Modest: moderate, adequate, acceptable

Today I read Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal." If you haven't read it I suggest you do. It is quite satirical/ironic/comically immodest. Reading it without knowing those things would be terribly, terribly horrific. Like watching movies like Hot Fuzz without the ability to realize how intentionally fake the blood is suppose to be. 

I won't say much more about the actual subject matter because I don't want to ruin it for you (once I picked up on what was going on it was really, really comical). But I will say that Swift gives insane solutions to very real issues: poverty for example. And he does so with humor. 

I am not very good at humor. My sister thinks I'm funny, and my nephew thinks I'm hilarious, and I'm sure there are those who like to laugh at me. But I don't consider myself to be humorous, and if I am its rarely intentional, unfortunately. So my subject for this post may end up being obsolete but: I want to be a funny writer.

Not in the sense that I'm writing humor but in the sense that I am able to use humor in my writing, to, like Swift, make a point. This leads me, however, to the question of how one can become more humorous. 

Watch stand up comics?

Spend more time with your Uncle Bub?

Or just listen more?

Maybe the best method for including humor in my writing is like previous solutions I've come to about improving my writing, that I need to seek new experiences and open my eyes. Funny people exist in the world, in fact I am surrounded by very hilarious people (roommates, family members, class mates).   Perhaps if I consciously view my daily life as an opportunity to pick up on humor, whether it be funny situations or good "jokes"or just people that would make comical characters, I can be able to find humor to include in my writing. I may not be able to come up with comedic aspects on my own but I can at least, maybe, learn how to replicate on paper what I see in the world.

Any thoughts, readers? 

-Jessica