Why Writing Funny is No Laughing Matter
I recently gave a workshop on writing comedy and witty dialogue, and discovered that writing funny is far harder than writing heartbreak, danger, or even killing people off.
Sad scenes call for emotion. Suspense needs tension. But comedy? Comedy demands timing, surprise, and the courage to risk a joke landing flat.
Preparing for that workshop forced me to ask myself a question: how do I write comedic scenes in my books?
Do I plan them carefully, or do they just happen?
People have often told me I’m witty. Funny, even. I also provide sarcasm as an extra service.
Personally, I think I’m simply observant with a low tolerance for nonsense. Add family chaos, life experience, and the occasional emotional damage, and humour thrives.
My husband used to say I could turn a grocery trip into a sitcom. To be fair, life has handed me plenty of material over the years; whether that’s hiking in Arizona while cactus needles somehow attacked my behind, or running down the street in an avocado face mask, fuzzy slippers, and a nightgown, or exploding a roast beef in the oven (true stories, but I digress).
So, are people born funny? Maybe some are. But I suspect humour is something many of us develop as a way to navigate the challenges in life, develop a strong resilience, perfect self-deprecating humour, and learn to laugh when life gets chaotic.
Which probably explains why humour always sneaks into my stories. Even when hearts break, danger lurks, or lovers clash, someone usually says the wrong thing at exactly the right time.
I love books with chemistry, charm, and trouble, so I give my heroines sharp banter, playful timing, and the nerve to say what everyone else is thinking.
In the end, I think humour is part instinct, part survival, and part practice. Some may be born with a spark for it, but life is what sharpens the edges.
And for writers like me, that means turning chaos, charm, and calamity into stories worth the humour.
My goal has always been simple. To make readers laugh, even during the darkest moments of a character’s life, and still leave them emotionally touched.
There’s no better reward than hearing a reader say, they want more of the story.
Which is why I’m happy to share that I’m currently working on the sequel to Decoy in Stilettos… so stay tuned.
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