How to Write Stories People Will Love

Question 46: Humor

Fennec-Fox 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.

Sarcasm

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)

"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."

Analogies

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.

Physical Humor

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.

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?