HOW TO WRITE A SATIRICAL BRIDGE BLOG..... ( By Carp )

Satire and lampoon is the ridicule or derision of particular vices or idiosyncrasies found in the allegedly bizarre world you wish to explore. The purpose of course is to create irony and humour, with the intent of bringing about shame and/or change of behaviour with regards to those guilty of wrongdoing. Although satire can be seen as cruel it can still serve its purpose by employing a strong sense of wit. So what are the requirements or steps to follow, in order to put together a good satirical article ?

1. Find a topic that makes your blood boil. Ideally, the topic should be naturally ironic or ridiculous, where it becomes easy to identify any absurdity, hypocrisy and contradiction that exists.
2. If it involves an individual find a quote or an action which exposes this person in a light befitting the evidence presented. Moreover, if the silly bugger has shot him/herself in the foot, or has displayed hypocrisy that almost beggars belief, then go for the jugular.
3. If necessary put words into the person's mouth for best results, by starting off with a direct quote but taking it forward in a completely new direction. Adding a few extra words to create a more comical effect is a standard but cunning ploy.
4. If an incident involves several individuals, then you are well placed to create a more complex piece of satire. By adding a few more fictional characters to the plot, you can add more colour and drama to your observations which readers will find extremely amusing.
5. Always broaden your range of attack, which means course many more people becoming legitmate targets.
6. But satire is best achieved if you can adopt a literary style which readers will respect and appreciate.
7. Avoid " actionable malice " in your satire if you want to avoid any legal actions against you for defamation. Never name names, keep everything fairly anonymous, and use make-believe characters wherever possible.......but keep enough resemblance for your readers to understand exactly where you are coming from. However you must remember, the primary focus of any satirist is to amuse and entertain readers, as opposed to just slagging off institutions and people you dislike.
8. Always use hyperbole, since an exaggeration of a truth can hardly be a lie. Hyperbole is a clever literary device that exaggerates facts within the boundaries of acceptability. Sometimes it is necessary to highlight the facts in such a way that the absurdity you wish to expose becomes blatantly obvious.
9. Attempt to use irony to help you tell a story, since clearer messages can often be made by using words and phrases which suggest the exact opposite of what you really mean to say . There is nothing wrong in using sarcasm to criticise or condemn wrongful behaviour..... and injustice.
10. Humour is fine, but not all satire has to be funny. Occasionally, you will need to point out the ridiculous elements of a situation ( or person ) with a hard-hitting and shocking truth. Ceratain facts may need to be brought out into the open, to bring people over to your way of thinking or to make a point in a quicker and more obvious way. Often satire is the only way to get readers to see the absurdity of a situation, which would otherwise elude them.