How to write comedy

When I started work on my first novel, I didn’t set out to write something funny. My priority was to craft something relatable: a story that would resonate with readers, as well as entertain them.

In pursuit of realism, I hit upon an important truth: real life – mine, anyway – involves endless mishaps, missteps and mistakes that can either be laughed at or cried over. Like most of us, I typically choose to chuckle – and pretty quickly, I found myself squeezing something sweet from the proverbial lemons my protagonists’ lives served up, too.

Three (almost four!) books in, I feel like I’ve found my comedy groove. Here are five things I’ve learned about writing to raise a smile – or, if you’re lucky, a belly laugh – from your reader.

1. Characters drive comedy (and plot)

In almost every funny book, film or play there’ll be at least one character who’s inherently amusing. Sometimes this will be because they subvert a cliché: think Sister Michael, the hilariously misanthropic nun from Lisa McGee’s Derry Girls.

Elsewhere, a character might have comedy chops because they embody a cliché. Jane Austen’s Mr Collins epitomises the kind of pompous, hectoring clergyman that nobody wants to sit next to in the drawing room.

If you’re creating a purely comedic character, bear in mind that they can’t exist only for the lols. They must serve a purpose or advance your plot. Sister Michael is the Derry Girls’ main antagonist, frequently an obstacle to their scheming. Meanwhile, when Lizzy, the plucky heroine of Pride and Prejudice, rejects Mr Collins’ proposal, he marries her friend instead. This throws Lizzy more squarely into the path of Mr Darcy, who (spoiler alert!) is her perfect match.

2. Don’t pull your punches – but throw them carefully

An important note on ‘laugh at’ characters: always punch up, not down. If you’re inviting your readers to find someone ridiculous, make sure they deserve it – and that they’re risible by choice.

Self-importance, snobbery and wilful ignorance are awful qualities in a dinner party guest, but brilliant foibles for a character you want readers to find funny.

My advice for writing such a person? Imagine someone you’d actively avoid in the workplace, would hide from at a family wedding or might refuse to get in a lift with, just in case it got stuck. Then, make them ten times worse.

3. Be specific

Close attention to detail can really help you nail a comedy character. Do they have a ridiculously elaborate hairstyle, or waft around in a cloud of too-strong perfume? Have they adopted a super posh, royal family-style accent, despite being from a small town in the middle of nowhere?

Think about little things that will help you to show, not tell, why this person is begging to be laughed at.

4. Comedy and empathy are cousins

Your next step is to force your poor, unsuspecting main character to interact with whoever you’ve just made up. If you’re as mean as I am, you might make the supercilious dullard their boss, or the interfering, hysterical fusspot their mother.

Putting someone your readers care about in a toe-curlingly awkward situation is not only a quick way to garner laughs – it’s a powerful way to stoke empathy, too. Who among us hasn’t experienced crushing embarrassment, or the intense frustration of having to be polite to someone they’d prefer to give a piece of their mind?

Comedy is a brilliant way to undercut a problem or circumstance that might otherwise feel bleak and depressing. In David Nicholls’ The Understudy, the protagonist is a failing actor. His hopelessness is underlined by the non-verbal role he’s playing as the novel opens: that of a dead body in a crime drama.

Far from sugarcoating the situation, the humour invites readers in – laughter somehow makes us participants in the story, rather than passive observers. From page one, the reader is invested in seeing this protagonist’s life get better. After all, it’s difficult not to root for someone who’s making a living by pretending to be dead. 

5. Layer your lols

Some books – The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, for instance – have humour hardwired into their basic premise. However, even giving your book a funny foundation doesn’t guarantee you’ll keep readers amused over several hundred pages.

As you’re writing, keep an eye out for opportunities to include humorous moments that feel natural: witty asides, snappy dialogue, misunderstandings and embarrassments. These can be blended with ‘bigger ticket’ comedy incidents you’ve planned more deliberately. The main thing to remember is that the laughs you add to your story are like seasoning. Think of comedy like salt on a chip, or sauce on a steak. Too much could overpower your plot, but the right amount will sharpen, enhance and enrich other aspects of your writing.