My Most Embarrassing Moment
Write an essay exploring the comedic potential of your most embarrassing moment. Include not just what happened, but also the thoughts that ran through your mind during and after the event.
Suggested length: An essay or article: 800 to 2,500 words
Start the clock
Pick a sprint, press start and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
Make it yours
Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- Use one example from your own life.
- Open with a specific story, then widen out to the big idea.
- Write for a curious friend, not an expert.
Writing humor and satire books
Laughs first, with a point under the punchline.
Comic fiction sets out to make readers laugh; satire uses that laughter to skewer something real, from war to bureaucracy to the publishing industry. Either way, the jokes have to land on almost every page.
What readers expect
- A distinctive comic voice
- Absurd situations played straight
- A target, in satire
- Running jokes that pay off
A tip before you start
Play it straight. Characters who take the absurd seriously are funnier than ones winking at the reader.
More Humor prompts
- The Miscommunication SpiralRecall a time when a simple miscommunication led to a chain of ludicrous events. Narrate the scenario with an emphasis on the escalating…
- Surviving the Family GatheringImagine you are writing a witty guide on "How to Survive Your Family's Annual Gatherings." Use anecdotes, humorous survival tips, and illustrate the…
- An Open Letter to My ToasterCompose a humorous open letter to an inanimate object in your home, expressing your feelings about its quirks and how it impacts your daily life.
- The Perks of AdultingDevise a funny listicle of "Top 10 Unexpected Perks of Adulting" that pokes fun at the responsibilities and surprises that come with growing up.
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
Chapterly gives a draft somewhere to grow: chapters, daily word goals, and readers when you're ready.
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