that nourishes your mind and soul, as well as your body.

In that way, I get to take that creative energy with me and use it to generate laughter.

And, nothing generates more laughter than a FOOD FIGHT!

If you've never experienced an actual food fight, add it to your bucket list, and plan to have one at your next birthday party. Life and food should be celebrated!

Fill the menu with rolls, mashed potatoes, cherry tomatoes and olives in your salad, loose corn, finger foods are good but, something sloppy like spaghetti is even better.

And, when it's all over, tell your guests, "The only thing I wanted for my birthday was good food, great company and someone to clean the house for me today."

In addition to going out to eat, I also discovered the Joy of Cooking. Cooking for yourself is an amazingly empowering hobby.

But, one of my favorite things are those crazy cereals coming out. They're making cereal out of candies and cookies now!

So, I feed my inner child. "Sourpatch Kids cereal! I can eat candy for breakfast?...Well, it is breakfast cereal...It would be irresponsible not to."

Also, I live outside a large city. So, I just flip to the 'Restaurant' section of the yellow book...Yes, I said, 'book', because I'm going to cross off each one as I try it.

I judge the quality of a city by how long I can go without visiting the same restaurant twice...and once I've run out of dining options, it's time to move.

Cookin' with Coolio:

5 Star Meals at a 1 Star Price

"'I'm bored' is a useless thing to say. I mean, you live in a great, big, vast world that you've seen none percent of. Even the inside of your own mind is endless; it goes on forever, inwardly, do you understand? The fact that you're alive is amazing, so you don't get to say 'I'm bored.'"

- Louis C. K.

TRY: Split-Reforms

When the pressure is on to find something funny and to do that quickly, it's helpful to have a box of tools and techniques that you can reach for to get the job done. But, just obtaining the tool isn't enough. It will be up to you to practice using it until you become a Master Craftsman.

Build your comedy library

DISCOVER THIS BOOK FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SPLIT-REFORMS:

• Comedy Writing Secrets: The Best-Selling Guide to Writing Funny and Getting Paid for It

Split-reforms are created when you fracture a single word into two or more separate words, which will  typically be homonyms, that will create a surprising, and funny, new meaning.

Homonyms are words that are pronounced and spelled alike, but have different meanings. 

Using Split-reforms is a great comedy writing tool because of their ability to misdirect the audience.

Humor theory suggests that one of the main reasons people will laugh is because they are delightfully surprised.

Humor theory deserves its own blog, so I will only touch on this one Comedy Formula.

MISDIRECTION + SURPRISE = COMEDY

So, is this what people are referring to when they say, "Joke Formulas"?

No. Let me be clear, a Joke Formula is more akin to Mad Libs where you have a preconstructed joke that you can fill in with different associated words from a new topic. 

Think of Jeff Foxworthy's 'You might be a redneck if...'  This was a very successful Joke Formula Jeff created for himself, because he could finish that sentence with whichever new Topic he wanted to poke fun at.

"You might be a redneck if...your lifetime goal is to own a fireworks stand."

- Jeff Foxworthy

Or, the reverse of this formula:

"If your dad walks you to school because you're in the same grade, you might be a redneck."

- Jeff Foxworthy

But, what we're talking about here is Humor Theory, which simply describes why Jeff's formula got laughs.

By using Humor Theory and the Comedy Formula: Misdirection + Surprise = Comedy, we will be able to identify which Split-reforms have the most likelihood of getting a laugh before throwing them out to an audience.

The Comedy Formula gives us a quality control measure to pick out the best jokes we come up with after using the Split-reform technique.

So, the great news is that using Split-reforms can create a lot of material, quickly.

LET'S GET STARTED!

You will need some material to work with.

First, build a list of words which are associated with your Topic.

It's important to come up with as many as you can.

Think of People, Places, Things, Quotes, and Cliches.

Second, cherry-pick out the words you can split.

Look for any compound words.

Compound Words are single words made up of multiple words. 

For example: 

sunflower, classroom, moonlight

You can split a compound word and reform it into the separate words.

For example: 

sunflower = sun + flower, classroom = class + room, moonlight = moon + light

Look for a-words.

Pick out any words that start with the letter a.

For example: 

alone, apiece, abreast

You will split the a from the rest of the word to reform it.

For example: 

alone = a + lone, apiece = a + piece, abreast = a + breast

Look for words with a prefix.

Pick out any words that have an-, pre-, un-, or in-.

For example:

anarchy, predetermine, unhappy, independent

Reform words by splitting off the prefix and adding, deleting or separating the it to reform other words.

For example:

Add a prefix to words that don't use them:

an + tire = antire

pre + sleep = presleep

un + pleasure = unpleasure

in + work = inwork

Subtract prefix:

anarchy - an = archy

predetermine - pre = determine
unhappy - un = happy

independent - in = dependent

Separate the prefix:

anarchy = an & archy

predetermine = pre & determine

unhappy = un & happy

independent = in & dependent

Look for words with a suffix.

Pick out any words that have an -ize, -ment, -log.

For example:

modernize, movement, monolog

Follow the same Split-reform method used for Prefixes.

For example:

Add a suffix to words that don't use them:

can + ize = canize

dog + ment = dogment

grip + log = griplog

Subtract the suffix:

modernize - ize = modern

movement - ment = move

monolog - log = mono

Separate the suffix:

modernize = modern & ize

movement = move & ment

monolog = mono & log

Look for words with -er and er sounds.

The -er and er sounds can be reformed into the homonym: her.

For example:

batter, catcher, manager

Split -er and reform to her:

batter = bat her

catcher = catch her

manager = manage her

Try to identify as many compound words, a-words, prefixes, suffixes, and words with -er as you can for your topic.

Third, use homonyms to reform your words into phrases and try to incorporate those phrases into statements and cliches.

Homonyms are your friends when using the Split-reform method. 

Don't be afraid to say your words out loud, and it also helps to try different tones and pacing. 

You can even sneeze, cough or mumble through a word to see if you can get it to sound like something else.

Fourth, and finally, use your phrases and statements as setups and punchlines for your jokes.

The type of material generated by the Split-reform method lends itself best to written media T-shirts, Mugs, Greeting Cards, and signs. However, with careful crafting, Split-reform material can also be spoken. 

Here are the four steps to working the Split-reform method.

First, build a list of words which are associated with your Topic.

Second, cherry-pick out the words you can split.

Third, use homonyms to reform your words into phrases and try to incorporate those phrases into statements and cliches.

Fourth, and finally, use your phrases and statements as setups and punchlines for your jokes.

Practice Split-reforms:

Pull a word from your list and write down as many soundalike words and phrases you can think of. Try hard to generate as many as you can per word or phrase.

Use Split-reforms to create funny greeting cards.

How was your experience using Split-reforms?

Share your experience using Split-reforms in the Comments!

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