Lie Like A Fly With A Booger In Its Eye

In a very old episode of The Simpsons, there is a scene at the school where a girl says, "You lie like a fly with a booger in its eye!" It's funny. It's also kind of catchy. In fact, it's so catchy that I still remember it to this day.

I said it in a conversation today, at which point I noticed something I never considered before: 'lie', 'fly', and 'eye' all rhyme, but all use different letters to make the rhyming sound.

This is a perfect example of whether you want your writing read or heard. When you speak it, it rhymes and is catchy and amusing. When you read it, it comes off weird and gross (not to mention nonsensical).

Sometimes I have a turn of phrase or a good dialogue, but I realize that it is only funny when spoken (if you come up with as many puns as I do, it's a fairly common occurrence). It's not pleasant, but when I'm in that situation, I simply have to let it go. There is no way to force it without lowering the quality of your writing.