Flash Fiction Advisory

Any Drier and You’d Be Drowning

Arisia made an excellent point last week about some flash having the elements of a riddle.

That calls for careful set-up and perfect delivery.

Like a joke.

Marx Brothers screenwriter Irving Brecher got attention with a crafty bit of “nano-flash.” As an aspiring joke writer, he ran an advertisement in Variety:

“Jokes so bad, even Milton Berle wouldn’t steal them.”

This bit of fiction takes into account three particular things about Milton Berle: he was widely famous, a teller of bad gags and a notorious joke thief.

The ad worked.

Brecher got hired as a joke writer.

By Milton Berle.

Flash Fic Advisory #8: Prep the punchline. Then punch the punchline.