Problem: Article: How might you rewrite one of Pacino's monologues from Scent of a Woman to make it comedic? What if you had to rewrite Quint's story in such a way as to suggest that he might be a liar? Comic writing is difficult because it has much less to do with the content of the writing and much more to do with the presentation of them.  As an exercise, try rewriting "angry" monologues to play them up for humor. Comedy and drama share borderlines, making this more do-able than it may seem. Gabriel Davis is a modern playwright with a great talent for humor and witty scenarios with humor built into them. A woman who eats her divorce papers? A man who decides to have a bar mitzvah at the age of 26? Check. Check out his frequent use of monologues for comedic effect. A good monologue won't necessarily be all funny or all serious. Like you want to vary the anger-level of a fight scene, putting funny content into an otherwise tragic situation will leaven the drama with a laugh and help to make the audience feel something complicated. That's what good comedy does. The films of Martin Scorsese are often notable for combining extremely funny moments with moments of high tension. Jake LaMotta's monologues while preparing to go on stage in Raging Bull are simultaneously humorous and heartbreaking. Successful comic monologues generally won't involve toilet humor or bodily functions, unless the other aspects of the drama somehow dictate it. Building in a sense of irony, sarcasm, and some sort of complexity into the humor will make it much more successful and interesting to the general audience. Before you write a monologue, decide where it will start and where it will end, even going as far as to write the first and the last sentence; have some idea of how long you'd like the monologue to be, and then filling in the middle space. How would you finish the following first and last lines of a potential monologue?  Your dog is dead. / Wipe that stupid grin off your face! What is your mother's problem? / I'm not going to Skype with a cat in the room. Where's the godforsaken half-and-half? / Forget it, forget it, forget it, I'm taking the horse. Come on, just this once. / I'm never going back to church.
Summary: Try revising a dramatic monologue to make it comedic. Aim for complexity. Make it funny, not goofy. Write from one pole to another.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Some individuals who are shy may have negative thoughts that make it difficult to engage in social interactions. Some examples include, “I’m inhibited by others,” “I’m not as interesting as other people,” or “I have trouble thinking of things to say when talking to others.”  Notice when you are having negative thoughts about interacting with others. Evaluate patterns in your thinking that might produce anxiety or nervousness. Come up with alternative thoughts to tell yourself when you notice you are having a negative thought. Reassurance or self-affirmations can help you cope with feeling shy in social situations, which may help you be less shy and be noticed more often.  If you are feeling shy or anxious you can think or tell yourself, "I am feeling anxious, but I know I can get through this." If you want to get noticed but feel anxious you can tell yourself, "I am feeling shy, but I want people to notice me. I know I can put myself in the center of the room. I can deal with my anxiety and still be noticed." During times when you not feeling confident you can think, "I am worthy of friendship and love even though I am shy. I am interesting. I am awesome." During your down-time, you can work on improving your social skills. Focus on smiling, asking questions, and listening.   You can take a social skills class, or get group therapy treatment. Toastmasters is a useful resource for helping people become comfortable with public speaking.

SUMMARY: Change your anxious thoughts. Reassure yourself. Learn necessary social skills.

In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: This recipe is much quicker and leads to a heavier treat than the light, airy puppies shown above. To make, simply mix the wet and dry ingredients separately, combine, and then cook as shown above:  Wet ingredients  2 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup milk or buttermilk   Dry ingredients  1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup + 2 tablespoons self-rising cornmeal 1/2 cup white sugar 1 large onion, finely diced 1 teaspoon salt Instead of using a mixture of flour and cornmeal, get a more classic flavor by just using 2 cups of cornmeal. Use 2 eggs instead of 1 to help it hold together better. Green bell peppers are at the heart of Louisiana cooking, and some Cajun chefs can't do without them. To make them, use a mandolin or sharp knife to cut fine, small strips of pepper and add with the onion. To make them, mix the pulled and shredded crab meat into the buttermilk before adding to the dry ingredients. Cut the amount of all-purpose flour in half and cook like normal.  One cup of chopped raw shrimp can also be used for a seafood kick. This recipe also goes well with the green bell pepper variation mentioned above. Sometimes called Mississippi hush puppies, this is the same concept as a beer-battered fish or fry. The also go well with a chopped jalapeno pepper. The rest of the cooking is just like normal. This should be roughly 3/4 cup (180ml) beer. Want delicious hush puppies without frying? You can fill a muffin tin with your batter instead of frying to get delicious, puffy hush puppies anytime. Just add 1 tablespoon (15ml) vegetable oil to the batter and stir in to help them cook. Use cooking spray, oil, or butter to lightly grease the muffin tin.
Summary: Simplify your liquids to just milk and two eggs for a denser, easier hush puppy. Consider a denser, all cornmeal variation. Add a shredded green bell pepper for a Cajun/Creole twist. Throw in 8 ounces of fresh crab meat for crab cake hush puppies. Substitute a half can of beer for the buttermilk for a tangier, lighter treat. Bake the hush puppies in a muffin tin at 450F/230C for 10 minutes for a low-fat option. Finished.

In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: During this cleaning process you will be working close to the electrical components of your exhaust fan. To minimize the risk of injury, fully unplug the exhaust unit before proceeding. In the event of faulty wiring or a broken switch, simply turning the fan off does not cut out electricity from every part of the appliance. Grease filters are rectangular, and made of metal mesh. They are located on the underside of the hood or microwave exhaust fan. If you have trouble finding your grease filter, consult the owner’s manual, or visit the manufacture’s website and find information for your specific make and model. Modern microwave systems sometimes have a small charcoal filter on top of the unit which filters out odors. This filter should be replaced every 6-12 months, depending on use. Unhook any levers or tabs that are holding the filter in place and gently pull the dirty filter out. Most filters will come out with little effort, but heavy grease build up may cause some filters to stick. Sliding a butter knife around the edge of the filter is an easy way to loosen up a stubborn filter. This will be the pan you are soaking and cleaning the filter in. The pan should be deep enough to fully submerge the filter in the cleaning solution. The average sheet pan is perfect for most grease filters.
Summary:
Turn off and unplug the exhaust fan. Locate the grease filter. Remove the grease filter. Place the grease filter in a pan or container.