Adding humor to your writing

"Humor is mankind's greatest blessing." Mark Twain

I've often heard writing humor is the hardest type of writing. I can see the point; humor is even more subjective than the craft of writing itself. But it's fun, and fun is always worth it. Let's look at some ways to make readers laugh, or at least smile.

A word about perspective


Humor is all about perspective. How you, or your characters, view the world or situations is where the funny is, not in formulas or tricks. Humor can be found anywhere. Once you've found the funny, there are several ways to convey it.

Incongruity - This type of humor surprises readers by presenting unlikely connections-like comparing someone to a peanut-or inappropriate role performances-like having a military man dance in a ballet, or a very petite, beautiful woman with an extremely deep voice. 


Visuals - This type of humor uses props or expressions. You might be thinking that's impossible in writing, but it's not. In fact, it's very important. Describing a funny face or using setting as part of the humor works wonders in writing.

Satire - This type of humor mocks someone or something, with sarcasm often playing a role. It works best if whatever is being made fun of is something everyone can identify with, giving them the feeling of: "Yeah, I totally know what you mean! Ha ha!"

Exaggerations - Also known as hyperbole, this type of humor makes something seem more extreme than it really is. Examples: "My plate was so full, I couldn't see over it." "Climbing the stairs to bed every night is like climbing Mount Everest."

Understatements - This type of humor is the opposite of Exaggeration. It's funny because it makes something big look insignificant. Example: A guy risked his life to save your character. They fell from a cliff, just barely escaping death, and your character says: "That was nice", as though the guy did nothing more than hold a door open for him/her.  

Substitutions - This type of humor uses cliches and turns them on their heads. Example: "Divorces  are made in heaven" rather than "Match made in heaven."


Final thoughts
 
Another thing to consider is who in your story is going to be humorous. Is it you, the narrator? Or is it one or more of your characters? The ways to express humor are the same either way, except if it's your characters who are funny, you have a few more avenues, such as witty dialogue and joke telling, things that would be inappropriate for most narrators.


Tomorrow's post - Interview