How to Add Humor to your Writing

WriterSpark: Business, Creativity, and the Craft of Writing

Episode 4

Do you know how to add humor to your writing?

You don't have to be a side-splitting funny person to be able to add humor to your writing. You don't even need to be funny at all.

So what do you need?

You just need to understand the techniques needed to add humor to your writing and you'll be golden.

Scott Sedita

There are a lot of ways you can approach humor. Scott Sedita's Eight Characters of Comedy is one way to create characters with that sole intention. His Eight Characters of Comedy are the comedic archetypes and are the basis for myriad sitcom characters on TV.

They translate just as well to fiction writing, which is all about character. Think about your favorite comedies (TV, movies, or in books and comics). Can you identify characters who fit into these roles:

1. The Logical Smart One
2. The Lovable Loser
3. The Neurotic
4. The Dumb One smart
5. The Bitch/Bastard
6. The Materialistic One
7. The Womanizer/Manizer
8. The In Their Own Universe?

Talking with Diane Kelly

I had the opportunity to talk with bestselling mystery and romance author Diane Kelly. She talks about these eight comedic archetypes, and gives a myriad of other tips for adding comedy to your writing, whether or not you consider yourself funny.

You Don't Have to be Funny

I am NOT a funny person. I'm shy, pretty quiet, and introverted. Humor is rarely my Go To. But the great thing about being a writer is that I have ample time to ponder, which give me the chance to come up with the perfect comedic comeback, the idea one-line zinger, or anything else that will give a scene the levity it needs.

My chat with Diane reveals how you can be very intentional about adding humor to your writing. It doesn't have to come spontaneously. It doesn't have to be 'you'. Just like everything else, writing humor can be learned.

Thank you for listening!

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