One of my workshop participants emailed me recently, asking how to add more humor to her writing:
“Is there a method or is it just something that comes naturally?”
Well, yes.
Like any talent, some people just have it. Take Bill Gray, a humor writer I worked with at Hallmark and probably the most talented person I will ever know. Bill’s process? He looks into space for a minute, then types up the tightest, most original joke you’ve ever heard. It’s disgusting. I’d hate him if I didn’t love him so much. (Shout-out to Bill, who retired this week after more than 30 years: Congrats, pardner!)
But for everyone not named Bill Gray, I do think you can pick humor writing up—as long as you’re willing to do three things:
Find, study, and emulate funny writers you like.
What makes you laugh? Immerse yourself in it. Read the books. Watch the shows. Get in the habit of writing down the funny things you hear and read. Let it all seep into your subconscious, where it will churn and compost and fortify your own writing.
Be yourself.
Most people are funny in real life—it’s just a question of whether they can capture those same words down on the page. The more you can allow yourself to write exactly like you think and speak, the more naturally writing humor will come to you. How do you make your friends laugh? Strive to write exactly like that.
Say “fuck it.”
No other two words will work more magic for you. The more you can say “fuck it,” the more you’ll loosen up. The more chances you’ll take. The funnier you’ll be. Say it every time you write and feel it get easier and easier.
As for methods, there are a million ways writing can be funny.
There are a number of humor-writing devices I love—but you may not, and that’s okay! Humor is wildly subjective, and not everyone has my sophisticated Dumb & Dumber-esque taste. Now: did the writers I’m about to quote purposely use these devices? Almost certainly not.
I don’t sit down with a list of things to try, and I doubt they did, either. They’ve likely come naturally to them, after years spent studying others, being themselves, and saying “fuck it.” Y’know, the three musts I just went over? You kids and your attention spans!
Nevertheless, using devices like the following are a great way to experiment. Here are a whole bunch of my favorites, from the pros:
Exaggerate.
“I have just taken my first sip of water today at 2:57 p.m., I cannot be a person who reliably gets treatments done to herself.”
―Samantha Irby, Quietly Hostile
Add a pop culture reference.
“The chorus of Jack and Diane is: ‘Oh yeah, life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone.’ Are you kidding me? The thrill of living was high school? Come on, Mr. Cougar Mellencamp. Get a life.”
―Mindy Kaling, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
Hit us with a great metaphor.
“He’s the human equivalent of a spam mail.”
—Tia Williams, Seven Days in June
Get super specific.
“You have weird breakfasts when you’re out of milk. Three Kraft singles and some tap water.”
—Jerry Seinfeld, Is This Anything?
Try the rule of three: a short list, where the last item veers off.
“I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land.”
―Jon Stewart
Push a cliché to somewhere unexpected.
“I’m sick of following my dreams. I’m just going to ask them where they’re going and hook up with them later.”
―Mitch Hedberg
Quote the funny people in your life.
“My father would loudly refuse to drink water because ‘fish make love in it.’”
—Pete Holmes, Comedy Sex God
Poke fun at yourself.
“I look like a guy who’s always on the verge of asking, ‘Do you know who my father is?’”
—Colin Jost, A Very Punchable Face
Make up facts.
“hot dogs were invented in 1936 by Larry Hotdogs when he accidentally dropped a bag of prize-winning pig assholes in his Dick Shaper Machine”
—@nice_mustard, on X (formerly Twitter)
Use a funny and/or under-utilized word.
“Some people skip the (book’s) intro. I don’t trust them. It makes me wonder where else they cut corners, where else they’re phoning it in, what other flimflammery they’re perpetrating.”
—Gary Gulman, misfit
Invent your own words or phrases.
“You know what else is not everyone’s LLC?”
—Phoebe Robinson, Please Don’t Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes
Pretend to be naive.
“Jen and I start having sex without a condom, which, if you haven’t tried it, by all means give it a chance. It’s a phenomenal activity. There are videos of it online.”
—Mike Birbiglia, The New One
Misquote someone.
“Like my grandmother always said, ‘Your opinions are valid and important. Unless it's some stupid bullshit you're being shitty about, in which case you can just go fuck yourself.’”
—Jenny Lawson, Furiously Happy
Surprise us with an afterthought.
“I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather. Not yelling and screaming like the passengers in his car.”
—Jack Handey, Deep Thoughts
Tell the ugly truth.
“I thought I’d support the movement the way I had become accustomed to: by donating money and then telling people I’d donated twice as much.”
—David Sedaris, Happy-Go-Lucky
Final thought: yes, you can learn to write humor. It will be hard. Hoping to make someone laugh feels very scary: What if they don’t think you’re funny? They might not. You’re not for everyone.
But guess what? They might! And then, you’ve just made someone feel lighter for a minute or two in a world that can get pretty darn heavy. So fuck it! Get to work.
Have a thought about writing humor? I’d love to hear from you. Comment below or reply, if you’re reading this via email.
📥 Input! 📥
• Just started this delightful comedy (the two leads are married IRL!)
• Thoroughly enjoyed this moving documentary of a wildly creative couple
• Speaking of docs, if you love ’em like I do, check out this exhaustive resource
• Making my way through the best comedy specials of 2023 (I already told y’all about the Best Breakthrough, so get on it!)
• Love this idea: an annual “things I learned” list
• Searching, dodging birds, and waiting for this wrap-up
• Finally:
You better stop giving away your brilliance for free.
Pure genius every time you share writing techniques. I will say this - you do humor very well.