# Humor?



## EmmaSohan (Aug 19, 2014)

Well, do you put it in?

And how? Any tricks or tips?

I like to have humor in my book, but I won't worry too much if I don't. My WIP maybe doesn't have any. Still, if I could could add some, that would be nice. I can see there are scenes with potential.

How do I get humor? Pretty much by luck and accident. It just comes out. I end up with a humorous character.


----------



## Deleted member 56686 (Aug 19, 2014)

I think it should just come natural. If you think of something witty and it fits the situation I'd put it in. I think a little humor works in even the darkest stories.


----------



## J Anfinson (Aug 19, 2014)

It's impossible to say, really. Every reader has different tastes, and sometimes what's funny to me isn't for others. I just write what I think is funny and don't worry about those who would criticize (unless of course they're giving me advice about how to make the joke more effective). If I write a story and someone tells me they laughed, it's good enough for me. Though if I never intended to be funny I might be a bit flabbergasted. 

Oh, and the way I come up with humor in my stories is by letting my characters talk however they want. I've got one I'm working with now where he reminds me of an old high school friend. A total smartass. So I think back to the kind of things my friend used to say and bingo, the dialogue flows like a charm.


----------



## Plasticweld (Aug 19, 2014)

I have been trying lately to write with humor.  For one important reason is that there always seems to be a lack of it in writing, I want to be different than the others and this seems to something that the people I write about always seem to talk about or remember. 

Some of it has worked, other probably fell flat.  I do start out with what I consider the punch line in mind and then build up the story and characters so I can use it.   Any good joke is a short story in the telling, some are very elaborate other short and two the point, understanding the dynamics is important.   I would recommend just looking at some jokes and look at how they are framed an try and add more information that is personal to your characters.


----------



## T.S.Bowman (Aug 19, 2014)

When I started Side Worlds, one thing I made a conscious effort at was making sure that it was serious yet light. I didn't care to write a heavy, dense tome of an Epic Fantasy. I wanted to write something that made people chuckle at times (quite a few times, actually) but still had them on the "edge of their seat" while reading. 

From some of the things I have been told in reviews, the humor I have inserted, in the way I do it, works out pretty well.

The only suggestion I can make would be to just let it flow naturally through the dialogue between characters. If it isn't there, forcing it is the worst thing to do.


----------



## Lyra Laurant (Aug 19, 2014)

I'm always trolling my protagonist by putting him in embarrasing situations 
But it's not like I'm trying to consciously add humor to the story... I just enjoy trolling and laughing at my characters (I can't help!), and with some luck my readers end up laughing as well.

Also, playing with expectations can make some scenes very funny.


----------



## Bishop (Aug 19, 2014)

Humor's so subjective... But I like awkward and unexpected, sarcastic and ironic.

My biggest moment of humor in my WIP is when the MCs realize that the holographic projectors they borrowed from a brothel turn out to be pleasure-enhanced, so when they get hit or shot at it sends intense pleasure into them instead of pain  It's rather awkward in the middle of a gunfight.


----------



## No Cat No Cradle (Aug 20, 2014)

I always see humor in books like poetry. It relies so much more on ideas than it does on a straight punch line so when I try to insert humor, it is usually that I set up the general information as the anchor then produce a statement that creates a concept. Such examples as the Major Major Major rank conversation in Catch-22 or Vonnegut's (I swear I am not as obsessed as I seem to be...maybe) "So it goes."

I like sarcasm but what I really tend to laugh at is when an awkward or confusing situation comes up and the participants don't seem to acknowledge the awkward moments at all (or not to the fullest extent) or understand it so fully that it hardly phases them. If I can be so bold as to reference shows "Coupling" is great about the former as "Louie" is amazing with the latter.


----------



## Schrody (Aug 20, 2014)

I do write comedy, but it's not always easy. Like somebody said: it should come naturally, let it flow.  Although, I must admit my humor was greatly influenced by a comedy in general; whether a show, movie, or a book.  It also depends on your sense of humor (for instance, in my comedy novel dad, son, and a dog went to the shopping, so dad tied his son to a tree while the dog and him were shopping for dog food - of course, you need to put it in the context of the novel, but some might find that offensive), not all people are gonna get your jokes, but that's okay, you have your style, and don't be afraid to use it!


