Light-hearted Articles

[Lor]

I need to have a look at some light-hearted articles that have been accepted here. I'm thinking of less formal writing. Do any of you know off-hand who writes this style? I was thinking of Grouchy, (judging by his/her posts, he/she is a bit of a humorous wordsmith) but I don't know his/her writing ID.

Also, would this sort of thing be more suitable to blog or article?

When is it "cool" to write from a first-person POV, or is it?

I'd just like a sense of acceptable looser writing style. Sometimes, I find myself straying from serious. Either I'm in all the way, or I'm not. Just need to know.

Lor (Rain)

[DSWaltenburg]

Hi Rain :)

If you go to the Articles page (listed on the left hand menu on the home page), and select the Humor category from the Topic menu on the right side of the page, it will show you a host of different articles all written in the light-hearted manner.

1st Person POV is a no-no, unless you have a private job, or public request for content that specifically asks for that type of writing. If that should happen (which I'm not sure it does too very often), you'd need to put a note in your Short Summary section to let editors and/or Ed know that the client requested 1st Person. Otherwise, you probably run the risk of having the article rejected for that reason.

If you read the submission guidelines, and also the thread here in the forum for beginning CC writers, and the blog, you'll get lots of info on what is vs. isn't acceptable at CC. Since writers are limited to 3 rejections based on writing type errors, it's best to know the little guideline quirks before you submit your articles.

Hope you find some inspiration, and ideas.

Deborah

[Lor]

Thanks for responding.

I didn't consider the "humor" section. That was daft. However, I'm not necessarily thinking humorous. It could be serious articles written more loosely, in a light-hearted manner. Wit! That's the word.

I am aware of the rule regarding 1st person POV, but I was sure I'd seen it and wondered about how or in what form it might be acceptable. I've read some great blogs elsewhere, written with intellect and wit, so I had an inkling it might acceptable in blogs. You may be correct, however. Perhaps it was a private piece.

I think we are both new to CC and like you, I've read the rules backwards, forwards and upside down. Well, upside down on bad days.

Congrats on your sales and thanks again.
Rain

Edited to add
Hmm! There are 1st person POV's in humor. Maybe that's where I saw it. One is familiar to me. Hence, the question. When and how is it acceptable to use 1st person POV?

[DSWaltenburg]

Thank you!! :)

And, since you saw the 1st Person thing in the Humor section.......hopefull Ed will read this when he gets back and be better able to tell you what's good vs what's bad.

I avoid 1st Person like the plague, since I'm an opinionated beastie, and thusly would get myself into all types o' pickles if I tried to write with it!! :D

I think though, using wit and humor in regular (non-humor) category pieces is probably acceptable?!!!!!!!!! But again, being a newbie too, I haven't stuck my toe too far out in the river just yet.

I'm sure someone will come back from their Labor Day partying that will be able to give you MUCH better information than I'm rambling on about!!

Cheerios!

Deborah

[jak]

I think the first person rule is either new or being newly enforced. That is probably why you can see some articles like that on the site. I've been guilty of it myself and still have at least one in the blog section. But I know better now.

[Lor]

You know <gr>, I've re-read the rules about 1st person POV and I think Jak is correct. Even though, the ones I saw in humor are on the first page, it is certainly possible no humor has been submitted for some time. So, I get that. Not a problem. The question was an afterthought.

As for my main question, I think I've answered it myself. The only way to study lighter form is to read through a lot of summaries from a variety of writers to get a sense of what is or isn't acceptable. I was hoping someone would be able to give me a name or two, so I'll keep stepping back for a boo.

Thanks Deborah and Jak
Have a great day
Lorraine

Deb
You said you "avoid first person like the plague." I have the itch to tell you, I'm writing historical fiction in 1st POV .... and part of it actually involves the 17th century plague in London. 1st POV does come with problems to work out, but it feels natural to me. Jumping to third or omiscient for web content is a refreshing change. I love both.

[melissan]

As a more light-hearted than serious writer, I submitted this article (this is only the first 1/2 or so because I copied it from my summary). It's written in the first person (ooops, didn't see that rule), was accepted as content and then the article sold I think within two days.

"It was no surprise to me when I read this morning that Starbucks is going to close more than 600 stores in the United States. I know that I have been less frivolous with my money. There are a number of things I’ve given up slowly as gas prices have increased. I no longer go for a ride when I feel stressed out, I eat out less and I no longer get my daily grande mocha latte from my local Starbucks.

Yes, they made plenty of money off of me in the past years. At more than $3 for a coffee that costs about a quarter to make, I figure Starbucks has made more than $600 on just me alone this year. Times this by the number of people in line every morning, and my local Starbucks has done well over the years.

Now, when we all have to take stock in what we are spending our money on, what does the company do? When we have to fill our gas tanks using grocery store incentives and change found under the couch cushions, does Starbucks understand? No, they leave, deserting us when we are down. Closing the door and keeping the coffee all locked up. The loyal followers are not being rewarded for our consuming of costly cups of coffee, but instead being scalded."



It is only my opinion (and I don't count because I don't approve articles or purchase them), but I think trying to write humor without using the first person is near impossible, especially when written for a blog type site.

My 2 cents.

Melissa

[grouchy]

My ears started to tingle, and sure enough, someone mentioned my name. Cool!

I kind of cringe at the category of "humor," because that's the criteria against which your article will be judged. It's like saying, "Here -- read this everyone -- it's funny!" (That's just my feeling - not speaking for anyone else.)

Every now & then there's an opportunity to throw some subtle dry or witty lines into my writing. Being a smart-aleck is just natural to me. I haven't done it in response to any public requests, but only when my muse is telling me it's time to be a wise-a** for a topic I choose. It makes me feel good - that's why I do it.

There are a few articles on my profile page like this -- the cruciverbalist one, the economical writing one, and the burn-your-house-down one (can't remember if I did it in the craigslist one). Incidentally, a customer read my burn-your-house one and liked the style and consequently bought my article that I wrote in the same style (on stress), which he specifically requested. Since then he has hired me to write a couple e-books for him in that style on the same topic. It's a lot of fun. Just finding someone else in the world who will pay me money to do exactly what I like doing gives me a rush. So it pays to let your muse tell you what to do sometimes! So go for it if you want to.

Oh - my pen-name is Gigi.

Good luck !

[Lor]

Great article, Melissa. More of a humorous editorial I think, don't you? Nicely done. I agree about 1st person blogs and 1st person humor, but rules <i>is <i\>rules, so I'll stay clear.

Grouchy (Gigi),
So my cosmic, vibe, mystic, psychic thingy was working. This almost never happens. :)

"Subtle, dry, witty and smart-aleck," were exactly the words I was looking for. Now to peruse your wittiness, your wittiness.

I won't do first person. I don't think I'll get away with it.
The smart-alecky stuff, hmm ... maybe down the line. I'm not proven yet. :)

Thanks to you both for stepping in.
Lorraine (Rain)

[Celeste Stewart]

Third person POV can definitely be humorous, opinionated etc... both POVs are an art form with their own unique challenges but I don't believe one is better suited for humor than the other.

[Ed]

Please do not submit articles in the first person. The numerous reasons are outlined here:

http://www.constant-content.com/blog/?p=90

Despite our guidelines stating that first person accounts will not generally be considered, we still get submissions in the first person. They are not a good fit for our site. Please submit them elsewhere. More often than not, I reject out of hand articles that are written in the first person. In addition, please avoid author intrusion. Everything is explained in the above blog entry.

Thanks,
Ed