Should a writing prompt be funny?
Can Women Be Funny?
Ha Ha Ha
As a grandma, I find this question ridiculous because I never laughed harder than with my girlfriends during bingo nights. Even my husband, a stand-up comedian and comedy writer, comes second.
But as a pink belt in social media marketing, I know these titles get clicks, and I’m not afraid to use any marketing weapons available to manipulate you into reading my stories and, more importantly, stories from other writers.
Have you heard of the Bechdel test?
To pass the Bechdel test, a movie needs to (1) have at least two women, (2) talk to each other, and (3) not only about a man.
Kill Bill (a great movie) passes the Bechdel test. So does Frozen, my grandson’s all-time favorite. You wouldn’t believe the number of times he sang “Let It Go.” He knows the song in at least six languages. But I digress.
Your homework for this month is to write a funny story respecting the Reverse-Bechdel Test.
It means your story should (1) have at least two men, (2) talk to each other (3) only about a woman. If the men in your story talk to a woman, they can discuss any topic, but if they talk to each other, they can only talk about women.
How to get 100 claps for your story?
If you’ve been on Medium for more than 5 minutes, you’re likely to obsess over your stats and number of claps. I don’t usually clap, but my dear Doctor convinced me to make an exception for this challenge. In exchange, he agreed to double my claps.
To get 100 claps on your story, follow these guidelines:
- 18 claps for the Reverse-Bechdel: Tag me in your article, and I will give you eighteen claps for passing the test. But if your story doesn’t pass, you lose everything, even if you respected the other constraints.
- 7 claps for hot cocoa: Include hot cocoa in any form or shape in your story to get seven extra claps.
- 18 claps for a grandma: If your story has a grandma in it, I’ll give it eighteen more claps.
- 7 claps for a link: Include at least one link to a story written by a woman at the end of your article for the last seven claps.
Example:
“Who’s that woman sipping hot cocoa on the green of the eighteenth?” asked Michael.
“It’s Grandma Smillew,” replied Philip, too respectful to add another word.
“But what is she doing there?!”
“Sorry, I can’t tell you; it wouldn’t be Reverse-Bechdel compliant. We need to call Jennifer or Kristine to discuss non-woman topics.”
“WHAT?” shouted Michael.
“Yes, it’s like during editors’ meetings. They’ll woman-splain us everything, and we’ll laugh, or they’ll fire us.”
“But I created this publication. I hired Kristine and Jennifer. I taught them everything I knew about editing. Without me, nobody would read their stories.”
“Sure, Michael, sure. Let’s try to find Kristine or Jennifer, and we’ll talk about it.”