Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!

I visited two places today for different reasons, but both related to writing projects. One was the library to do some research on children's picture book markets.  I learned some interesting little tidbits but that's for another day.

At the neighborhood drugstore, I perused the greeting card racks, checking out the latest funny birthday cards to help me write some new ones of my own.  The trick is to figure out what's out there, how it's written, and whether or not the punch line delivers.  I tried to note the different categories of funny birthday: drinking jokes, age jokes, gift gags,  puns, put-downs, compliments, etc.  There were an awful lot of age jokes.  Trouble is the editor I've been sending (and selling) my work to doesn't want age gags.  He's got enough of those.  Okay.  So, I had to concentrate on the other categories.  A greeting card writer has to walk that line between coming up with something so outrageous it'll never sell and coming up with something so similar to what's already out there no editor will buy it from you.  Hmm.  Such a dilemma.

I laughed, I chuckled, I smiled, and sometimes I said, "Huh?"--not getting the joke.  (Or I said, "Eww!" if I thought the card was nasty.)  We all have our own idea of what's funny, right?

So, maybe you can give me a little feedback.  What kind of card do you like to receive?  What sort of card tickles your funnybone?