Laughter Conquers ALL

Do you use humor to delight, entertain or beguile your readers?  If not, consider how humor involves the ability to perceive the ludicrous, the comical and the absurd in human life.   Express the ridiculous and preposterous. Add more funny bones to your writing.  

Types of humor:

Irony involves an intended meaning just the opposite of what is expressed.

Parody occurs where the writer imitates a piece of writing for comic effect or in ridicule.

Sarcasm expresses, in the form of irony, an intent to cut or wound.

Satire writing holds up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn.

Wit uses ingenuity and swift perception to evoke laughter.

The most important element in humor writing mingles the writer's point of view with an attitude of humor.  

        Humor evokes a sudden change.  

              The writer should convey a contrast: 

                    the reversing of the normal and abnormal, expected and unexpected.

To develop a strong sense of humor, examine what's funny in yourself.  Which quirks, habits, biases and outlooks do you have?  You'll discover a perfect source of material.

Make it funny, keep it funny and don't pass up any opportunity to make it funnier. You will learn that humor self-generates. Make your readers laugh. Once they've started, don't let up.

Do remember, humor is an iffy business. What will make you laugh might roll off your readers. Keep in pursuit of what tickles your funny bone and don't give up.

Have fun writing and playing with these ideas:

l.   What irritates you about others?  Exaggerate their shortcomings.  Reverse and examine your own dislikes.

2.  What misfortunes have you experienced.  Notice the tricks that fate has played recently.  

3.  Your flaws make laughable material.  Write a few jokes about yourself.

4.  People laugh at two things: surprise and misfortune.  Surprise humor leads in one direction and then takes a turn. Intermingle surprise and misfortune.

5.  Consider ways to use exaggeration or understatement to convey a situation.

Humor brightens inclement weather. Enrich your writing with lines to produce laughter.