----------



## Seedy M. (Aug 20, 2014)

Comedy is something that just happens. The _Flight of the Maita_ series has the golems introduced in book 5 and not used again until book eighteen or twenty or something. They are two bronze heads on a floater. They look very nearly identical. They're pointed away from each other just enough that they can't "see" one another. No is a cynic with a bad attitude while Yes is like some people I knew back in the late sixties. Syrupy sweet optimist. They are portrayed as hating one another, which No makes plain while Yes tries to cover it with sweetness. They were ever used again because of people and a couple of critics (!) kept insisting. I seem to have some kind of natural ability to add humor to almost everything. I have to stop myself in certain works where it simply isn't appropriate.
To deliberately write humor, except to quote jokes with a little twist, doesn't work for me. At all.
The funniest thing I ever wrote is a book called _Why Me, Lord?_ It is something that happened that made the person who it happened to make a remark, then I added one. It got so carried away we both ended up with our lungs aching. I used it for the base of the story. It is the only thing I've written where I laugh out loud when I read it.
The comedy inserts itself.
It's the unexpected element that saves some things. It also tells me, at times, that I'm writing a piece of crap. When my weird mind starts making jokes about what I'm writing, I know it's time to circular file the piece.


----------



## Kyle R (Aug 20, 2014)

There's structure and formula for humor, like many things in writing.

One approach (of many) boils down to leading the reader toward an expected conclusion, then throwing something completely unexpected in, instead.

Typical humor structure:

1. *Setup* - Introduce the subject of the joke, leading the audience in one obvious direction
2. *Punchline (Payoff)* - Flip the audience's expectation on its head. The unexpected change in direction creates the laugh. Make sure you have the laugh at the _end_ of the joke, otherwise it'll fizzle out and be considered, by those who know comedy, as _incorrectly structured_.
3. *Topper (Tag)* - An optional _second_ punchline that follows the same methods as the previous one: flipping expectations upside down with a new surprise turn.

Example:

*SETUP
*_So, I took an astrology course last week. Now I know why my girlfriend and I aren't getting along._
*
PUNCHLINE (PAYOFF)
*_You see: I'm a Capricorn and she's... a bitch._
*
TOPPER (TAG)
*_I'm sorry. That's not completely true... I would never take an astrology course._


How to apply this to fiction is a bit trickier, but the formula still applies. The unexpected, when set up properly, is funny. Lead your characters to an expected conclusion, then throw something unexpectedly random in, instead.

*SETUP*
_The cast of Monty Python reaches the cave to face the vicious monster.
_(Here the writing is leading the audience to something obviously expected: a ravenous beast.)

*PUNCHLINE (PAYOFF) *
_The monster is really... a bunny rabbit. 
_(The writers throw something unexpected in, instead.)

*TOPPER (TAG)*
_Feeling silly, one soldier goes to kill the harmless creature... but the bunny flies through the air and beheads the soldier.
_(Now the audience expects the soldier to kill the rabbit... only to have _another_ unexpected turn happen.)


[video=youtube;XcxKIJTb3Hg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcxKIJTb3Hg[/video]

Be deliberate. Lead your readers one way. Then throw something random in when they least expect it. 

There are books on writing humor, full of useful techniques. You can also google the subject. Lots of free info out there. Look for advice from standup comedians! These are professionals who work the craft daily.

Being funny isn't random or completely intuitive, like some believe. There are specific techniques and structures that comedians rely on to pay the bills. :encouragement:


----------



## Seedy M. (Aug 20, 2014)

Yes. Formula jokes. They generally work when you don't try to embellish. It's advice I give to characters in several works. When you tell a joke, don't add things. You're retelling it because it was funny the way you heard it. If you change it, you just might change it from being funny to so what?
Each has his/her unique sense of humor. Sponties are an example of stand-up comics who react to a situation. Practiced stand-up can be funny. They usually have people to write their stuff. It's from the mind of the person writing it. The stand-up comedian is an actor delivering lines.
Sometimes a situation, such as in _Why Me, Lord?_ just happens.
I could never write to formula. It would take "me" out of the work.


