《How to Write Stories People Will Love》Question 46: Humor
Advertisement
asks: How do you know what is funny to most people? I have been reading about MBTI and humor. Conceptually, it makes sense. In practice, I struggle making it fit my story. My humor style is internal. I do things that make me laugh inside when no one else might get it.
For those unfamiliar, MBTI refers to the Meyers Briggs Type Indicator, which is a detailed personality test that categorizes you into one of 16 types. It is often used by writers to help flesh our their characters.
Humor is one of those things that varies greatly from person to person. What's funny to one person might make someone else scratch their heads. I still laugh at fart jokes, yet other forms of crude humor aren't funny to me. What we find funny can depend on our sum of personal experiences, as well as personality.
Thing is, you can be taught the concept of humor and understand it, but certain things still might not seem funny to you. We're all wired a certain way, and if we try to write in a manner that doesn't feel natural to us, then the writing won't feel natural either. All of this is basically to echo one of my earliest chapters: which is to write what you enjoy. Not everyone is going to get it, but some will.
Now that that's out of the way, I can try going over some common ways to be funny.
This one tends to come naturally to most people. It's stating something that obviously isn't true. The key here is that it's obvious. The more ridiculously obvious, the better. Let's say Jane's parents presented her with tickets to the circus, and she doesn't look excited. They ask why. She replies...
"Right, because I love the circus so much." (Weak)
Advertisement
"Right, because I've always wanted to develop nightmares about clowns." (Better)
I'll give you one more example. In my book, Nirrin, the main character is forced to nap on the ground. Another character asks her if it will be comfortable enough, and she replies, "Oh yeah. The ground is surprisingly luxurious. I don't know why I've waited this long to sleep on it."
An analogy is when you compare one thing to another. With Snow White, we get "skin as white as snow". (Girl obviously does NOT get any sun.) Analogies can be funny when you compare something to something else that is unexpected, outlandish, or paints a ridiculous picture. I'll try to make up some examples:
Dad sunning himself in the backyard reminded me of a beached whale. With a beard.
The engine sputtered like that time I accidentally almost drowned myself with a cup of water.
The tea was bitter. Like licking tree bark. Don't ask me how I know.
This refers to funny things you see rather than dialogue. It's very effective in movies, but not so much in books. In movies, you see it happening, see their facial expressions, and instantly connect with the mishap. In books, there's less impact as it relies on the reader's imagination, and trying to describe it in too much detail slows down the pace. In books, I think what makes physical humor funny is how the scene is described, and how characters react to the mishap.
Let's say someone trips and knocks over a store display. In a movie, this by itself could be funny, depending on the actor. In a book, it's all about writing style and how the scene is presented.
BORING: I tripped and careened into a store display. Everything fell down and there was a lot of noise. People stared at me. It was so embarrassing.
Advertisement
FUNNY: I managed to trip over air and careened into a pyramid of canned beans. Everything clattered to the floor. The cans, the sale sign, me, and especially my dignity. People stared in horror. $2.99 for a can of beans? How could that possibly be the sale price?
Humor is hard. Try paying attention when something you read makes you laugh. Examine it. What about it made you laugh? The more you expose yourself to examples of funny writing, the better at it you'll become.
Do you have any tips you'd like to share about humor? What are some of your favorite forms of funny literature?
Advertisement
CHRONICLES of a PC Gamer Stuck Inside an RPG (Book Two: Successor)
[2/28/19 Update: The CHRONICLES series has been removed from Amazon Kindle Unlimited. This means the beta version of the entire series is available on RR. Enjoy!] Book Two: Successor of CHRONICLES of a PC Gamer Stuck Inside an RPG continues the (mis)adventures of Lawrence Eugene Mulligan, who was brought to a new world by a divine entity known as the Gamemaster. Our main character ("MC") has only one objective: to become the King of the Kingdom of Merlin in order to return home. Luckily for our MC, he has developed strong relationships with numerous Non-Player Characters ("NPCs"), organizations, and even Gods (!) to help Lawrence achieve his ultimate goal. CHRONICLES of a PC Gamer Stuck Inside an RPG is a hardcore slice-of-life genre story which focuses on our unlikely MC as he handles quests and events that the Gamemaster constantly throws at the MC. All in the name of entertainment for the Gamemaster. Book Two: Successor is a sequel which continues the events of the final chapter of the previous book. And thus, it is important for readers to finish the previous work before delving into this next book. The official Amazon release (which includes an exclusive 2k words side story) is available at: https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B07KDJXF4K
8 213Sonnets
A collection of poems, written by the author in a specific rhyme scheme. All original poetry, written by P. J. Lowry...
