A Newsletter of Humorous Writing: Special Evan Waite Edition
A Newsletter of Humorous Writing
We're hosting a free online show tomorrow night at 5:30p PT/8:30p ET to celebrate Evan's book. There's more info below, but you can RSVP here!
Hello and welcome to A Special Edition Newsletter of Humorous Writing, celebrating Evan Waite's new book Life Wants You Dead! The book is a guide to everything that can and should be frightening you, and is available everywhere April 16th.
We're so excited for you to see Evan's book--it's full of his characteristically hilarious humor pieces, as well as visual pieces illustrated by Paula Searing. And every other empty space in this book is stuffed with one-liners like "Jump Scare! Your bed knows where you sleep at night" and "Point to Ponder: If U-Haul trucks can't even spell 'You' right, what are the odds their brakes are installed properly?" It really is such a funny, surprising book and we think you're going to love it. You can pre-order it here!
Old Evan Favorites
How To Reduce Screen Time by Evan Waite (The New Yorker) A version of this piece ended up in Life Wants You Dead, and the original is such a great example of what makes Evan's writing great: simple, silly premises executed clearly and with a maximum density of jokes. Plus you've got Rocco.
As I Say In My Book by Evan Waite (McSweeney's) A premise about promoting a book might have gotten too meta, or felt too much like inside baseball, but Evan avoids those pitfalls by keeping the joke squarely on the narrator's weirdness and insecurities. And even if you've never had to promote a book, chances are you've listened to an interview with someone who was just a little too overt about trying to work in their plugs.
A Donation In Your Name by Evan Waite and River Clegg (McSweeney's) Evan and River collaborate a lot, and we, the voracious humor fans, reap the rewards. This is such a funny premise that manages to be incredibly silly but doesn't take things so far that it sells out the premise, which is impressive. And hey, why don't you guess how Evan and River met, and then check out the interview below for the correct answer. If you guess correctly, maybe there's a prize in store! Seems unlikely, but what've you got to lose?
Have you RSVPed for the show yet? You should! You earned it.
An Interview With Evan
We reached out to Evan with some questions about his book, how he approaches writing, his advice on collaboration, and more!
How did you come up with the idea for the book?
I had always thought of myself as a pretty mellow guy, but during the pandemic, I learned that that was very much not the case. Suddenly my anxiety spiked and my body was jacked up with fear. I was darting through grocery store aisles like I was on a bank heist, and wiping down potatoes with Clorox wipes. But it wasn’t just me. Everyone was acting out in ways that seemed heightened and silly, so I figured that a humor book based around this emotional core would really resonate, because everyone’s relationship with fear has changed so much in the last few years. To this day, we’re all still grappling with that. In addition, we’re faced with a media landscape designed to amplify our fears for profit, and hack into our psyche. A “survival guide” felt like the perfect container to discuss these primal concerns, and funneling the book’s voice through a paranoid idiot narrator character who is both confident and jacked up on fear felt comedically rich to me. I felt that a book like this could help readers process their own anxieties, and make them feel less alone. Stephen Colbert once said that you can’t laugh and be afraid at the same time, and I think that’s true.
What was it about this concept that made you feel like it was right to develop into a book, rather than, say, a one-off short humor piece?
One thing that I’ve gotten better at from writing prose humor pieces is knowing whether an idea has legs or if it’s a dead end. If the jokes are flowing, then you know you’ve tapped into something. So the same thing applied when it came to deciding which book idea to pursue. Once I had the general concept, ideas just started pouring out of me. It felt like very fertile ground because it offered a combination of limitation and flexibility. It takes an enormous amount of energy to write a book, and I find it much more difficult to produce work when there is no framework. Ideally the concept should feel comforting rather than constricting. A guardrail, not a straightjacket.
Did any personal fears of yours make it into the book? Like spiders, or falling into open manholes?
There are several references to teens in the book, and that can be an unsettling age group to be around when you’re a lame-ass adult like me. I wear sensible shoes and pay taxes like a bitch. I can handle teens one at a time, but when they’re in a pack out in the wild, it always feels like trouble is a looming possibility. They have the brains of children, yet are strong enough to whip your ass. They’re perceptive enough to spot your flaws, and dickish enough to say them.
What were your comedy influences growing up?