----------



## T.S.Bowman (Aug 20, 2014)

Kyle R said:


> There's structure and formula for humor, like many things in writing.



Why does that not surprise me? LOL

Kyle, I think humor is one of the biggest things that cannot be written in a formulaic manner. Humor is what it is. You can have all the "structure" you want in setting up..but if it's not funny, all the "structure" in the world isn't going to help.



> Being funny isn't random or completely intuitive, like some believe.  There are specific techniques and structures that comedians rely on to  pay the bills. :encouragement:



*sigh* Yes, comedians structure their jokes. But, for the most part, they are comedians for a reason. They are (with some exceptions) FUNNY. Have you ever run into a comedian who simply wasn't funny? It happens all the time, right? Did that comedian not know the "structure" of joke writing? In some cases, probably. But in most cases of a comedian not making someone laugh it's simply because they aren't funny. The same will go for a writer who tries to write jokes into a piece of writing. 

If you aren't a humorous person in the first place, you will have a difficult time adding humor to your work no matter what. Structure lessons may show you the "how" of setting up a joke, but the joke itself has to come from a source. If the joke writer doesn't know the lines or situations in the first place, they will fall flat.


----------



## Deleted member 56686 (Aug 20, 2014)

Yeah. I don't think Emma is really trying to write a comedy in the classic sense. She is just trying to lighten up certain parts. If she has a sense of humor (and I think she does) something will come to her naturally and she can then find the scene where it may be most appropriate. It doesn't have to be brain surgery.


----------



## No Cat No Cradle (Aug 20, 2014)

good humor comes from the gut. You can analyze it all you want and get formula but the thing that makes it funny is something you can't learn. You need to have a weird connection with humanity and an understanding that only comes from experience but overall just trust yourself to put what you think is funny, just know when a joke is too closed off for other people to get.


----------



## David Gordon Burke (Aug 20, 2014)

There is a really great book called 'Comedy Writing Secrets' by Melvin Helitzer.  Know what?  It's no bloody help at all for adding humor to a novel.  
At least it was no help to me.

The truth is that like any other skill, writing funny is a skill set that you need to practice (like writing in all POVs, spelling, grammar, punctuation etc. etc.) and you can't just do it because you want to do it.  If you determine that this is a weakness, it's time to start a separate project that is wholly focused on comedy.  Or add a bit of comedy into your WF posts (god some people's posts around here are as dry as a dead dingo's donger ... add some laughs ... I could use the distraction)

Also...hey, here's a novel idea (no pun intended) ... get online and google 'adding humor to your fiction' or 'how to write funny stuff.'  I learned a few tricks like using words that have a bunch of common letters (aliteration) in your punchline.  Some letters are funnier than others if you can believe it.

Irony. sarcasm, a character with a deadly negative attitude (that I find around here from time to time) can spice up a piece.  Give a character some quirks that you think are funny and work them into the piece.  A quirk is something you can play off.  I had one character constantly fall in love with strippers.  Hilarious.

DGB


----------



## Bishop (Aug 20, 2014)

David Gordon Burke said:


> The truth is that like any other skill, writing funny is a skill set that you need to practice (like writing in all POVs, spelling, grammar, punctuation etc. etc.) and you can't just do it because you want to do it.



Truer words are rarely spoken.


----------



## Kyle R (Aug 20, 2014)

T.S.Bowman said:


> Why does that not surprise me? LOL
> 
> Kyle, I think humor is one of the biggest things that cannot be written in a formulaic manner. Humor is what it is. You can have all the "structure" you want in setting up..but if it's not funny, all the "structure" in the world isn't going to help.
> 
> *sigh*



I know you're against structure, Bow.  

