How to write comedy?
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aimless
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Think of something you would laugh at(in the context), and write it, some people will find it funny some won’t but people have different senses of humor
BenJepheneT
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First rule of comedy writing is that you don't ask about how to do comedy. You're asking from a dozen other people out there who laugh at all sorts of different jokes. If you write comedy to cater to other senses of humor, you'll just make a poor imitation of what others find funny.
Start with what YOU find funny, then attempt to emulate it into words. This way, you can make something that's gonna make you laugh surefire and since there's 7 billion other fucks on the planet, there's gotta be some who vibes with your humor. And since you're writing with a consistent tone of humor, some might even pick it up as a writing style, and be attached to your work on an entirely different but ultimately similar reason.
TL;DR: Don't ask us what's funny. Find what you think is funny and stick with that.
Start with what YOU find funny, then attempt to emulate it into words. This way, you can make something that's gonna make you laugh surefire and since there's 7 billion other fucks on the planet, there's gotta be some who vibes with your humor. And since you're writing with a consistent tone of humor, some might even pick it up as a writing style, and be attached to your work on an entirely different but ultimately similar reason.
TL;DR: Don't ask us what's funny. Find what you think is funny and stick with that.
DanLane
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Say things that are true, but no one wants to admit. Say things that are far more specific than necessary. Say things that are unexpected in such a way that it makes people laugh.
Listen to great comedians and pay attention not only to the jokes themselves, but the comedic timing that they use. If you hear a joke that makes you laugh, try to figure out why.
Listen to great comedians and pay attention not only to the jokes themselves, but the comedic timing that they use. If you hear a joke that makes you laugh, try to figure out why.
Maze_Runner
□■ - I like running in mazes - ■□
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I don't write comedy but check out this author:
www.scribblehub.com
(one of there books:)
www.scribblehub.com
Reader_of_books's Profile | Scribble Hub
I Want To Paint – A Gnome’s Tale
Edward the gnome is a normal garden gnome. But he has a special liking. He loves to paint! But Gnomes are NOT supposed to paint! What can he do so he can get his hands on some paint and a brush so he can show that painting isn't really all...
TheTrinary
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1. The punchline can't be stupid. It has to be smarter than the default option your audience assumes.
2. Laughing is your brains reaction to something being unexpected. You don't actually need to be smatter than your audience, you just need to get the punchline in before they figure it out. This works into timing. If you drag out the punchline line, your audience is gonna get there and it won't be fun. That's why anti jokes work, because they drag out the punchline so then your audience EXPECTS the punchline and then you subvert that by just giving the obvious.
3. Converseley, your audience has to be made aware of the comedic set up. If you get the punchline in too soon, then it's not a joke, it's just random.
EXAMPLE:
A rich person slips and falls. I know we're talking basic slap stick right now, but it works because a rich person has their crap together. They are "better than that". So it becomes unexpected.
Conversley, an old lady slips and fall is not funny. That does happen and its bad when in it does. We expect the elderly to fall and break a hip.
It's all a rug pull. Subver the typical associations with words or ideas. The first Mulaney joke I looked up on youtube: "I had a horrible experience on an airline recently, and I don't want to throw anyone under the bus so I'm going to make up an airline. Let's call them Delta Airlines." Audience loved it. Same shtick. He establishes he's going to make up an airline: the punchline is that the "made up" airline is just the real airline. Told you someting would happen, the opposite of that happens.
TLDR. Subvert the initial expectation.
2. Laughing is your brains reaction to something being unexpected. You don't actually need to be smatter than your audience, you just need to get the punchline in before they figure it out. This works into timing. If you drag out the punchline line, your audience is gonna get there and it won't be fun. That's why anti jokes work, because they drag out the punchline so then your audience EXPECTS the punchline and then you subvert that by just giving the obvious.
3. Converseley, your audience has to be made aware of the comedic set up. If you get the punchline in too soon, then it's not a joke, it's just random.
