So a couple
of months back, a couple of teacher friends wanted to go out to lunch. The one
literally asked, “What dates do you prefer?” Me, being me, jumped immediately
on the internet to research different varieties of dates, so I could happily
reply “I like Halawys, though Medjools will do in a pinch. I'm not much for
Deglet Noors.”
I was
half-tempted to go on about the dates, but figured I had gotten my point
across. Now, I’ve been a fan of puns for as long as I can remember knowing what
they are. They’re just fun. My love grew when reading dramatic literature—Go
Shakespeare!—which made extensive use of double entendres, the sexy sibling of
the pun. I even wrote an essay about how I would direct a play using a Star Trek
theme, ensuring the titular role spoke . . . like . . . Captain Kirk, to . . .
emphasize . . . the . . . double entendres.
My point
(which I really don’t have but I’m going to make up on the spot) is that I will
go to great lengths to exploit any kind of pun, double entendre, or innuendo.
And, of course, it bleeds into my writing like crazy. Seriously, this is like
bleeding out of a good-sized artery. And I’m fine with that so long as it suits
my characters.