_Oh, that pesky word! How dare Kyle imply that something can be learned, studied, and practiced? Humor should be elusive! It should be something a person either has or doesn't!_

Like David, I'm one who believes that being funny is a learnable skill. Comedians take courses, join improv groups, attend seminars, and pay for schooling—all to learn how to be funnier. It's a craft, just like writing. Ask any successful comedian. Or better yet, listen to them talk in interviews about comedy. Steve Martin, Louis C.K., Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock... If you listen to them talk, you know they're students of the craft.

A good 12-second joke can take weeks to craft. The same with a funny scene. The comedies and romantic comedies you see on the big screen didn't just happen by accident. The writers spent a lot of time working on the script, trying to make it funnier.

As funny and natural as comedy seems to be, it's also a very cerebral practice.


----------



## bazz cargo (Aug 20, 2014)

Hi Emma,
good question. I personally don't have a sense of humour but I try to inject my work with it. Real life is filled with bleak, dark, bitter humour, I think putting it into a story  it adds verisimilitude. 

Bazz


----------



## Deleted member 56686 (Aug 20, 2014)

Kyle R said:


> Like David, I'm one who believes that being funny is a learnable skill. Comedians take courses, join improv groups, attend seminars, and pay for schooling—all to learn how to be funnier. It's a craft, just like writing. Ask any successful comedian. Or better yet, listen to them talk in interviews about comedy. Steve Martin, Louis C.K., Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock... If you listen to them talk, you know they're students of the craft.
> 
> A good 12-second joke can take weeks to craft. The same with a funny scene. The comedies and romantic comedies you see on the big screen didn't just happen by accident. The writers spent a lot of time working on the script, trying to make it funnier.
> 
> As funny and natural as comedy seems to be, it's also a very cerebral practice.



Sorry but I have to comment on this. Comedians are comedians for a reason. They are funny to begin with.

Maybe I'm being naive but I don't think you have to work on a line for three months to make it sound funny in a novel. Again Emma isn't writing a comedy. Emma trust me don't obsess yourself with worry on whether something you come up with isn't funny or not. If you think it is funny then chances are someone else will too.


----------



## No Cat No Cradle (Aug 20, 2014)

mrmustard615 said:


> Sorry but I have to comment on this. Comedians are comedians for a reason. They are funny to begin with.
> 
> Maybe I'm being naive but I don't think you have to work on a line for three months to make it sound funny in a novel. Again Emma isn't writing a comedy. Emma trust me don't obsess yourself with worry on whether something you come up with isn't funny or not. If you think it is funny then chances are someone else will too.


I have to agree with Mustard. I have noticed that improv classes and seminars don't make someone funnier. Watch an improv group and watch Whose Line, I have seen it where most of the time the improv groups know how to stall for a response but the actual comedians in Whose Line tend to have a funnier and faster response. Humor is based around understanding something that can't be taught, only experienced.


----------



## Kyle R (Aug 20, 2014)

Just curious: what comedy writing are you guys working on?

I'm working on a Romantic Comedy at the moment. I've learned immensely through doing it, both about the conventions of genre, and about comedy writing in general.

To anyone who says writing comedy is a skill that can't be learned, practiced, and honed—well, all I can say is, good luck with that mindset. If it works for you, more power to you.

Me, I wasn't born a comedian, so I have to study and learn it.


----------



## J Anfinson (Aug 20, 2014)

Humor is both learned and instinctual. One thing to remember is that talented comedians don't usually start their careers in Vegas showrooms, but hole-in-the-wall clubs where their first time on stage they probably get more crickets chirping than laughs. The way they get better is to learn from each act and study the legends that came before them. Some are better than others starting out, but I'll bet only a handful have had the talent to acquire an agent their first time on stage.


----------



## Deleted member 56686 (Aug 20, 2014)

Sure but we're talking about a couple of lines in a book. Do we really need to have to school just to be able to do that?


----------



## No Cat No Cradle (Aug 20, 2014)

Kyle R said:


> Just curious: what comedy writing are you guys working on?
> 
> I'm working on a Romantic Comedy at the moment. I've learned immensely through doing it, both about the conventions of genre, and about comedy writing in general.
> 
> ...


I am working on a sci-fi satire that deals with Time travel, Aliens and (the most dastardly of all) humanity. Mostly a perspective-comedy so to say.