EXAMPLE:
A rich person slips and falls. I know we're talking basic slap stick right now, but it works because a rich person has their crap together. They are "better than that". So it becomes unexpected.
Conversley, an old lady slips and fall is not funny. That does happen and its bad when in it does. We expect the elderly to fall and break a hip.
It's all a rug pull. Subver the typical associations with words or ideas. The first Mulaney joke I looked up on youtube: "I had a horrible experience on an airline recently, and I don't want to throw anyone under the bus so I'm going to make up an airline. Let's call them Delta Airlines." Audience loved it. Same shtick. He establishes he's going to make up an airline: the punchline is that the "made up" airline is just the real airline. Told you someting would happen, the opposite of that happens.
TLDR. Subvert the initial expectation.
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Renaxan
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Writing comedy is like attempting to do humor and joke with your friend. It is either hit or miss. Even you are humorist person and has a lot of idea of comedy, you also need writing it good enough to make it conveyed properly, or it would be easily become a cringe writing instead.
I am no way expert on this subject, but from my experience (all my novel literally an ok comedy I guess?), There are 3 kind of comedy scene that I used the most.
This is just my opinion by the way.
Easiest way is do punchline dialogue between characters. Like character A does a statement, and B immediately retorted it but then A even state more unbelieveable statement, which made B commented it furthermore and etc. Made it natural yet also not so-so predictable, to make it works well.
There are also misunderstanding scene. This is quite hard to write since it need to be in correct situation, and the reaction of character need to be natural... Instead made them looks stupid. This is much harder than doing silly dialogue, but much more impactful to read when its execute properly.
And lastly, literally just bully a character. This is worked well everytime but depend on how it goes, it might be easily become a cringe. Try to write a scene where characters get into unfortunate situation and made them react actively to it. This much easier to write on 1st POV tbh, as monologue surely help a lot to give substance to reaction.
I am sure there are a lot more on how to write comedy but this 3 method is what I am used the most. Good luck on trying!
I am no way expert on this subject, but from my experience (all my novel literally an ok comedy I guess?), There are 3 kind of comedy scene that I used the most.
This is just my opinion by the way.
Easiest way is do punchline dialogue between characters. Like character A does a statement, and B immediately retorted it but then A even state more unbelieveable statement, which made B commented it furthermore and etc. Made it natural yet also not so-so predictable, to make it works well.
There are also misunderstanding scene. This is quite hard to write since it need to be in correct situation, and the reaction of character need to be natural... Instead made them looks stupid. This is much harder than doing silly dialogue, but much more impactful to read when its execute properly.
And lastly, literally just bully a character. This is worked well everytime but depend on how it goes, it might be easily become a cringe. Try to write a scene where characters get into unfortunate situation and made them react actively to it. This much easier to write on 1st POV tbh, as monologue surely help a lot to give substance to reaction.
I am sure there are a lot more on how to write comedy but this 3 method is what I am used the most. Good luck on trying!
K5Rakitan
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“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
RedHunter2296
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This is one of the hardest things to write. You can write a novel about an era like the victory era, that even if you don't know anything about that time, you can research it and understand it perfectly to reflect it when writing to your readers.
But comedy is subjective, what makes someone laugh can make someone else feel offended. But even so, you can always try a little of everything to see if you are good at it.
Although I have written quite a few funny scenes in my novel, I don't know if many of them are funny to begin with (mainly because no one ever comments, damn ghosts) What I use mainly is a context or lack of it. Someone who is knowledgeable may find something funny while a person who doesn't have that information finds it strange (a.k.a. internet memes).
For example, the joke about when you are in Vietnam and the trees start to talk. For someone, an American who watches comedy frequently finds out what is being talked about because it makes you laugh. While someone from Peru wouldn't know why it's funny.While you may see that someone who was fighting there does not do him the slightest bit of grace and feels insulted.
But sometimes it's also funny when someone doesn't understand the context, it doesn't have to be the readers, maybe a character in the story is the one who doesn't understand the context.