Jack Handey is definitely my biggest comedic influence in terms of prose humor. One thing that I learned from him is to strip out topical references that will make the book feel dated later. Also, his joke writing is so precise and he builds his own comedic playground that I always want to spend time in. The Daily Show’s America textbook is brilliant, and the poster that came with the book was a direct inspiration for the subway map poster in “Life Wants You Dead”. Shit My Dad Says by Justin Halpern is one of the funniest books ever. Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts, and The Far Side are the holy trinity of comics. The Simpsons was a big one. I worship SNL and have seen almost every episode since I was a kid. Love The Boondocks (comic and show). The Fresh Prince. Jackass. Looney Tunes. South Park. Martin. Family Guy. The Chris Rock Show. Adam Sandler. Beavis and Butthead. Conan was massive. Basically, I love when smart people make dumb shit.
How did you feel about the experience of writing a book?
Writing “Life Wants You Dead” was the most joyous process I’ve ever had creatively. Everything fell into place so well, and I was pinching myself the whole time about how good it was feeling. I’ve always believed that when you’re reading something that an author had fun writing, you can feel the infectious energy through the pages. It’s a really strange book, and I kept waiting for my publisher, Chronicle, to step in to be the adult in the room, but they really just let me write the book that I wanted to write. They helped me make it the best version of the book that it is, rather than trying to turn it into something that it isn’t.
You've collaborated on a number of short humor pieces with River Clegg. What's your process like when collaborating with someone?
River and I first met at The Onion like twelve years ago. We both started there around the same time, and started workshopping each other’s headlines to tighten them up, and hopefully bomb less. So it was an easy transition to writing humor pieces together. Generally one of us has a kernel of an idea and texts it to the other to see if they are feeling it. If we immediately start ping-ponging jokes back and forth, that’s a great sign. Then one of us will write the first draft, then kick it over to the other person to tweak, tighten and add jokes. Then we just go back and forth as many times as we need to until we both really like it. We get very granular, discussing commas and how to shave off syllables. I enjoy getting in the weeds, and he does as well.
Do you have any advice on collaboration? How do you be a good writing partner?
Listening and flexibility are very important. It’s all about making the piece stronger, so there’s no place for ego in that process. I think River is a genius and I trust his comedic instincts, so when he says he’s not into something, I pay attention. I don’t always agree, but I never dismiss it without considering what he’s saying. Because we were both forged at The Onion, we are used to our pieces getting sliced and diced. Also, we both understand that good jokes are way easier to come up with than good premises, so even the funniest joke has to go if it deflates the concept of the overall piece.
The book has really terrific illustrations and visual gags. What was it like working with your illustrator?
I knew I wanted my book to be packed with illustrations, because it widens the scope of the comedy the book could deliver. The words and images would feed off each other, each making the other funnier. So a friend at Clickhole introduced me to a brilliant woman named Paula Searing, who made a huge impact right away. Paula was able to execute any crazy idea I could come up with, which pushed me to go farther and be more ambitious. Every week, Paula would deliver another batch of pure gold that made me laugh my ass off, which got me excited, and gave me the energy to keep going. Working with her on the subway map poster took several months, because it’s a complicated idea with a lot of internal logic that needs to hold together. But Paula nailed it, and it’s the single piece of comedy I’m most proud of in my entire career. She is a true partner and I couldn’t have done the book without her.
If you could write the opposite of an acknowledgments section for this book (i.e. a section in which, instead of thanking people who helped you complete the book, you trash the things that stood in your way that you ultimately defeated) what would you include? And what would you call that section?
Ironically, the hardest thing about writing a book about fear was getting over the fear of not being able to do it. The best day of an author’s life is when they sell a book, and the worst one is the next day when they realize they actually have to write it! And that the clock is ticking! But to make it to the other side with a book I’m so proud of has been very satisfying. I think comedy people will really enjoy the book, and I hope they check it out.
Come To The Show Tomorrow!
We're so excited for tomorrow's show, featuring Evan reading from his book--a week before it hits the shelves!--and featuring readings by:
JiJi Lee (The New Yorker)
Sarah Pappalardo (Reductress)
Seth Reiss (Late Night With Seth Meyers)
And your hosts, Luke and James!
See you next week!
@lukevburns & @jamesfolta
We started this newsletter with our dear friend Brian Agler, and we want it to always honor his memory and his love of all things humorous. You can find our newsletter tribute to Brian here.
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