Tips & Tricks to Writing on Wattpad

5 Tips on Writing Humor

5 TIPS ON WRITING HUMOR
Just remember, everyone has a different sense of humor. Some things that are funny to you and your friends might seem childish or rude to others. Also, putting humor in a book can be really difficult. A lot of jokes can fall flat when they're being read. For example, [scene taken from City of Bones] if your best friend draws a mustache and devil horns on a drawing of the guy you're in love with, that might be really funny in a movie, but not as funny in a book because you can't actually see it.

1) Saracsm / Wit / Sass

Sarcasm has many definitions:
The lowest form of wit
A natural defense against the stupid
A language most teenagers are fluent in

I'll admit, sarcasm might not get a full on laugh from your reader, but if it's used well, it might draw a snicker or a smile. It can also make your character seem a lot more real.
Sarcasm and wit can be funny in a lot of ways, but the two most common I see are:

Comebacks: Used quite often in romance books if there's a playboy-ish love interest with cheesy pickup lines or a complete witch of an ex-girlfriend. It's used in a lot of other places too, but those are pretty common scenarios because the author wants the MC to seem cool and witty.
Just a note, when I say comebacks, I don't mean "YO MOMMA'S SO FAT SHE... I don't even know what because those jokes are really old." (Side note: people who use 'your mom' as a comeback, I swear to god...)
Anyway, comebacks are used a lot in real life, almost everyday. Example of a couple comebacks:
"I don't know what makes you stupid, but it really works!"
"Sorry, I don't speak idiot."
"If I wanted a bitch, I would've bought a dog."
Etc, ect. Comebacks are usually a little mean. But they can be pretty funny, especially if it's in an argument, and two characters are bickering.

The second form is when the sarcasm falls flat. Like if the main character says something sarcastic, and the other person actually believes them. This isn't hilarious, but it's kind of funny in an 'are-you-kidding-me-*facewall*' kind of way. Example:
"My mom's pregnant."
"With a baby?"
"No, with a fishtank, what do you think?"
"WE NEVER LEARNED THAT IN GRADE 8 HEALTH."
okay, maybe not to that extreme, that was a bad example.
Just be careful of using this because it might make one of your characters come off as incredibly stupid.


2) Inappropriate jokes

Okay, so there's two kinds of inappropriate jokes/humor: 1) Jokes at the wrong time/place
Ex. In the middle of a fight if a guy accidentally ends up smacking a girl's butt.
2) Perverted comments/jokes
Ex. "Fail."
"Just like your dad's condom."

Personally, I find these the most funny because they're inappropriate, they're unexpected and when they happen you're just kinda like wow, bad timing, much? Just be careful when using these, because if you overdo it, it can come off as rude or cold-hearted.


3) Awkward situations / Humiliation

Anything really awkward that's shouted over a crowd or in silence is pretty funny, just gonna put that out there.
Like I was a volleyball game, and it went completely silent and all your head is a little kid say pussy. And it was so awkwardly funny because there were parents there and their expressions omfg.
Anyway, I love it when characters are put in awkward situations around strangers. Like if they end up yelling that they just heard their parents have sex in a parking lot full of people. It's just kind of ironic, how they say something like that, and everyone ends up hearing.

Example:
Guy: Maria and I are having a baby.
Guy's friend: DUDE, YOU'RE PREGNANT?

I should really stop with pregnancy jokes.


4) How to get ideas for humor / jokes

Some people are naturally funny. They can make a whole room laugh with a joke and always have a good comeback to everything. If you're one of those people, you're lucky.
If you're not, that's okay.
I definitely am not, so we're on the same boat here.
You can find humor and jokes in a lot of different places.
Movies, tumblr, books, people. Start listening more when you talk to people and if something makes a lot of people laugh, try to remember it. I'd say write it down, but it might be strange if you randomly whip out a notebook to write down a funny comeback. It's up to you, though.
Movies, TV shows and books are pretty good ways to get ideas for humor but don't steal from them. That can count as plagiarizing. If you watch a lot of comedy or read humorous books, though, you can almost develop a sense of humor, and get an idea of what works, what doesn't, what falls flat, what makes your sides hurt from laughing, etc.
Tumblr is a gold mine for funny things. While it still might not be a good idea to copy, it doesn't hurt to check it out.
Another place you can go it YouTube, and watch YouTubers/bloggers. Most of them have a sort of natural sense of humor.

5) The Do-Nots
Because I'm me and this is doubling as my rant book.

5.1) Do not use the same joke multiple times
Or the same style of joke.
It falls flat after, oh I don't know... The second time.

5.2) Try not to use overused jokes/lines
Commonly used lines:
"Take a picture, it'll last longer."

5.3) Your characters shouldn't laugh too much at their own joke
It really ruins it.
HAHAHAHAHA- no.

5.4) Don't purposely draw attention to the joke
Don't have a character go "OMG UR SO FUNNEE" bc i will find you and smack you because no one really does that in real life. Especially if the joke wasn't even that funny to begin with.

5.5) Do not shove googled jokes in wherever you can because then it's awkward
MEAN WHILE MAIN CHARACTER AND PRINCE CHARMING WERE ON A DATE/ MEANWHILE MAIN CHARACTER AND EVIL GIRLFRIEND WERE HAVING A CAT FIGHT/ MEAN WHILE MAIN CHARACTER AND EVIL VILLAIN WERE HAVING A SHOWDOWN:
Knock knock.
Who's there?
Banana.
Banana who?
Knock knock.
Who's there?
Banana.
Banana who?
Knock knock.
Who's there?
Orange.
Orange who?
Orange you glad I didn't say "banana"?

Can I just ask why your character would be telling knock knock or googled jokes in the first place? [I did Google that joke, by the way]

Sorry if this wasn't super helpful. I can't really tell you exactly how to write humor because like I said, everyone has a different sense of humor. Plus, you all have different stories and characters, and that can affect the different kinds of humor you can put in.
Next tip: Pacing? Titles? Which one do you guys want?

~JJ :)

PS. Enjoy the gif on the side.