Writing Getting a laugh: How To Make Something Funny?

[Motsu]

In writing, you usually bring entertainment, but some don't and they only care about their own story rather than the reader trying to read it. Now, imagine your readers reading your story, or imagine yourself reading your story. Do you enjoy it? Is it possible to enjoy it by laughing out-of-nowhere? The possibility of not having single humour, not even in a split second might actually lose you money, audience, and confidence. Now, imagine trying to make something funny. We usually have the trouble of bringing out the fruit of desire we've got in our mind to make the reader laugh, but will they laugh at your joke, only you and your friend know? Accurately, the audience is split across 1/4 of a diameter, some of the 1/8 are distinct and can understand your slang but most of 1/2 are general readers. Meaning, they don't understand what you understand and will ask you a question of what the humour means. Which is, if you are willing to heighten your readers. Although since we do use the global language 'ˈiNG(ɡ)liSH', we already know that our audience range is general. Now, don't be a depressed virgin, or I'll call your mother because you, people, will be giving me an answer to my quick question.

There are two types of comedians; they are introverts and extraverts, but people who belong in the middle are called average.
To make a quick summary, introverts prefer more time alone and quickly loses energy while extraverts prefer more time with friends and don't like it when they aren't with their friends. Although you would say, 'but all comedians are extraverts,' well, no. There is what we call the same coin with different sides. It doesn't mean that if they are introvert, they can't be an extravert (opposite-wise.) It's the same as Woody Allen who is usually thoughtful, reflective, and observant because he is introverted. Why I brought this up is to understand that authors who are introverts and extraverts can be a comedian. There are introverts who want to be an extravert and extravert who wants to be an introvert. Usually, when people think a writer is introverted, they'll think that he can't make a proper dialogue or create single humour because he doesn't have any friends. But no, that's just a first impression. Maybe behind their back, that introvert is actually conversing with a lot of people.

If you're willing to produce something that doesn't have any willingness of you, enjoying yourself and the others, enjoying themselves while reading it. Then you fail as a writer, so don't get a lot of reasons piled up in your mind because you just failed at producing what writing is all about.

Entertainment.

 

[K5Rakitan]

“I've found out why people laugh. They laugh because it hurts so much . . . because it's the only thing that'll make it stop hurting.”​

― Robert A. Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land

Life itself hurts. Therefore, I say that life itself is funny. The fact that our mothers bring us into this world by pushing us out of their vaginas is funny.

I once had a fling with a friend who later sang at my wedding. I remember at the start of it, we just stood there and laughed. Sex is funny.

 

[Typing...]

Humor is an entire field all on it's own. Culture, language, and life experiences has a lot to do with what is considered funny and what isn't. What could be funny today could be insensitive and rude the next. In essence, humor is expressed when something happens outside of expectations. A man walks and slips on a banana peel. At first the expectation is that the man keeps walking, but he slips and that used to be funny.
Now the joke is so well known that we all expect the man to slip on the banana peel, so something else has to happen to subvert expectations.

There is a lot of nuance to comedy and it's really complicated. So my recommendation is to read some books on comedy. Read some philosophy on the subject while you're at it. If that's too heavy binge some youtube videos by wisecrack.

Yet all of that will only let you understand comedy. As for how to write humor? Don't worry about it. We are social creatures. Comedy is innate. So we don't really need to get all the philosophy, neuroscience or what have you to make a funny.

 

[samsarawithwords]

I write a comedy with a large variety of joke types, anywhere from slapstick to meta, trope inversions, double inversions, layered references, etc. You can take a look, maybe it'll inspire you. There are over 120 chaps on WN, but you can read most of the first volume on SH.
My Pick Up Artist System