Writing Humour with Naomi Paul

by John Ellard

Naomi Paul led our February workshop on Writing Humour, following her successful Zoom visit to us last October.

The meeting was held at Bilston Library, 7 members attended, with a Zoom option for those who could not attend. We are all still learning how to use these hybrid meetings to the best advantage, but as ever, it was another satisfying Saturday morning.

Naomi is a writer and performer with an impressive list of publications and countrywide performances under her belt, her skills were evident when she hosted our session today.

Naomi started off off by warning us to be careful if we “set out to try to be funny”, and we then began listing reasons for What Makes People Laugh, and What Does Humour Rely On. We watched scenes from Last Tango In Halifax and Derry Girls, illustrating the difference between humorous writing and “laugh out loud” comedy.

All this prepared us nicely for our own attempts at writing humour: we came up with a hapless apprentice loosing his glasses in the canal; a five-legged pony (!); and the problems of being a local bobby, and many more.

Watch out Lisa McGee and Sally Wainwright: Bilston Writers are breathing down your necks!