--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I try to write as serious as possible…" description: "\"I try to write as serious as possible, and then a joke slips in.\" — Jeff Lindsay" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d21/jeff-lindsay-1259_comedy_i-try-to-write-as-serious-as-possible-an_1615334.png" --- # I try to write as serious as possible, and then a joke… ![“I try to write as serious as possible, and then a joke slips in.” quote by Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d21/jeff-lindsay-1259_comedy_i-try-to-write-as-serious-as-possible-an_1615334.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d21/jeff-lindsay-1259_comedy_i-try-to-write-as-serious-as-possible-an_1615334.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d21/jeff-lindsay-1259_comedy_i-try-to-write-as-serious-as-possible-an_1615334.png) > “I try to write as serious as possible, and then a joke slips in.” [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The writer strives for seriousness but humor unintentionally emerges, showing the fluidity of tone. **In simple terms:** Serious writing can become funny without trying. Key Takeaway Embrace unexpected humor in work. Themes creativity tone writing process Mood reflective playful Type literary personal When to use this quote - author interviews - creative workshops - editing sessions Key Concepts literature psychology communication Questions to Reflect On - Do you edit to remove humor? - How does humor affect reader perception? A Different Perspective Humor may undermine intended seriousness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Joke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joke/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I'm not ritualistic about writing. I try to write as often as possible, which means that I have to be able to write in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-m-not-ritualistic-about-writing-i-try-to-write-as-often-as-possible/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I don't think it is possible to give tips for finding one's voice; it's one of those things for which there aren't really any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poppy-z-brite/i-don-t-think-it-is-possible-to-give-tips-for-finding-one-s-voice-it/) [Poppy Z. Brite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poppy-z-brite/) > [Write as often as possible, not with the idea at once of getting into print, but as if you were learning an instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/write-as-often-as-possible-not-with-the-idea-at-once-of-getting-into/) [J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/) > [I don't go off and sit down and try to write material, because then it's contrived and forced. I just live my life, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/i-don-t-go-off-and-sit-down-and-try-to-write-material-because-then-it/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [For me, songwriting is something that I have to do ritually. I don't just wait for inspiration; I try to write a little bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-lennon/for-me-songwriting-is-something-that-i-have-to-do-ritually-i-don-t/) [Sean Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-lennon/) > [Don't try to write what other people are writing - write what is true to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/don-t-try-to-write-what-other-people-are-writing-write-what-is-true/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [If anything I try to write something that would be more difficult to film. I tend to see film as competition and would like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/if-anything-i-try-to-write-something-that-would-be-more-difficult-to/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [I try to write about the stuff that torments us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/i-try-to-write-about-the-stuff-that-torments-us-all/) [Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/) > [I try to write something that would interest anybody and keep them turning the page. You must have a plot and good storyline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-gaines/i-try-to-write-something-that-would-interest-anybody-and-keep-them/) [Ernest Gaines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-gaines/) > [Because there's just so much in a day now, I keep writing in much more abstract terms, like I don't try to write about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/feist/because-there-s-just-so-much-in-a-day-now-i-keep-writing-in-much-more/) [Feist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/feist/) > [I try to write every day. I don't beat myself up about word counts, or how many hours are ticking by on the clock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/i-try-to-write-every-day-i-don-t-beat-myself-up-about-word-counts-or/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [If I was a waitress, I was too tired at the end of the day when I came home to try to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/if-i-was-a-waitress-i-was-too-tired-at-the-end-of-the-day-when-i-came/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [I don't have a whole bunch of literary connections. I don't write reviews or attend writer's conferences. I'm kind of shy and don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/i-don-t-have-a-whole-bunch-of-literary-connections-i-don-t-write/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [I try to write the kind of books I like to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-try-to-write-the-kind-of-books-i-like-to-read/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [I don't get writer's block. I don't try to write anything; when something comes, I write it. I just practice and when I get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-james/i-don-t-get-writer-s-block-i-don-t-try-to-write-anything-when/) [Jose James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-james/) ## More by Jeff Lindsay > [It revealed a cruelty that really made one wonder if the universe was such a good idea after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-revealed-a-cruelty-that-really-made-one-wonder-if-the-universe-was/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [“Rather than see me or have me touch it again, it died.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/rather-than-see-me-or-have-me-touch-it-again-it-died/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [“We don't get to pick our kin. The best we can hope for is to survive them...