Real Estate: Finding the Evil Lair

At left, inactive power station near Vancouver B.C. [ photo McKay Savage] on a wonderful blue-sky morning.

The Erma Bombeck Writers' Conference takes place this April 10-12 at the University of Dayton. Erma was a humorist with a great following here in the US before her too early death in 1996.

I toy with humor. I am more of an absurdest by nature. I've no illusion that I'm in anyway funny from any natural bent.

Sure, I was the kid in junior high who told jokes non-stop as a social defense mechanism. It did't work out like Chris Rock or any of the other comics who profess the same origins. I suppose the lifetime of posters and artifacts from the space program which graced my room had something to do with the turn to engineering and science with some success.

I've done some satire. Likewise, I've written some absurdest stories which have been enjoyed by friends.

Heller is a hero of mine. Catch-22 is much loved. I'm stewing on the next story with a similar bent. Of course it involves deceit, unplanned consequences, and murder. Can it be funny? Not in the first round. In successive edits? Perhaps.

Time to try. I have this picture of a wonderful new evil lair in which to set the story. How can I not?

I'm going to have to think of humor in writing a little more. Maybe I can find someone who has a book on the topic. I've never looked.

Off to cause destruction. Hope it is lots of laughs. Boom, ha ha ha. Right. Needs some work.

Writing.