by Lori Degman
Thanks, Tara, for letting me be a guest blogger for PiBoIdMo 2010! I was an avid follower last year and came away with more than thirty story ideas (some great, some not so great). It really jump-started my brain!
About a week ago, I sat down to write this post and drew a blank. I just couldnʼt come up with a good idea (pretty ironic, huh?). The next day, after the weather forecasters predicted record-breaking winds, I said to my husband, “That forecast sure was overblown.” When I stopped laughing (well after my husband), I realized I had found my topic—PUNS! Iʼm a sucker for a pun—good or bad—I just canʼt get enough of them!
Most puns just pop out of my mouth, without really thinking about them, but Iʼve learned how to purposely create puns, too—some of which have lead to funny, punny picture book stories! Though some puns go over childrenʼs heads, the adult readers catch them—and itʼs important to please your adult audience as well. After all, theyʼre the ones who will be reading your book again and again and again (hopefully)!
Here are some ways you can create puns—Iʼm sure there are tons more:
Put a twist on an idiom or slang phrase:
- Mrs. OʼLearyʼs cow kicked the bucket.
- Baking a pie is a piece of cake.
- Being a vampire really sucks! (Not for kids, but I thought it was funny.)
Think of animals and related traits:
- The cow was udderly delightful.
- The elephant packed his trunk for a trip.
- Having skunks for neighbors really stinks!
Make references to well-known fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters:
- Maryʼs in trouble and now sheʼs on the lamb.
- The Big Bad Wolf stomped off in a huff.
- Mother Goose hatched a plot.
Any of these puns might make a great starting point for a story. I hope this gets your imagination off and punning (sorry)!
Lori Degman is a teacher of deaf and hard of hearing students. She currently lives in Vernon Hills with her husband, John and two sons, Sean,24 and Brian, 21. Her first picture book, 1 Zany Zoo, was the winner of the 2008 Spoonfuls of Stories Contest and was released July 2010 by Simon & Schuster. For more punny stuff, visit her at loridegman.blogspot.com.
10 Comments on PiBoIdMo Day 6: Keep it Punny Like Lori Degman, last added: 11/6/2010
It seems sort of fitting to write about my first book for First Book, doesn’t it? I’m thrilled to tell you that MY first book, called “1 Zany Zoo,” is coming out this spring. Actually, 2.2 MILLION copies of my book are coming out this spring!!! In English and Spanish. Inside Cheerios boxes! And then it will be released at retail in hardcover this summer through Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.
I love puns!! And like you, I’m usually laughing by myself long after I’ve shared it.
Thanks for the post, Lori. The ‘overblown forcast’ was my favorite.
I’m a sucker for puns too, Lori! Love “udderly delightful”.
Interesting point you make about inserting things that might go over kids’ heads into picture books because the adults reading them like to be amused as well. I tend to agree, although I’ve been dissuaded from doing so in the past. I think kids “get” more than we think they do, and if they don’t, they will eventually “get” the jokes and appreciate the book all the more! Plus, it allows an opportunity for the adult reader to explain the pun to the child, leading to a funny situation where the child either stares at the adult as though she has two heads, or loses herself in a fit of giggles.
Gem of a tip, Lori. Thanks for sharing!
a pun is fun! hahaha…didja groan?
okay, that’s more of a rhyme, but i’m workin’ on it. great, great post and you’ve given me the gift of a few ideas to work on today! thank you!
Lori, I love puns! Thank you for the great tip. I am especially happy you mentioned the appeal to adults who will (hopefully) be reading the stories over and over again.
I love puns too. ‘Hatching a plot’-my favorite. Now I wish I could hatch a plot for today’s challenge. Thanks for your informative and creative article.
Thanks for the ZANY pun ideas, Lori!
Oh, I love me a good pun! Or a bad one for that matter. Thanks for the great post, Lori. I think you picked the write topic. Heh heh.
I am so glad that you are a guest blogger!!! Thanks for sharing your book with the world (my son definitely enjoys it… we got it from a cheerios box
and thank you for sharing another great way of looking at stories! I’m off to create! Blessings to you!