Humor in Writing

Most everyone has a sense of humor. And though they themselves may not be funny, they find things funny. Trying to put humor in writing can be hard. Humor in real life can be lost in translation to the page. We all love funny films but would they necessarily work as books and vice versa?

Janet Evanovich is one of the best. Her Stephanie Plum series is a good start if you want to see all sorts of humor: slapstick, outrageous characters and what not. Ciara Geraghty nails the simile with great wit and provides a lot of funny descriptions. Carlos Ruiz Zafon has created, in my estimation, one of the most laugh-out-loud characters I have ever come across in literature with his recurring character Fermin Romero de Torres–his witty one liners and repartee leave me begging for more.

Like other writing, you can study “funny” too. Watch television shows and films with witty dialogue. The best I have ever seen was the old Moonlighting series back in the 80’s with the funny, rapid-fire banter between Cybil Shepherd and Bruce Willis. Then there was Seinfeld, the show about nothing and it was quite funny, if not absolutely absurd. There are tons of funny films out there that you could watch. Bringing Up Baby, What’s Up Doc, The Wedding Crashers, and Bridget Jones Diary are just a few.

Also, take a look around you. We all know funny people. I have been blessed in my life with a few. I had an uncle who though quiet was a keen observer of life’s absurdities and could boil it down into a very funny one-liner.

There are writers out there that will leave you laughing out loud. You just need to find them and read them.