Comedic Sans: Tips for Humor Writing
from The Writing Forge Hosted by Writing Heights Writers Association
Humor writer Julie Vick joins us this week to talk about all things funny. Tips and Tricks: Surprise is a key element for writing humor. Play up the unexpected. The rule of three is part of this. If you’re going to be satirizing someone directly, make sure not to “punch down.” You don’t having to be funny on the first draft. Editing can and should make things funnier. Read your work out loud to judge your comedic timing Put the funniest bits at the end of a paragraph. Analyze reading that you find funny to figure out how the writer did it. Your type and level of humor will depend on your genre. Make sure to think about your intended audience as you’re crafting jokes. Humor can work differently in fiction vs. nonfiction, particularly if you’re writing fiction in a 3rd person POV. Formatting like footnotes and parentheses and italics can change how your funny elements come through in the end. Humor can carry the reader along so they don’t pay as much attention to other aspects of the writing. Certain phonemes are inherently funnier than others. Saying “Tropicana” is funnier than saying “orange juice.” Comparisons can be very helpful for adding humor to writing. Facebook: @writingheights Instagram: @writingheights Join the NCW/Writing Heights community at writingheights.com Cover art by Maggie Walker
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