This week we discussed humor in our writing. That surprise that tickles the brain. That element that brings a twinkle of mischief and joy to any story. You gotta have it.
But how?
The trouble with humor is that laughter is a learned response. As babies, we all giggle as our mommies tickle our tummies, but as we grow older we learn what to laugh at by watching the people around us. Have you ever heard a joke translated from another language or another culture, and knew there was no way you were ever going to get it? That's because we all laugh at different things. SO- make sure your humor is going to tickle the ribs of YOUR target audience.
We made a list of all the kinds of humor we could think of, from gross-out gags to subtle situational irony. There was also parody, satire, slapstick, absurdity, puns, exaggeration, sarcasm, running gags, inside jokes, and a few others that I can't remember because I erased the white board before copying them down *facepalm*. The fun part was adding to the list as our club members did their readings and used kinds of humor in their stories that we hadn't even thought of.
How do you know whether a bit of humor will work on your audience? You don't. You have to test it. And one person may think it is hilarious while another person just won't get it. Don't be discouraged when your jokes fall flat. Keep working at it. Humor in writing, as in acting, or even in conversation, is an art.
A word on making your characters laugh. Laughter, like tears, is an emotional release. Usually if your characters are laughing, the reader is not amused, and the story loses some intensity. I'm not saying you should never let your characters laugh. It can be a good way to lighten things up if the moment gets too tense. Most readers appreciate some rise and fall of tension throughout a story, and you can achieve a relaxing drop in tension by giving your characters a good laugh. Only be aware that when your characters are guffawing at your brilliant joke, dear author, your readers will probably not feel like laughing with them. Readers tend to reward the storyteller with the biggest laughs when the characters are NOT laughing.
So that's it! Go now and be funny.