In my novel, the protagonist (a man) ends up in the body of a young girl (I know, original on this website). He meets his family and explains the situation to them and they don't give it much importance (that's not what the series is about). So in a certain chapter, it seems like a character (a yandere) who steals from him, his family stops her, and throws the stolen content into the street of the neighborhood. Obviously, the clothes are for a girl, but then the main character's sister yells that these are her BROTHER's clothes. For the family and the reader, they know that there was a logic behind what she said, but for the neighbor who was passing, she thought of something else entirely.
There is also fun when there is no explanation. A mysterious box that arouses curiosity but never gets an answer, the imagination fills in the blanks. For example, the elevator of the TV series The Big Band Theory, where you never knew why it was broken and nobody wanted to tell, each chapter had a different cause, and not knowing which was correct was what made it funny.
Even the repetition can be funny, for example the main character's mother, a Latin woman, wears a "chancla" a sandal with which she hits everyone to calm the situation. The first time her power is established, the third time her mere presence is a threat. The seventh time you already know that she is going to pass psychologically speaking.
Then one day you see her buying a new pair of sandals.
Another day you go to the garden and you find these
And one day he arrives at the grandmother and sees that you have to respect her at any price
And for heaven's sake, never explain the joke. Just like the joker said in batman, if you have to explain the joke it means it's not funny
But comedy is subjective, what makes someone laugh can make someone else feel offended. But even so, you can always try a little of everything to see if you are good at it.
Although I have written quite a few funny scenes in my novel, I don't know if many of them are funny to begin with (mainly because no one ever comments, damn ghosts) What I use mainly is a context or lack of it. Someone who is knowledgeable may find something funny while a person who doesn't have that information finds it strange (a.k.a. internet memes).
For example, the joke about when you are in Vietnam and the trees start to talk. For someone, an American who watches comedy frequently finds out what is being talked about because it makes you laugh. While someone from Peru wouldn't know why it's funny.While you may see that someone who was fighting there does not do him the slightest bit of grace and feels insulted.
But sometimes it's also funny when someone doesn't understand the context, it doesn't have to be the readers, maybe a character in the story is the one who doesn't understand the context.
In my novel, the protagonist (a man) ends up in the body of a young girl (I know, original on this website). He meets his family and explains the situation to them and they don't give it much importance (that's not what the series is about). So in a certain chapter, it seems like a character (a yandere) who steals from him, his family stops her, and throws the stolen content into the street of the neighborhood. Obviously, the clothes are for a girl, but then the main character's sister yells that these are her BROTHER's clothes. For the family and the reader, they know that there was a logic behind what she said, but for the neighbor who was passing, she thought of something else entirely.
There is also fun when there is no explanation. A mysterious box that arouses curiosity but never gets an answer, the imagination fills in the blanks. For example, the elevator of the TV series The Big Band Theory, where you never knew why it was broken and nobody wanted to tell, each chapter had a different cause, and not knowing which was correct was what made it funny.
Even the repetition can be funny, for example the main character's mother, a Latin woman, wears a "chancla" a sandal with which she hits everyone to calm the situation. The first time her power is established, the third time her mere presence is a threat. The seventh time you already know that she is going to pass psychologically speaking.
Then one day you see her buying a new pair of sandals.
Another day you go to the garden and you find these
And one day he arrives at the grandmother and sees that you have to respect her at any price
And for heaven's sake, never explain the joke. Just like the joker said in batman, if you have to explain the joke it means it's not funny
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Plantorsomething
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Two or more characters- one does something extreme or has a personality trait cranked up to an extreme. Others tsukommi / straight man. Or you could have multiple characters extreme in different ways and normal in others, creating a potential for a lot of different dynamics. A tip for improv that usually leads to funny shit- always say ‘yes’. These are by far not the only aspects, but a simple foundation I think is workable with. Haven’t even gone into rule of 3’s.
lambenttyto
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The only way I'm ever funny is when I'm having a good time and I'm not trying to be funny. Do you laugh at your own jokes? Then write like you don't care, and the jokes will come out. I assure you. Also is you have a narrator that's slightly more disconnected, you can use that to have a sort of "running commentary" on the story. But if not, all the comedy has to come from the situation/characters without some narrator poking fun.
