Have you ever smiled or even laughed upon reading a funny piece of writing? The feeling of lighthearted humor you experience after reading a humorous piece is delightful. Humor in writing is sometimes very effective for your audience to retain information.
Why is Humor Important in Writing?
Laughter activates reward centers in your brain and it is associated with improving long-term memory in adults. Considering this fact, the effect of humor in writing is helpful in building a positive brand image. [1]
However, learning how to use humor in writing is not an easy task. In this blog, we have some amazing tips on how to use humor in writing so you do not have to take classes in writing humor.
Tips on How to Use Humor in Writing:
Making your readers laugh is not an easy task. Learning the correct way to use humor in writing requires consistency and practice. More importantly, you need to be mindful of the social and cultural conventions as well as the basic rules of using humor in writing. Here are some tips on how to add humor to you content:
Alliteration
Alliteration or repetition is a technique that involves writing a series of words with the same sound. It does not necessarily mean writing words that start with the same letter. Rather, it is about using words with the same sound. For example, bread and braid is an example of alliteration. Cat and choir is not an example of alliteration.
The main reason why alliteration makes your content humorous is because it adds a lyrical touch to your sentences. In fact, many revered authors use alliteration to make their writing more memorable. You might have come across famous names like Bilbo Baggins, and Severus Snape. These character names are classic examples of alliteration.
A good tip on using alliteration in your content is when you are writing a series of names. For example, you can use names like Albert, Charlotte and Baguette having the same sound.
Avoid using alliteration at the expense of clarity.
Comparison, Irony and Sarcasm:
Irony and sarcasm can add a layer of humor to your writing without being too over-the-top.
Irony is when something is entirely opposite to your expectation. Unlike the common misconception, irony has nothing to do with bad luck or coincidence. You can discuss with your audience how things in a certain situation shifted ironically to add a touch of humor in writing.
Sarcasm is an ironic comment made to make fun of someone. Sarcastic sentences are contradictory to the actual intention of the writer. Sarcasm can help you emphasize certain misconceptions and convey a message in a lighthearted manner.
Comparison and contrast helps your audience connect with your message. People are more likely to comprehend something if you are using a detailed comparison. Using a combination of exaggeration and similes helps you bring a touch of comparison-driven humor to your writing. Some common examples of comparison are:
- Blind as a bat
- White as snow
- Dark as night
Witty Wordplay:
Perhaps the easiest and most interesting way to add humor in writing is to use wordplay. Play around with puns, double entendres, and other forms of wordplay to add a touch of humor to your writing.
The trick comes down to your word choice. Interestingly, according to some humor experts, words containing consonants k, t, g, d, b, or p are funnier than others. Some common examples of witty wordplay are:
- Droll instead of jocular or amusing
- Waggish instead of extremely happy and playful
- Bamboozled instead of confused or misdirected
Become friends with your Thesaurus and expand your vocabulary to ultimately start practicing witty wordplay.
Twist the Cliches
Your readers want to read something new, something that refreshes their mind. What could be a better way to bring smiles to your readers than offering something unexpected? A cliche is an expression which was once believed to be clever. Cliches are sentences that have lost their impact over time due to overuse. You can twist the cliches to bring an element of humor in writing. Here is an example of twisting the cliche:
- “Where there is a will, there is a way.” The twist could be something like, “Where there is a will, there is a lawyer coming after his fees.”
The simplest trick to do this is look for famous Cliches on Google. Take a popular cliche and change the ending for adding a humorous twist in writing.
Déjà vu
Readers like to associate with the author. Deja Vu is a sense of familiarity with a situation or previous experience. A callback used at the end of a set is a clever association most comedians use to make jokes about something they said in the beginning of their set. Deja vu is a call back that refers to something you said previously and reminds your audience of it. Here is an example of Deja Vu:
“The Book is finally finished, and I am delighted to have accomplished a new milestone.”
The world didn’t go upside down.
I kickstarted my reading journey.
I got one step closer to my reading goal.
The world didn’t go upside down.”
Notice how the sentence “The world didn’t go upside down” is repeated at the end. Thus, the repetition creates a sense of familiarity or Deja Vu for your readers. The funny element is exaggerating something that is entirely impossible.
Create relatable characters:
By creating relatable characters with flaws, you can use self-deprecating humor to make them more relatable and endearing to the reader. If you are good at storytelling, creating humorous and relatable characters can help you bring humor to your writing. For example, if your blog is about writing tips, you can create a character who has zero writing knowledge but lots of passion for writing. You can mention the obvious mistakes the character will make and offer tips on correcting them. Thus, your audience will be entertained and learning at the same time.
Bonus Trick: Ask AI To Add Humor in Writing
Humor is a skill that you can learn with time. While you are at it, you can simply ask an AI Writing assistant to create humor in writing for your blog, emails or any other content piece.
Humor is Subjective: Be Careful when Using Humor in Writing
Remember, humor is subjective: Keep in mind that humor is highly subjective, what you find funny may not be funny to someone else
- Be mindful of tone: Use a light-hearted and playful tone to create a sense of humor in your writing.
- Don’t overdo it: Use humor sparingly and strategically, too much humor can detract from the overall impact of the text.
- Read it out loud: A good way to test if your humor is working is to read it out loud, it will help you to identify if something is funny or not.
- Get a second opinion: Share your work with a friend or colleague and get their feedback on the humor.
- Don’t Discriminate: Avoid targeting a specific group of people as it may be regarded as discriminating and offensive.
Conclusion
Adding humor in writing engages readers and improves their learning abilities. Thus, if you want to bring smiles to your readers, adopt a humor-filled writing style. If you are not good at humor, simply ask an AI writing assistant to create humor filled content for you!
References:
[1] Laughter Learning – Edutopia
