Photo courtesy of sean-b
There are but a few vocations in which a skilled practitioner can create instantaneous health benefits including relaxation, lowering blood pressure, curing male pattern baldness and increasing immune system response.
Remarkably, as a writer, you’re already in this line of work. Almost all of these health benefits can all be obtained by making your reader giggle, laugh, guffaw or otherwise shoot beverages out an unexpected orifice.
Before I share a few of the methods you can use to add humor to your writing, I’d like to digress for a moment by predicting and addressing your objections.
- “I’ve just never been a very funny person.”
Have you ever laughed at something? A sense of humor is a bi-directional feature. If you can laugh, you can make someone else laugh.
- “I write about stuff that is serious.”
Surprising your readers with a chuckle in the midst of a serious discussion is a terrific way to build a loyal following. Notice I said chuckle - after all, this is serious stuff. - “When I try to be funny, nobody gets it.”
You’re trying too hard. Stop that.
- “I’m a writer. I don’t tell jokes.”
The rules of good writing also apply to humor. Show, don’t tell. - “But, I write poetry | fiction | a blog | non-fiction | essays | on bathroom walls | screenplays.”
Perfect!
Humor isn’t one-size-fits-all, but there are several techniques you can use to drag a smile out of almost anyone.
- Be the joke. There’s only one way to make fun of something without offending anyone else, and that’s if you’re making fun of yourself. Your readers will welcome the invitation to laugh with you. This applies to poking fun at your accoutrements as well – parents, spouses, siblings, children, dogs, hamsters and fish. Never make fun of the cat.
- Be specific. Generalizations can be funny, but specificity is better. For example, a story about squirrels would be funnier if it were about nine beady-eyed squirrels that stuck to the side of my deck in formation, reminding me of the time my little brother glued his G.I. Joe’s to the kitchen wall and declared war against all things legume.
- Use comedic timing. This can be as simple as applying the funny word, phrase or sentence at the last possible moment. You can force a pause before the punch line by starting a new paragraph. If you’re telling a story, you can use this technique to apply the element of surprise, taking the reader in an entirely unexpected (and funny) direction. This method works 100% of the time.
Unless it doesn’t. - Use a thesaurus. A single word can be really, really funny. It may be the way they sound or even how they’re spelled that gets the laugh. You’ll know immediately when you see one, which is why your thesaurus is essential. For example, destroy is routine but pulverize is hilarious. Yellow is conventional but chartreuse is witty. Surprise is ordinary but flabbergasted is priceless.
- Use a swipe file. This is one of the best tools for anyone who writes. A swipe file is a collection of really good stuff that you didn’t think of first. Despite the name, there is no plagiaristic aspect to a swipe file. These tidbits are purely for inspiration. I keep my file electronically, and two of my favorite items are transitory phrases: ‘Not to be outdone’ and ‘In a related development’. These are quite useful in introducing a comic turn of events. Feel free to swipe them. I did.
- Edit the crap out of it. (Notice how double entendres aren’t really that funny.) The truth is that being funny is incredibly hard work for most of us. Your first draft has some good stuff in it. Use the rules above to make it better. Then do it again. Then read it out loud to someone who doesn’t speak your language. This avoids humiliation while allowing you to hear, and correct, the cadence of your writing. When you think you’re done, ask a friend to read it, silently, in your presence. Focus your attention on the outer corner of their eyes while trying to appear indifferent.
When you see the crinkle, start breathing again. When you see the grin, let out a sigh of relief. When the grin turns into giggle, you’ll find that you are giggling, too. When the giggle turns into a guffaw, send the piece to your editor with the serenity that can only come from contributing to the good health and soda-stained keyboards of your readers.
Annie Binns blogs about her passions for life, cars, internet marketing and other funny topics at Life in the Fun Lane.
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28 Comments, Comment or Ping
Scott McIntyre
These are very useful tips on how to write in a humorous way, Annie.
As you say, funny is certainly in the eye of the beholder- just like beauty!
I like the approach you suggest, especially to edit ruthlessly.
All too often, a rambling lead up to the punchline can destroy any laughs you’ve tried to set up.
Now, I’m off to try the art of hilarity :-)
Jul 30th, 2008
Eric Honaker
Thanks a lot. Like a lot of good advice, this entry is made up of things I knew, somewhere in the back of my head. I just hadn’t thought of them in a useful and organized way.
Jul 31st, 2008
--Deb
I agree, humor is HARD. I can write in a general, conversational way easily enough, but I can only write “funny” when the stars are aligned just so. Good tips!
Jul 31st, 2008
Writer Dad
If you can breathe, you can be funny. You just have to look inside yourself and discover what it is that tickles your own toes. Chances are, if it can widen your smile, there are plenty of others who will feel the same way.
Jul 31st, 2008
Terri
I do write about a fairly serious topic and I really think humor is necessary to help the medicine go down! These tips are great!