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/we-don-t-get-to-pick-our-kin-the-best-we-can-hope-for-is-to-survive/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [I was never more alive than when the Dark Passenger was driving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-was-never-more-alive-than-when-the-dark-passenger-was-driving/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [I had killed our careful relationship by driving my tongue through its heart and pushing it off a cliff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-had-killed-our-careful-relationship-by-driving-my-tongue-through/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [I had become a perfect fake human, saying the stupid and pointless things that humans say to each other all day long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-had-become-a-perfect-fake-human-saying-the-stupid-and-pointless/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [“Deborah led me away from it and over to the far end of the room. “Dexter,” she said, “promise me you didn’t kill this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/deborah-led-me-away-from-it-and-over-to-the-far-end-of-the-room/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [Detective, I don't know where the boyfriend is, really," I said. And it was true, considering tide, current, and the habits of marine scavengers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/detective-i-don-t-know-where-the-boyfriend-is-really-i-said-and-it/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [“I came, I saw, I blew chunks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-came-i-saw-i-blew-chunks/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [And what did you do last night, Dexter? Oh, I played with my dolls while a friend chopped up my sister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/and-what-did-you-do-last-night-dexter-oh-i-played-with-my-dolls-while/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [In that tremendous flash of freedom, on my way to do The Thing for the first time, sanctioned by Almighty Harry, I receded, faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/in-that-tremendous-flash-of-freedom-on-my-way-to-do-the-thing-for-the/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [“It would be much too difficult for anyone to get in and out of this area, especially if they were carrying questionable loads of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-would-be-much-too-difficult-for-anyone-to-get-in-and-out-of-this/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [“I spent the rest of the workday on routine paperwork, snarling at misplaced files and seething at the stupidity of everyone else's report writing--when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-spent-the-rest-of-the-workday-on-routine-paperwork-snarling-at/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [After a long moment I closed the freezer door. I wanted to lie down and press my cheek against the cool linoleum. Instead I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/after-a-long-moment-i-closed-the-freezer-door-i-wanted-to-lie-down/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [I mean, really: what kind of person could possibly dislike me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-mean-really-what-kind-of-person-could-possibly-dislike-me/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) [Explore all 258 Jeff Lindsay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) ## More Comedy quotes > ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/) [Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I wouldn't want people to laugh at me. That's why I have to give all that I can, and at least produce something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhao-wei/i-wouldn-t-want-people-to-laugh-at-me-that-s-why-i-have-to-give-all/) [Zhao Wei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhao-wei/) > [“Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/our-world-will-not-die-as-a-result-of-the-bomb-as-the-papers-say-it/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [I've been funny my whole life. This is a gift God gave me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/i-ve-been-funny-my-whole-life-this-is-a-gift-god-gave-me/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [“Laugh and grow strong”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-of-loyola/laugh-and-grow-strong/) [Ignatius of Loyola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-of-loyola/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [There's a difference between delivering real funny and just silly funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-rel-howery/there-s-a-difference-between-delivering-real-funny-and-just-silly/) [Lil Rel Howery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-rel-howery/) > [Oh to that corkscrew, the useful tool to unlock the treasure of wit, the treasury of laughter, the front door of fellowship, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-guzaldo/oh-to-that-corkscrew-the-useful-tool-to-unlock-the-treasure-of-wit/) [Andrew Guzaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-guzaldo/) > [“Men circle like bees around honey, buzzing to communicate their sexual despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/men-circle-like-bees-around-honey-buzzing-to-communicate-their-sexual/) [Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/) > [I do love to laugh!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-giudice/i-do-love-to-laugh/) [Teresa Giudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-giudice/) > [I really enjoy making people laugh; I've discovered that's a great technique. That's as powerful as stirring their sorrow, stirring their compassion, because that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-really-enjoy-making-people-laugh-i-ve-discovered-that-s-a-great/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) [Browse all 19,795 Comedy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I try to write as serious as possible, and then a joke slips in.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jeff Lindsay" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-try-to-write-as-serious-as-possible-and-then-a-joke-slips-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comedy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-try-to-write-as-serious-as-possible-and-then-a-joke-slips-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d21/jeff-lindsay-1259_comedy_i-try-to-write-as-serious-as-possible-an_1615334.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d21/jeff-lindsay-1259_comedy_i-try-to-write-as-serious-as-possible-an_1615334.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d21/jeff-lindsay-1259_comedy_i-try-to-write-as-serious-as-possible-an_1615334.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I try to write as serious as possible, and then a joke slips in.” — Jeff Lindsay", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jeff Lindsay", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I try to write as serious...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-try-to-write-as-serious-as-possible-and-then-a-joke-slips-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-try-to-write-as-serious-as-possible-and-then-a-joke-slips-in/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```