I don't know how to write funny stuff, so I'll tell you what annoys me most as a reader. This is just my opinion and as people have stated before me, everyone's sense of humor is different. TLDR; Like someone else said before, too much absurdity anywhere can ruin the comedic effect.
1. When everything is absurd. This is your classic WN trick. Events change and become crazy and hectic. People perform wild actions that show off how cool they are while making or having some ludicrous commentary. Everything and everyone is absurd and it feels like the author is menacingly standing behind you while whispering laugh in your ear. Absurdities once in a while is fine for me, but overuse kills a story.
2. Characters who are designed to be funny. Like the first one, overuse of absurdity can be bad as well. This could be the fat kid from every soul land story. It could be some character always acting over the top and silly. A character shouldn't be designed to be the laughing stock every time because a competent reader can normally tell.
3. Too much narration or system humor. This could be repetitive and overly snarky comments. Now yes, this can be funny, but most of the time I see it, it feels overused. The approach that I prefer the most for this is a one with moderation. When I see a message like *Ding - Congratulations, for showing your woefully incompetence at mining, you have barely gained 1 level*, I just sigh.
1. When everything is absurd. This is your classic WN trick. Events change and become crazy and hectic. People perform wild actions that show off how cool they are while making or having some ludicrous commentary. Everything and everyone is absurd and it feels like the author is menacingly standing behind you while whispering laugh in your ear. Absurdities once in a while is fine for me, but overuse kills a story.
2. Characters who are designed to be funny. Like the first one, overuse of absurdity can be bad as well. This could be the fat kid from every soul land story. It could be some character always acting over the top and silly. A character shouldn't be designed to be the laughing stock every time because a competent reader can normally tell.
3. Too much narration or system humor. This could be repetitive and overly snarky comments. Now yes, this can be funny, but most of the time I see it, it feels overused. The approach that I prefer the most for this is a one with moderation. When I see a message like *Ding - Congratulations, for showing your woefully incompetence at mining, you have barely gained 1 level*, I just sigh.
BlackKnightX
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You have to develop a sense of humor. Read funny books, watch lots and lots of comedies, and tell yourself jokes.
I don’t want to get into too much theories here, but fundamentally, comedy is all about surprise and unexpectedness. You build something up, you lead the audience in one direction, make them believe, then slap them in the face. That’s all it is. Twist, surprise, exaggeration, absurdity.
Remember: lead and betray their expectation.
I don’t want to get into too much theories here, but fundamentally, comedy is all about surprise and unexpectedness. You build something up, you lead the audience in one direction, make them believe, then slap them in the face. That’s all it is. Twist, surprise, exaggeration, absurdity.
Remember: lead and betray their expectation.
Topgun1908
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Don't let the joke run away from you or last too long. Some jokes only work as a quick gag and just become weird if you drag it on for longer than you need to. The last thing you want when writing comedy is for everything to get awkward, unless of course the joke is based around it getting awkward or stuff like that.
autumnveir
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amogus
TheEldritchGod
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Imitate.
Look, if you need to ask, you aren't funny. So go read or watch funny people, alter the joke a little, and rip them off.
How to be funny:
Dont laugh.
Nope. Thats the secret. You have to do hysterical things but never laugh at your own joke. How you tell a joke is more important than the joke.
Look up the aristocrats joke.
Write your own version and tell it well. If you can do that, you are a comedian. If you can't, ask someone else to help.
Look, if you need to ask, you aren't funny. So go read or watch funny people, alter the joke a little, and rip them off.
How to be funny:
Dont laugh.
Nope. Thats the secret. You have to do hysterical things but never laugh at your own joke. How you tell a joke is more important than the joke.
Look up the aristocrats joke.
Write your own version and tell it well. If you can do that, you are a comedian. If you can't, ask someone else to help.