\u2018My Sister\u2019s Keeper\u2019 \u2013 Jodi Picoult<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Deadpan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Deadpan humour, otherwise known as dry humour, relies on delivery to land correctly. Usually a statement will be humorous in content, perhaps even over-the-top or ridiculous, but the wording and delivery of it is intended to be casual, almost as though the speaker is unaware they\u2019re making a joke at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The word deadpan comes from the slang term \u2018pan\u2019, used for \u2018face\u2019 in the early 20th<\/sup> century. So, to have a dead pan was to have a face that showed no expression or emotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Through my curtains I can see a big yellow moon. I\u2019m thinking of all the people in the world who will be looking at that same moon. I wonder how many of them haven\u2019t got any eyebrows?\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging\u2019 \u2013 Louise Rennison<\/p>\n\n\n\n A farce, or farcical humour, is a form of humour that derives its comedy through the absurd ridiculousness of a situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A farce will often use miscommunication to create humorous scenarios and misunderstandings. For example, Shakespeare loved to employ farce. Think of A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream<\/em>, where mistaken identity and confusion causes a love quadrangle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When something appears to be the case, or should<\/em> be the case, but the reality is the opposite, you\u2019re dealing with irony. For example, a fire department catching on fire, or the world\u2019s leading skin cancer expert dying after they mistake their own melanoma for a benign mole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the start of Pride and Prejudice<\/em>, Jane Austen writes: \u2018It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.\u2019<\/em> As the narrative quickly goes on to show us single women<\/em> spending much time and energy finding a husband, we grow to understand the irony in that opening sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A parody is an entertainment piece produced to mimic an existing work, artist or genre, but dialled up to a hundred in order to poke fun at it. The humour comes from highlighting flaws and overdone tropes through an exaggerated portrayal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, think of Austin Powers<\/em>, which parodies James Bond<\/em>. Or Bored of the Rings<\/em> by Douglas Kenney, a parody of Lord of the Rings<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Satirical writing uses wit to make a point about power\u2014be it a commentary on the government, the privileged, large corporations, etc\u2014and aims to cause readers to think deeply about society, and what can be done to improve it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Satirical works range from political cartoons you\u2019ll find in the newspaper, through to books like Small Gods<\/em> by Terry Pratchett, which satirises organised religion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Self-deprecation is a form of humour where an individual makes a comment about their own flaws and shortcomings in a light-hearted manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018They all laughed when I said I’d become a comedian. Well, they’re not laughing now.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Crying with Laughter: My Life Story\u2019 \u2013 Bob Monkhouse<\/p>\n\n\n\n Situational humour is any type of humour that arises from the situation characters find themselves in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Think of a character going to a babysitting job and finding out the child is actually the antichrist, or a character going on a blind date only to find themselves face to face with the horrible customer they served at work earlier that day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Slapstick refers to physical humour involving the body. It often involves some form of pain (think falling, or having something fall on you, or accidentally breaking a piece of furniture while using it) or otherwise odd things happening to a body (like a hose going off in someone\u2019s face unexpectedly). An excellent example is America\u2019s Funniest Home Videos<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Okay, so we\u2019ve covered some of the more common types of humour, and you\u2019re ready to find out how to develop your own humorous writing style? Luckily, all writers have the ability to write humour, even if it\u2019s not something that comes easily to you at first. All it takes is practice!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some humorous writing tips to leave your audience cackling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Think of a piece of writing you found hilarious. Read it carefully. Note what it is that makes it so amusing. Can you spot any of the forms of humour we covered above? Once you can recognise and categorise humour techniques and forms, you\u2019ll find that determining which form of humour fits your own writing in which situation will start to come more naturally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you sometimes make comments that other people find hilarious? Take note of your own jokes (literally\u2014write it down for yourself to use later) and refer back to them while writing. You\u2019ll be surprised how often you can find a natural spot for that joke to make a recurrence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Utilise juxtaposition, or pairing opposites near each other to highlight the differences between them. Think The Odd Couple<\/em>, or Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street<\/em>. There are plenty of humorous opportunities for a slacker character or a type-A character, but that humour is magnified if those two characters share scenes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Comedic timing plays a huge role in how a joke lands. Pay attention while you\u2019re reading or watching comedy, and notice how long a joke goes on for, and where the punchline lands. Like stories, jokes have their own arcs: setup, anticipation and payoff. For an example of excellent comedic timing, give Don Quixote<\/em> a read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alliteration, or stringing together words beginning with the same consonant, can make text both more amusing and memorable. Roald Dahl was very partial to this technique. Willy Wonka and Bruce Bogtrotter are amusing and memorable names. Steve Wonka and Bruce Robertson would\u2019ve been less so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly, note how some words simply sound<\/em> funnier than others. Some comedians believe words with a \u2018k\u2019 sound in them are perceived to be funnier. Think about some of the more absurd words in the English language, like filibuster or absquatulate. Get in the habit of searching for synonyms, and ask yourself if the joke would be funnier with a different word choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jokes often involve the rule of three, or listing three things, two straight, and one punchline. Think two brunettes and a blonde, or an Englishman, an Irishman and an American. The first two points establish a pattern, and the third point breaks the pattern, creating humour through surprise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘FEDERAL FUNDING, TRAVEL EXPENSES, BOOTY CALLS, AND YOU.’<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Red White and Royal Blue\u2019\u2014Casey McQuiston<\/p>\n\n\n\n Exaggeration is a widely used humorous technique. Make sure to exaggerate to an extreme extent, going well over-the-top. For example: \u2018Mum said I should walk to the shops, but it was about fifty thousand billion degrees outside, so obviously that<\/em> wasn\u2019t happening.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n By knowing these forms of humour, and following these tips, you can learn to inject humour into your writing in a way that will both amuse your readers, and make your writing more memorable.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" So, you want to learn how to make your readers burst out laughing, but you can\u2019t even get a pity laugh out of your own grandma? This guide is all you need to gain an understanding of the common forms of humour in writing, and how to use humorous writing techniques to inject comedy into<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17576,"featured_media":447661,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[28575],"class_list":["post-447650","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-novel-writing","tag-newsletter"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFarcical<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Ironic<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Parodic<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Satirical<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Self-Deprecating<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Situational<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Slapstick<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"types-of-humour\"](\"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/smiley-balloons.jpg\" "\\"types")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nTips For Writing Humorous Stories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Study Other Writers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Use Your Own Material<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Use Juxtaposition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Master Comedic Timing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Use Alliteration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Use Amusing Words<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Provide Surprise<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Exaggerate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Writing Humour<\/h2>\n\n\n\n