When you read a good book laced with humor what makes you laugh? Is it the witty dialogue of a character; the descriptive attire of a character or setting; or maybe a character caught in an embarrassing or silly situation? We all have different taste. One person might roll on the floor in uncontrollable laughter over a scene involving a convertible, a carwash, and a big dog, another person might emit only a small grin, and still another may shake their head. There are as many different situations to induce laughter as there are authors who write them.
First, you must introduce humor to your reader on the first page and plant humor throughout your book. Is the set up and delivery of your humorous scenes important? Absolutely. Make those scenes come alive with well placed action verbs that show rather than tell, and spot-on dialog.
You only need one humorous character. Sometimes it’s necessary to remove all of your own logic and sensibility to reach the core of your humorous character. The humor in your story doesn’t have to be your sense of humor. Remember, your goal is to make your reader laugh, not your characters.
Continually ask yourself what would make this scene or situation funnier. Let the obvious reaction brew and percolate inside you, then pour it onto the page and ask yourself: What hysterical concoction can I create that the reader doesn’t expect to receive?
Weigh your romantic comedy against the amount of drama. If the emphasis is on comedy, you’ve written a romantic comedy. If the balance swings toward drama, you've penned a romance with humorous elements. Romantic comedy usually has three main elements of conflict. Global: characters and their world. Direct: characters against characters. Inner: character at odds with themself. To remove one of these conflicts, you risk lessening the stakes the characters have in the story.
Even the lightest romantic comedies have underlying emotional elements. Without them, all you’ll have is a collection of comic skits void of any emotion to glue them together. The reader might be amused, but they won’t be drawn into a deep connection with the characters. You must tap into your characters deep point of view to demonstrate a relationship growing between two people.
Don’t forget, well placed comic lines serve an important function. They offer a great way for the author to relax the pace for a moment and allow the reader to pause and catch their breath before the next intense round emerges. Comic lines in dialogue also create great relief and reduce the intense pressure in a serious or suspenseful scene. Let your reader slow their pounding heart, rest their anxious soul, and relax their white-knuckled grip on their book.
So, what makes you grin, giggle, laugh, or roll on the floor in hysterics? Do you write humor into your stories?
7 comments:
Great Blog, Lori!
I think quirky characters make me laugh the most. Like the off beat characters in Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books. The things they do and say crack me up. Your writing and characters also make me laugh. Their quirky ways of seeing a situation.
I don't write heavy comedy, but I like to infuse grins and subtle laughter into my books. Humor is human nature and if it isn't in a book the book isn't a whole package to me.
I used to put a lot of humor into my stories, but as I've switched to mystery or RS, the humor angles have become more subdued, relegated to a wry observation or a silly situation on occasion.
You wrote: The humor in your story doesn’t have to be your sense of humor. Remember, your goal is to make your reader laugh, not your characters.
I have to give those two sentences some thought. At first read, I'm wondering how you include humor that doesn't amuse you. At second read, I think, well, perhaps finding a dead goldfish in my bed wouldn't make me laugh but would make these characters laugh. And then at third read where you say it's my readers I want to laugh, then it does have to strike me as funny, doesn't it? I mean, if a situation doesn't strike my characters (or me) as funny, how will it strike a reader for doesn't the comic element grow from the character's perceptions? Maybe it's too early in the a.m. for my brain to work. Could you give me an example to make it more clear to me?
Humor is hard to write for the very reasons you mentioned -- everyone has a different sensibility about what constitutes humor and even an individuals perceptions can change over the years. Sometimes I'll see or watch something I recall as being side-splitting funny and find it tedious.
Thanks for an interesting blog.
The ridiculous and the unexpected make me laugh. Like Paty, the characters in the Plum books crack me up -- the grandma and Lula are so out there and over the top...
You are good at writing humor too, Lori. There are funny parts in my stories too, at least people tell me there are...
Good blog, we havent' talked about humor in writing for awhile. I think being able to write it is sort of a natural ability, or better left out. Trying to force funniness falls flat.
I love comedy, and I try to include it in my works.
I'm always asking myself how to push the envelope--What would be the worst case scenario, and then what would be a FUNNY worst case scenario.
I.e. Heroine needs to get to point B. "Heroine drove to B."
Worst case: Car won't start.
FUNNY worst case: Heroine is wearing 6 inch heels for the first time, and unusually revealing clothing and must walk the distance.
Push the envelope: Her MOTHER sees her. OR hero sees her.
GREAT BLOG!
Paty,I like quirky characters too. You can't help but like them, in the same breath you'd sometimes like to smack them up-side-the-head.
I've never read a Janet Evanovich book. Guess I'll have to see what Stephanie Plum is all about.
You said: 'Humor is human nature and if it isn't in a book the book isn't a whole package to me.'
I agree sister.
Alice, Ack! You made me hunt for the switch to flip on my brain.
What I was trying to say as writers we shouldn't forget to think and move beyond our own laughter meter stick and plow into humorous zones we wouldn't naturally seek or visit.
I was suggesting, poorly at that, it's best to avoid humor that comes through the author in narrative, which can be telling, almost directing the reader and holding up a 'laugh' sign for the reader to commence laughter now.
I think our mood also plays a big part in our humor at any given moment. I've watched movies that left me rolling on the floor and wiping away fat tears. A few years later I see the movie again with great anticipation and I shake my head and say, "Why did I think this was so funny."
Danita, I've haven't read any of your works, but every time we talk I say to myself, 'That girl is funny!'
You wrote: 'Trying to force funniness falls flat.'
I agree sister!
Wavy, Great examples. I love examples. I learn so much from them.
Keep pushing that envelope.
"Your goal is to make your reader laugh, not your characters." This is one of those observations that are so simply profound that they may be overlooked. Wonderful!
Even though my stories tend to be emotionally intense, I include humor in them. Humor can be a great way to diffuse an intense situation--not to be confused with destroying the tension of the story. For instance, if the hero has gotten himself into a jam that looks like he can't escape from--like he's surrounded by half dozen surly bikers and his martial arts skills are zero. The knives come out and he addresses one of the guys as Uncle Frank. While "Uncle Frank" wonders if the guy is crazy or actually is his nephew, the other bikers back off in confusion, giving our hero time to escape. Or have a reunion with Uncle Frank. Perhaps a lame example, but humor can be a good tool even in dramatic stories if used wisely.
Good topic, Lori!
Genene, You said: Humor can be a great way to diffuse an intense situation--not to be confused with destroying the tension of the story.
A great statement.
I also loved your 'Uncle Frank' example. Cracked me up. Good thinking.
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