Jul 31st, 2008
Alex the Freelance Twin
I like that, “be the joke”. I’m somebody who isn’t afraid to crack jokes (even if they make some people uncomfortable) and I’m definitely not afraid to make myself the butt of the joke.
Humor is universal, and if you can pull it off, do it.
Jul 31st, 2008
Annie Binns
@Scott – I think rambling is necessary to get those first drafts off your chest. You’re right, though, it can be a real buzz-kill when you are going for a laugh.
@Eric – Glad it helps to see them listed out. That’s what I like so much about Leo’s other blog. Lists rock!
@Deb – I think we’re all that way. I have to find something to make me laugh first to wake up my funny bone. That’s not always easy to do!
@WriterDad – Yessssssssss!!!!!!!! That is why even my CAT is funny!!!!
@Terri – You are so right. The best eulogies I’ve heard have extremely funny stories about the people we’ve lost. Being serious, respectful and funny is humanity at its best.
@Alex – That’s precisely why I can get away with telling blonde jokes. :-)
Jul 31st, 2008
Ron Rink
Great advice — the kind I need to take to heart. I write much too seriously. Ohh — and a good place to build up a swipe file is the sound bites of politicians. Some of those are REALLY funny!!
Jul 31st, 2008
Bamboo Forest
This is really solid advice to help bloggers inject some funnies into their writing.
I believe humor almost always enhances ones writing. I am always looking for the opportunity to add a little humor in my writing. It makes everyone happy.
Jul 31st, 2008
Terri
OOps forgot to say my new word for surprised that I intend to use someday is gobsmacked–isn’t that hilarious?
Jul 31st, 2008
Mary Jaksch
I’m a very serious person and I notice my friends sometimes behave in a strange way that could mean they are amused.
Could I have some advice on how to deal with that, please?
I’ve noticed that friends dining with me often choke on their food and snuffle into their drinks. Especially when food on my plate slides off onto other laps - which it does seem to do quite often. And of course wine glasses are so badly designed that they don’t easily stay upright.
I offer to hit them - I mean my friends - to stop them choking but that seems to make things worse. They tend to double up, start crying, and make strange noises.
What should I do to help them?
Jul 31st, 2008
Mary Jaksch
What I was trying to demonstrate in the comment above is that humor also works if you play the ’straight man’. You’re then the only person unable to see the joke.
Jul 31st, 2008
Charlie Thomas
Humor is hard to execute, and without resorting to the old Vaudeville rules for comedy (the letter K and anvils are comic gold!), it can be hard to wring funny out of an otherwise dry piece on, say, peak oil or the global conspiracy involving Freemasons, al Qaeda, the Illuminati, and Starbucks. Here, then, is the absolute simplest piece of advice that I can give (and I have been officially certified in the lab as a funny - the tech noted that the last time he had seen readings this high, it was when he tested a platypus, widely known in biology as the funniest creature in the animal kingdom (in fact, its scientific name, LOLificus WTFarum means “holy sweet mother, I’m gonna pee myself just LOOKIN’ at that thing (which is exactly what the discoverer of the platypus did (this being the heady days before Depends)))).
So here now is my single most effective piece of advice - don’t be afraid to bomb. The trouble with humor is that not everyone is going to get it. In fact, no less than 72% of you reading this groaned in agony at the above paragraph (the other 28% are patiently awaiting their medication). How many people walked out on Andy Kaufman because they didn’t get it? Humor that is worried about going over to the audience/reader almost always resembles a sitcom written by committee, and we all know how funny committees are, right?
And don’t forget to use the single funniest word in the English language - suppository. It sounds like it should be a warehouse for suppositions - it’s not. Oh, it’s really not.
Jul 31st, 2008
Annie Binns
@Ron – Politicians are becoming funnier and funnier as November approaches!
@Bamboo – So glad you liked it! I’m a HUGE fan of yours and your brother. :-)
@Terri – I love that word! It brings to mind that look of complete, utter shock that I see on my husband’s face when he hears the words, “Honey, I made dinner.”
@Mary – HAHA! You could only pull that off under a pseudonym – you are too well-known for your introspection to be the straight man. Woman. Person.
@Charlie – As a fan of both platypuses (platypi?) and Andy Kaufman, I thank you for your very funny comment. Notice how I’m not going to mention the suppositories
Aug 1st, 2008
Flora Morris Brown, Ph.D.
Annie,
This was fabulous. I love humor and wit in whatever I read, especially when it’s supposed to serious.
In my own writing, however, I interject humor very cautiously. You’ve encouraged me to be bolder even at the risk of bombing as pointed out by Charlie as a real danger.
Aug 2nd, 2008
Bamboo Forest
@ Annie: Me and my brother are honored, and thrilled to have you as a reader.
Aug 2nd, 2008
SpaceAgeSage
I tried humor a few times in a newspaper column I used to write, but I haven’t played around with it much in my blog. I’m known for serious, not funny, except when teaching. I wonder why I can be funny in front of a group, but not so humorous my writing?
