Tag Archives: surprise

How to Get a RISE Out of Your Readers

Posted on March 22, 2025 by mitchteemley

How to be Funny Whether you’re a writer, teacher, politician or mortician, this three-part series will help you be wittier. In the previous post, we learned that a funny story begins with a crisis. Now we’ll talk about how to build … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Quips and Quotes, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 42 Comments

The World’s Most Astonishing Sculptures

Posted on January 31, 2025 by mitchteemley

This collection of unique sculptures surprises us with its scale (tiny to immense), its unexpected locations, its uncanny realism, its skewed perceptions…and its sheer unclassifiability. Enjoy! Click on any image to enlarge it, or to begin slideshow.

Posted in Culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 29 Comments

How to Prepare for the Unexpected

Posted on June 8, 2024 by mitchteemley

“The unknown tends to be rather hard to find, and the unexpected tends to arrive rather unexpectedly. So the best way to prepare for both is to simply live.” ~The Wishing Map Image by johnhain φ

Posted in Humor, Quips and Quotes, The Wishing Map | Tagged , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Take a Closer Look

Posted on August 11, 2023 by mitchteemley

“There is only one plot: things are not what they seem,” said the famous crime and mystery writer Jim Thompson. And he was right. Not only about storytelling, but about life itself. Which can make the world pretty exasperating and … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Popular Culture & Entertainment, Quips and Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , | 29 Comments

Strange Hallucinations … an Unlucky Actor … and a Chimpanzee Painter

Posted on April 6, 2022 by mitchteemley

My Featured Blogger this week is Carolyn of Nuggets of Gold. Carolyn’s blogger handle is “Joy Roses,” and for a good reason: she emanates joy, with a healthy side of humor. This wife and mother of two teenagers began journaling … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Quips and Quotes, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 27 Comments

A Real-Life Murder Mystery – with a Twist

Posted on November 3, 2021 by mitchteemley

Photo by Ekrulila My Featured Blogger this week is Thomas Bonich of Common Sense Tom. Tom’s overall theme is right there in his title. But more specifically, his stated goal is to “champion critical thinking, human dignity, equality, levelheadedness, even-handed, … Continue reading →

Posted in Quips and Quotes, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Things Aren’t Always What They Seem to Be

Posted on July 30, 2021 by mitchteemley

It’s true, things aren’t always what they seem to be. Yes, our world would be more convenient if they were. But it would also be less entertaining! Click on any image to enlarge it, or to begin slide show.

Posted in Humor, Popular Culture & Entertainment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

How to be Funny

Posted on January 8, 2020 by mitchteemley

How to Get a RISE Out of Your Audience In Four Key Elements of Humor, we learned that a funny story begins with a crisis. Now we’ll talk about how to build on that crisis so your story will RISE … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Quips and Quotes, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 30 Comments

Unpredictable Moments

Posted on December 6, 2019 by mitchteemley

Is the universe laughing behind our backs, or does it simply have a different agenda? Sometimes life is beautiful, sometimes it’s weird, mostly it’s just unpredictable. Which is pretty cool. Most of the time. (Click on any image to enlarge … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Quips and Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Astonishing Sculptures

Posted on November 15, 2019 by mitchteemley

This collection of sculptures (I got carried away, I confess!) surprises us: with scale (immense, tiny), with unexpected locations, with uncanny realism, with skewed perceptions…or with sheer unclassifiability! (Click on any image to enlarge it, or to begin slideshow)

Posted in Culture, Humor | Tagged , , , , , , , | 22 Comments