As for the debate continuing above me. The reason I say you can't learn it is (well there are a few reasons but the biggest and simplest one) that the same humor doesn't work from place to place and can get tricky and some of my favorite comedians get booed out from time to time because the people weren't the right kind of people. A comedy club works for most because people go expecting to laugh at a comedian but say you have a gig in a biker bar most comedians aren't gonna fly, it will take a specific kind and it is simply not a fact of learning how to make everyone laugh because most senses of humor are not the same at all.


----------



## J Anfinson (Aug 20, 2014)

Kyle R said:


> Just curious: what comedy writing are you guys working on?



Nothing specifically humorous at the moment, but I've written a few short humor pieces. Some have told me they were funny, some have said they're not. Maybe I'm a mediocre humor writer.


----------



## Deleted member 56686 (Aug 20, 2014)

J Anfinson said:


> Nothing specifically humorous at the moment, but I've written a few short humor pieces. Some have told me they were funny, some have said they're not. Maybe I'm a mediocre humor writer.



And maybe you're not a mediocre humor writer. It depends on who is reading it really. For example I am a huge fan of Monty Python and the Marx Brothers but I'll be kicking and screaming if you make me listen to say Howard Stern. It's all about taste.


----------



## J Anfinson (Aug 20, 2014)

mrmustard615 said:


> And maybe you're not a mediocre humor writer. It depends on who is reading it really. For example I am a huge fan of Monty Python and the Marx Brothers but I'll be kicking and screaming if you make me listen to say Howard Stern. It's all about taste.



That's true. I said the same in reply#3. I shoot for what I find funny and hope that my target audience has the same sense of humor I do.


----------



## EmmaSohan (Aug 20, 2014)

I like the idea that the humor in a story is different from the humor in a joke. A lot of my humor seems to come out of characters with some trait that gets exaggerated and repeated, but also accepted as okay. Then there is still the mystery part of humor. YES! I just thought how to make this one poor line funny in my WIP. I'll be back!


----------



## T.S.Bowman (Aug 21, 2014)

Kyle R said:


> I know you're against structure, Bow.
> 
> _Oh, that pesky word! How dare Kyle imply that something can be learned, studied, and practiced? Humor should be elusive! It should be something a person either has or doesn't!_
> 
> ...



LOL. Whatever gave you the idea that I am _against _structure? I'm not totally against it. I just think it has it's place...and humor would be one of those places ONLY up to the point of setting up the joke. The _humor_ part is a natural talent.

But funny/comedy/humor isn't really a "learned" skill. No matter how many times or how badly people may want it to be otherwise. 

David picked up some pointers on setting up the jokes or using certain words in the punchlines...but he had to be able to _recognize and deliver_ the punchline. Recognition is one thing and the easier part. Delivering that punchline properly and in the correct tones, especially when there are no facial or vocal cues for a person to home in on, takes an inherent talent for doing so.

Your Monty Python example is a prime one of what I'm talking about. Any run of the mill Joe Schmoe would not have been able to write The Holy Grail and have it be as funny as it was. That group of comedians had the comedic talent in the first place.


----------



## Kyle R (Aug 21, 2014)

T.S.Bowman said:


> But funny/comedy/humor isn't really a "learned" skill. No matter how many times or how badly people may want it to be otherwise.



Sure it is. People aren't _born_ funny. Infants don't pop out of the womb saying, "So, hey, get this: a priest and a rabbi walk into a bar..." 

People learn to be funny through trial and error. I see it in my three-year-old nephew, who has learned that people laugh when he says, "Thank you, pickle mama."

He found a joke. Now he says it whenever he can, then looks around, eagerly, at all the grown-up faces, waiting for the expected response: teeth baring, eyes squinting, that inelegant _guffaw _that comes spewing out. "Hah! Did he just say _pickle mama_?"

There's a natural resistance a lot of people have toward the idea that *comedy is teachable*. It's like stage magic—people don't want to know that it can be manufactured. They don't want to know there's actually a method behind the wonderment of it all. 

They don't want to hear that their favorite comedian actually works hard on his material.