8 179Abhaya Bhairavi #Wattys2020
🥇 First place in The Casia Flair Awards 2020.🥇 First place in The Rare Awards 2020.🥈 Second place in The Thriller Awards 2020.🥉 Third place in The Aspirants Awards 2020.🥉 Third place in The Trickster Awards 2020.🥉 Third place in The Lunar Awards 2020.🥉 Third place in The Upcoming Writers' Awards 2020.After surviving an accident which claimed the lives of her beloved parents, Bhairavi's maternal grandmother comes to live with her. But she has already forsaken her voice, her friends, her relationship, her studies, even her laughter. Barely does her grief become bearable when strange things begin to happen. Being a girl of the Twenty-First century, she has seen all superhero and supernatural movies to know that this is unlike any of those scenarios. As her powers become stronger, her perception of reality begins to unravel, all people are not human, and all immortal monsters are not evil, but when it becomes evident that there is something fishy regarding the accident she miraculously survived, Bhairavi takes matters into her own hands. Supported by the unlikeliest allies, she sets out to find the truth. But does the truth always set one free?A fresh, modern take on Hindu mythology. If you think talking lions, friendly demons, and the power to make sexual offenders painfully ejaculate uncontrollably, sounds cool, then this is the book for you!!Ranked 306/ 158k in Supernatural (14.11.2020)Ranked 96/ 76.8k in Demons (14.11.2020)Ranked 99/ 25.9k in India (14.11.2020)Ranked 45/ 21.3k in Mythology (14.11.2020)Ranked 26/ 21.1k in Superpowers (14.11.2020)Ranked 38/ 16k in Girlxboy (14.11.2020)Ranked 23/ 11.3k in Girl power (23.01.2021)Ranked 13/ 4.34k in Savior (14.11.2020)Ranked 1/ 301 in Hinduism (23.01.2021)Ranked 1/ 40 in Calcutta (11.11.2020)Ranked 1/ 38 in Sanskrit (11.11.2020)Ranked 1/ 21 in Mythopoeia (11.11.2020)#thebookerawards#Strongwomenawards2020#Happinessawards2020©All rights reserved 2020.
8 217Brother To The King
Eight years ago, their kingdom fell, and an unclaimed bastard saved a prince. Now, after a traumatic night that left Bast ostracised from his own home and uncertain of himself, a figure from his past arrives to recognize his younger brother as the rightful king of a nation full of memories that Bast had all but left behind.
8 190Strongest Slayer
Suddenly 72 years before portals started opening in this world and Demons and Monster that came out of those portals devastated the earth. Any human weapon was useless against those Demons and Monsters, but luckily humans also started awaken new powers to fight those monster. these humans with special powers were then called THE SLAYERS. In this new world where power was everything, those with no powers were treated as trash. This is the story about a young boy who was born in very powerful family, but got disowned by the family and was even betrayed by the girl he loved because he was powerless. This is the story of Jason who became worlds STRONGEST SLAYER.
8 407The Dark Knows Me || Tokoyami x reader/oc
"Some things are great to see in the dark."A girl told herself as she stared at the astonishing view and starts a new chapter in her life.Her name is Lily Yane. A white haired girl with an emotionless demeanor. She didn't have any friends aside from her two childhood friends, Midoriya and Bakugo.Things aren't really going well, until she met a boy with a crow head.Fumikage Tokoyami.They are great friends......But will they become more than that?She has always wanted someone to love her for her. Is he the one?"I just want someone to accept me for who I am.." "I love every side of you." The boy said, hugging her from the back as he laid his beak over her shoulder.Credits to @tEmDuD for the inspiration! This is heavily inspired from his book, "Awesomely Gothic!" Please check that out! I do not own the anime and the characters but I do own the plot, Lily Yane and the quirk itself.
8 154