Humor: Small Character, Big Ambition

Have you ever watched an ant drag a bread crumb across the sidewalk? The bread crumb is three times the ant's body size, but somehow the little ant persists!

That's called Small Character, Big Ambition. The idea of a small creature trying to do something big is funny. And it's fun to write. 

Think of five "pipsqueak" characters:

• An ant
• A worm
• A baby chick
• A pebble
• A newborn baby human 

Now let's exaggerate. Think of five HUGE, pie-in-the-sky ambitions:

• To save Planet Earth from Intergalactic Giants
• To win every gold medal at the Summer Olympics
• To sail to Antarctica 
• To rescue the president's cat from the Feline Space Invaders 
• To build a castle on top of a volcano 

Choose one of your "pipsqueak" characters. Next choose one of your ambitions.

An ant who wants to sail to Antarctica? 
A worm who wants to win every gold medal? 
A pebble who wants to save Planet Earth? 
A baby chick who wants to lead an army? 

Give your small character a name. What will your ant or worm or pebble or baby chick (or the character you make up) do to achieve his or her ambition? 

Small Characters. Big Ambitions. Exaggerate and have fun! 

Write a Goofy Newspaper Article

Identical Twins Find Rare Coin in Sandbox!

Extinct Turtle Appears at Shopping Mall!

Neighborhood Tree Tells Fortunes!

Clown Finds New Career As Bus Driver!

Senator Invites Martians to Alien Lunch! 

These are some goofy headlines you can have fun with. Try writing a story like a short newspaper article. The more outlandish and exaggerated, the better!

Newspaper writers report the facts: Who, What, When, Where, Why. In our case, we get to make up the "facts."

Here's my "article." How about yours? 

Identical Twins Find Rare Coin in Sandbox!

Ben and Billy Smith, of 1674 Sycamore Drive, discovered a rare coin in their backyard sandbox. According to experts, the coin dates from the Roman Empire, approximately 250 A.D.

The seven-year-old identical twins, who are in second grade at Park Hill Elementary School, were playing in their sandbox Saturday morning when they made the discovery.

"We thought it was something the cat buried," Billy said. "He's always bringing junk home."

"But now we think the coin was buried by a Roman explorer," Ben added.

The rare coin is believed to be worth $1,483, 295. The twins will sell the coin to the National Museum of Rare Stuff in Orlando, Florida.

"I can't wait to get the money," Ben said. "Of course I have to split it with my brother."

"I'm two minutes older," Billy pointed out.

In the past, the twins have found a discarded dog collar, a banana peel, and a broken truck in their sandbox.

"This is our most exciting discovery," Ben said. "With my money I'm going to Disneyland."

"Me, too," Billy added. "But Mom and Dad said something about a college fund."

The Smith family has lived on Sycamore Drive for five years. The sandbox was discovered under an old, moldy tarp when they moved in. 

A Silly Story

Don't you love silly stories? I do. The only thing better than reading a silly story is writing one.

Try finishing this silly story. Let your imaginations go wild. Exaggeration is a big part of what makes humor funny. 

While you're writing, don't forget to eat some pretzels! 

The Giant Pretzels

It all started when I took my pet iguana for a walk. His name is ___________________________________.  I was hungry, so we stopped at the ______________________________________________________________________ for a banana and ____________________________________________________________.

When we left, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Two giant pretzels were  _______________________________________________________ing down the sidewalk! They were the size of a __________________________________________________________________ and wore  polka-dotted ________________________________________________________________________________.

            I jumped. My iguana hissed. To my surprise, the two pretzels suddenly __________________________________________________________________________all over the _______________________________________________________________________!

Then it got even worse….

           

Go Ahead and Exaggerate!

When we exaggerate, we stretch the truth or tell a "tall tale" about ourselves. It's fun to exaggerate in a writing exercise. Here's how:

Write three sentences that describe you. Like:

1. I am strong.

2. I like animals.

3. I am a fast swimmer.

Now exaggerate!

1. I'm so strong, I can lift the sun.

2. I like animals so much, my best friend is a hippopotomus.

3. I'm such a fast swimmer, I can swim from Seattle to Hawaii in two minutes.

Now it's your turn. Go ahead and exaggerate!