What they want is to believe that people are funny through some untouchable gift from The Universe. The Funny Genome. The Mysterious Laugh-Factory of the Soul. 

In reality, that favorite comic of yours spent his childhood trying joke after lame joke on his schoolyard buddies, finding out which ones got a laugh, and which ones made faces crinkle like a slurp of pure lemon juice.

The ones that got a laugh, he kept. The ones that didn't, he chucked. And so he began to build a set—likely without even realizing it.

They learned that, if you get a laugh while you're being serious (or frenetic, or morose, or confidant)—to use the same emotion when telling a joke the next time. Through this, they learned the beginning foundations of the art of _delivery_.

They learned that, for some strange reason, jokes worked better when the funny part came at the end, rather than in the middle.

Among all the other things they discovered, they learned that, hey, being funny is (whattayaknow?) learnable. :encouragement:


----------



## T.S.Bowman (Aug 21, 2014)

A person who has no sense of humor will not be able, ever, to deliver the lines in a way necessary for a joke to work. I don't care how many things he studies, or how much trial and error he attempts. 

Name one comedian who has no sense of humor, but gets laughs because he studied the craft. Then, and only then, will I change my position.

You have to have some inherent humor to be able to tell jokes properly.


----------



## Schrody (Aug 21, 2014)

Kyle R said:


> Just curious: what comedy writing are you guys working on?
> 
> I'm working on a Romantic Comedy at the moment. I've learned immensely through doing it, both about the conventions of genre, and about comedy writing in general.
> 
> ...



Comedy/satire/spoof/parody... you name it  But it's not the same when a whole book is supposed to be funny, and when you need just a couple of lines. If you're writing comedy it shouldn't look like you're trying to be funny, it should come naturally, it should flow. Just my opinion


----------



## Plasticweld (Aug 21, 2014)

One aspect not touched on here is _timing_.  If you met me in person you would swear I was hilarious, I fail to be able to bring that to my writing because half of my humor is the dramatic way I tell the story the other is the perfect timing, none of which I seem to be able to translate to the written word. Most of what is funny is being able to make very subtle changes or observations about what is going on.  the same thing that would get a chuckle in real life some how seems to fall flat when writing about it. 


I will also say that being funny is a craft and something that is practiced. I was a salesman for a few years and being able to tell a story or a joke to a customer to I had the ability to adjust the story and punch lines as I went by reading the other persons body  language, something that is impossible to do as a writer.


----------



## Kyle R (Aug 21, 2014)

T.S.Bowman said:


> A person who has no sense of humor will not be able, ever, to deliver the lines in a way necessary for a joke to work. I don't care how many things he studies, or how much trial and error he attempts.
> 
> Name one comedian who has no sense of humor, but gets laughs because he studied the craft. Then, and only then, will I change my position.
> 
> You have to have some inherent humor to be able to tell jokes properly.



The average individual has a sense of humor. Most everyone does. I've yet to meet someone who doesn't. Even terrorists can be seen joking around in their propaganda videos.

Everyone can learn to write humor. Even you! Even me! Even the guests reading this thread! 

It's not some mysterious voodoo. The ancient Greeks were doing standup comedy 3,000 years ago. 

Have you attended any comedy writing classes? Have you read any books on the subject? Have you participated in any improv shows? There's a lot of learning material out there. Comedians aren't born—they're made. Writing comedy is the same way.

It's not _easy_, that's for sure. But it's definitely learnable. 

Just like writing drama, suspense, or horror, the goal is to elicit a certain emotional response from the reader. Each genre has its own techniques and methods. Comedy is no different.

Here's a fun (and insightful!) video where some very successful comedians discuss the craft and how they got to where they are today. If you listen to them talk, it becomes quickly apparent how much they think about, study, and hone their craft: 

[video=youtube;OKY6BGcx37k]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKY6BGcx37k[/video]


----------



## Bishop (Aug 21, 2014)

Kyle R said:


> The average individual has a sense of humor. Most everyone does. I've yet to meet someone who doesn't. Even terrorists can be seen joking around in their propaganda videos.



