Unlock Your Funny Bone: Writing Humor Is Easier Than You Think!

I’ve rarely attempted to be funny in my writing.

There are a couple of reasons for that. One, my stories tend to lean toward the serious side. The characters deal with difficult situations. There is tension, action, and mystery. Humor didn’t seem to fit.

Two, I thought I wouldn’t be any good at it. I tend to be more serious overall. I do have a wry sense of humor that my friends and family seem to appreciate. But I never thought I could translate that onto the page.

Until my most recent historical fantasy, The Curse of King Midas.

This time, I added humor, and I got a lot of positive feedback on it from readers. Plus, it made the writing a lot of fun!

If you, too, may think you’re not “good” at writing humor, but in your heart of hearts, you’d like to try it, I have some tips that may help.

1. Approach Your Story Differently

There’s one reason that humor was on my mind when I started writing this story: ultimately, it was going to be a musical.

At least, that’s how it started. A talented friend who is also a music composer asked me if I’d consider writing the story of the mythical King Midas. He was toying with the idea of making a musical out of it but told me that the best musicals are based on books.

Would I write the book?

I was between books and needed a new project, so I researched the idea. I was delighted to discover that King Midas was a real person. (More about that in this post on how to combine myth with history to create historical fantasy.)

That bit of knowledge gave me the inspiration I needed for the main story, but there was one more piece I felt I needed to have: humor.

Most musicals have humorous scenes in them. I should know—I’m a horn player and have played in the pit orchestra for countless productions.

When you’re in the pit, you see the musical performed numerous times. It’s easy to get bored, but I always look forward to the funny scenes. There is often some character or group of characters that lighten the mood at various times during the show.

I needed something like that in my story. Considering how it was usually done in musicals helped me come up with a way that worked perfectly for my writing style.

Thought: If you want to add humor to your story, imagine how you may approach it differently. What if it were to form the basis for a musical, play, or movie script? How might that change the way you write it?

2. Use Your Characters

Authors use humor in many different ways. They may play with word choice to arouse humor through sound. They may use asides (in parentheses) to state the obvious, allow the narrator to make fun of themselves, or make a witty remark. They may use irony or exaggeration.

So far, I haven’t found that any of these methods come easily to me. But I knew from experience that in most musicals, it’s certain characters that create the humor.

With that in mind, I chose King Midas’ three advisors. Since I’m a “pantser” or discovery writer, I didn’t create them beforehand. I just started imagining these three advisors standing near the king and what they might be like.

One of my Goodreads reviews may describe them best:

“The characters and plot are skillfully introduced with some interesting supporting characters including the king’s three advisors who are deliberately quirky and come across as a blend of the three wise men and the three stooges. One of them talks at cross purposes, always saying the opposite of what he means which takes a bit of getting used to and is surprisingly fun.”

Thanks, Gavin!

Once I had these characters in mind, I was good to go. Whenever they entered a scene, the humor seemed to flow naturally.

My serious nature still comes through in the story. The plot deals with hefty themes of loss and revenge. But I now know how effective it can be to have a few humorous characters lend a little comic relief now and then.

Thought: Could your story use a quirky character or two (or three) that might add humor where needed? What characters might they be? How would their interaction create a laugh for your reader?

3. Ask Yourself: Am I Laughing?

I am producing the audiobook version of The Curse of King Midas at the time of this writing, so I’m listening to each scene to check for errors. I’ve edited the draft so many times I have each scene nearly memorized. Yet I still chuckle when the advisors come in.

If you’re laughing when you’re writing your humorous scene, there’s a good chance readers will laugh too. It’s even better if you’re still laughing after multiple drafts.

4. Listen To Your Beta Readers

The final test is to see if others get your sense of humor.

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This is tricky because humor is just as subjective as everything else—perhaps more so. The humor in my story is wry and sarcastic. That’s a style many people enjoy, but some just don’t get it.

A few of my beta readers were confused instead of amused at my advisors. But they were in the minority. Most readers loved them and made a point to say so in their feedback. (Another reason why it’s a good idea to have several beta readers!)

Just as not everyone will love your story, not everyone will get your sense of humor. It’s when most readers talk enthusiastically about your humorous scenes that you know you’ve aced this facet of storytelling.

Give It A Try!

I never thought I’d write humorous scenes in my stories, but I’m so glad I did. It’s always rewarding when readers enjoy our stories, but I think it’s even better when they get a laugh or two out of them.

If you have a story that you think would benefit from a little humor, I encourage you to give it a try!

Note: Get your free sample of The Curse of King Midas along with insider news about Colleen’s writing life here!

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