Aug 3rd, 2008
Mary Jaksch
Hi Spaceagesage
I’ve got the same problem. When I write for my blog Goodlife Zen, I’m serious, although in ordinary life I’m actually quite zany - especially when I’m with friends.
What’s your suggestion, Annie?
Aug 3rd, 2008
Annie Binns
@Flora - Glad to hear you’ll take the humor challenge!
@Spaceagesage & Mary - My opinion is that this idea of serious writing can be traced to our formal education. If your writing bones were formed in a classroom, throwing in a laugh can feel like a stress fracture! My suggestion is rudimentary - give it a try. A small one. Then do it again. The fact that you can be goofy off-paper means you just have to give your inner editor a martini or two.
Aug 4th, 2008
Mary Jaksch
Hi Annie!
My inner editor is awfully strict with me: No martinis allowed!!
Maybe it’s a case of trust versus control. I mean, if we trust out baby humor steps, we can grow and learn. Whereas, if we allow the inner editor to stifle us with her or his tight control, we can’t develop anything new.
Trust is difficult for me because my parents moved to Germany when I was little and that’s were I grew up. What I took on board is encapsulated in the following German saying (please read aloud with a gutteral accent to get the full flavor):
Trust is good; control is better!
Aug 4th, 2008
SpaceAgeSage
Thanks for the insight, Annie. My inner editor’s mentors must have been the hard-drinking, but ever-so strict journalism profs; that and my very German family background. Everything must be proper, you know.
Mary, that quote was perfect!
Lori
Aug 4th, 2008
Kare Anderson
Annie,
Your pithy suggestions are so helpful. Thanks. Here’s brief posts on humor in writing or speaking - and on contagious laughter
How Hard is it to Get Others to Laugh?
http://www.movingfrommetowe.com/2008/03/10/how-hard-is-it-to-get-others-to-laugh/
Don’t Start Your Speech With a Joke
http://sayitbetter.typepad.com/say_it_better/2008/02/dont-start-your.html
New Way to Laugh at the News
http://sayitbetter.typepad.com/say_it_better/2007/03/new_way_to_laug.html
Laugh and the World Laughs With You
http://sayitbetter.typepad.com/say_it_better/2007/02/laugh_and_the_w.html
Aug 5th, 2008
Mary Jaksch
Hi Writing Dad!
I had a look at your new blog. Congratulation! I love the tagline “Life’s a lot better when you have the right words.”
Good idea to buy Darren’s book. It makes it so much easier when you have great advice to hand.
Aug 6th, 2008
Tumblemoose
Humor. An absolute necessity. A writer can still have a professional post or writing and inject appropriate humor where appropriate.
Thanks for the tips and the reminder.
Lighten up, people.
Sep 17th, 2008
unero
the only funny thing about this article was that every joke made was terrible.
seriously. this shit is useless. “use comedic timing”. well that’s a very fucking specific technique isn’t it?
if there was a “secret” to writing funny, then everybody’s story or blog would be full of amazing jokes. Humour would be the kind of thing where you could sit down and work out and eventually say “There. That’s hilarious.” But it’s not. Humour relies on a keen eye for subtleties, careful exaggerations and yes, timing, but having a list of tips to refer to is either going to make your humour generic, lifeless, or, most likely, both. If you have a sense of humour and are inventive and creative with the way you write, you’ll express your humour automatically through your work. As you write you’ll think of funny ways of looking at things and they’ll come out and they’ll be funny. It’s never funny if somebody says something and it’s obvious they thought of the line ages ago and have been waiting to say it.
Sep 17th, 2008
Sun
Very good. Thank you for the information.
Sep 18th, 2008
Mary Jaksch
I recently received an email from a friend, Bert Freestone. In it he told two stories from the time when he was involved in an orchestra. Bert sure knows how to write funny:
“They let me play the cymbals in the School of Music orchestra, when I was their tea-boy (or concert manager –as they called me-to keep me interested). I’m sure half the audience only came to see/hear my mistakes! Once –at the end of the 1812, I had eight crashes to play. I couldn’t read music so the tympanist said “count one-two-three-crash- eight times – and I’ll kick you when to start”. Unfortunately he kicked me a bar too late, and there was a crash when everybody else had stopped. There was utter silence - Frank Clayton-Oxley - the conductor, was looking daggers! What could I do? I bowed – and the audience erupted in applause – and laughter !
Following the 1812 debacle – a month later we were performing a concert for the Intermediate School. By this time we had a proper percussionist- Marion Raywood – the Education Board Music Advisor.
By now I had learned to roll the side drum and Marion and I shared percussionist duties between us. During a Hayden symphony while Marion was on the triangle and I on the cymbals,it was necessary for Marion to take over the cymbals to enable me to roll the side drum. Unfortunately –being an impetuous woman – she grabbed the cymbals with one of my thumbs still in a cymbal strap. Consequently I had to roll the drum with one hand, while the other moved backwards and forwards in unison with the cymbals. Of course the children loved it!”
Sep 19th, 2008
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