The sole exception to this rule is my mother-in-law. Seriously, even the terrorists can joke. My mother-in-law? Nothing.


----------



## T.S.Bowman (Aug 21, 2014)

Kyle R said:


> Have you attended any comedy writing classes? Have you read any books on the subject? Have you participated in any improv shows?



No, because I haven't needed to. The humor in my writing seems to work pretty well as is.

No. Again, I haven't needed to. 

Yes, I have. Several while in the Drama Club in High School. Improv is a whole different animal as far as comedy goes. The ability to do quality improv cannot be taught.


----------



## Deleted member 56686 (Aug 21, 2014)

EmmaSohan said:


> I like the idea that the humor in a story is different from the humor in a joke. A lot of my humor seems to come out of characters with some trait that gets exaggerated and repeated, but also accepted as okay. Then there is still the mystery part of humor. YES! I just thought how to make this one poor line funny in my WIP. I'll be back!




Like I said just look for the right situation. How is your WIP coming along Emma?


----------



## EmmaSohan (Aug 21, 2014)

mrmustard615 said:


> Like I said just look for the right situation. How is your WIP coming along Emma?



It's been really useful to think about humor and listen to people's ideas. I changed one scene around that was a little awkward, to something a lot better that I think makes just a little bit more humor. So I'm ecstatic about that. I have another scene that needs fixing, and I might do they same thing. So, not a lot of change, but good change and I think enough.


----------



## EmmaSohan (Aug 22, 2014)

Lyra Laurant said:


> I'm always trolling my protagonist by putting him in embarrasing situations
> But it's not like I'm trying to consciously add humor to the story... I just enjoy trolling and laughing at my characters (I can't help!), and with some luck my readers end up laughing as well.
> 
> Also, playing with expectations can make some scenes very funny.



Can you (or someone) explain more?


----------



## Lyra Laurant (Aug 22, 2014)

EmmaSohan said:


> Can you (or someone) explain more?



About playing with expectations?

Readers are always guessing what the characters' reactions are going to be. We do it in everyday life, and, most of the time, the expected/cliché reactions are the right ones. Showing something completely unexpected may cause a funny scene.

A silly example from real life: The man's son is behaving badly while they are visiting some friend's house. He gets mad at the kid and yells "Do you want me to punish you? Do you want to go home right now? WHAT DO YOU WANT?" His son answers: "I want mango".
I love that kid. We weren't expecting an honest answer like that, and that made us laugh.

A second silly example, from Ouran High School Host Club. It is the most elegant playing with expectations I can remember.
A guy will go on a date with a girl in an amusement park, in modern Japan. Their friends are jealous and go to the park to peek. They know the guy is stupid and they know it's his first date, so they keep saying things like "I bet he will come here wearing something really ridiculous", and "He is going to make her feel embarrased". In this meanwhile, we see the guy trying to decide what he is going to wear, and his grandmother (the CEO of a big company, an elegant and inteligent woman) says she is going to help him. At this point, the characters' expectation is that the guy is going to wear something ridiculous. But, because of that, the reader's expectation is that he is going to surprise his jealous friends, and go to the park with a perfect look. I was expecting him to look like a movie star. What does happen? He goes to the amusement park wearing traditional Japanese formal clothes, which is much worse than anyone could ever imagine! XD The writer managed to make something completely unexpected, frustrating both the characters' and the reader's expectations (even though they were opposite expectations!). That is why the scene was funny. The guy was so ridiculous that his friends pitied him and made him change to normal clothes before the girl saw him.


----------



## EmmaSohan (Aug 23, 2014)

David Gordon Burke said:


> ... Give a character some quirks that you think are funny and work them into the piece.  A quirk is something you can play off.  I had one character constantly fall in love with strippers.  Hilarious.
> 
> DGB



This is what I ended up doing. My main character asked too many questions. I did that so she would have a flaw. So all had to do this week was rewrite it to be a quirk instead of a flaw, exaggerate it, and then add humor (the mystery part, but I think I knew how to do that).

Somehow it made my character softer, which was good, and it sharpened the scenes. And it was more poignant when people did appreciate her questions.


----------

