Humour
is one of the most important elements in our stories and also the hardest to
get it right. As writers we have only words at our disposal to depict humour and create humorous situations. I
have discovered that there are several ways to add humour in our stories. Here
are a few of them.
1. The names of characters/places/people/objects
can be funny.
2. Characters can be given some quirks: a twitch,
a distinctive style of
talking or a weird way of dressing to
evoke humour.
3. One of the best ways of
adding humour is through descriptions. Funny descriptions like “she had spread like melted butter.” “A bee could get lost in the hair on his body,” evoke humour.
4. We can conjure up a Comedy of Errors through our words.
5. Dialogues are a perfect place to add humour.
6. Another way to add humour is through internal
conversation.
7. We have to find new and funny way
to say the same thing.
8. A fantastic way to add humour is
via Satire and Irony. Irony is the use of
words to express the opposite of their literal meaning.
Satire is the use of
irony or wit to attack
something. But its also extremely difficult because
if not handled well it can leave the
reader confused. I seldom use satire
and
irony as I am not very confident I can do them justice.
9. Funny metaphors and similes that give
a comical twist to a familiar image in a reader's mind are a perfect way to add humour. “ He was as
thin as a breadstick.”
“His
chin wobbled like jelly.”
10. One
of the best advice I have received for adding humour is to stir the senses. Sensory
Humour is giving funny descriptions when describing something
with
the five senses: especially while describing sounds, tastes and
smells.
Do
you like humour in the books you read? How do you all add humour in your
stories? Is there any humour secret you would like to share? Please tell us, we
all can learn from it.
