Nine Tips for Being Funny (Even if You Aren’t)
How to Write with Humor
You don’t need to be a natural comedian to bring humor into your writing. Learning how to write with humor is just a matter of craft.
Some writers have a seemingly effortless ability to elicit laughter. Writers like David Sedaris or Jenny Lawson, for example, know how to write with humor in a way that works and flows naturally. I’m not allowed to read them in public because I laugh too much and get strange looks from people trying to enjoy a quiet afternoon at the park. What are their secrets? If I had to guess, I’d say a keen sense of observation and countless hours of editing and rewriting.
Here’s what I can tell you. Learning how to write with humor is no different than learning any other writing skill. It takes patience, practice, and a lot of coffee. More specifically, though? Check out some of these tips and see what you think.
Learn How to Write with Humor in Nine Steps
1. Know your audience. It’s always helpful to know your audience, no matter what you’re writing. But that’s especially true if you’re trying to add humor to a piece. Are you writing for musicians? Your joke about Beethoven’s 5th might be pretty funny. Computer programmers? They’ll probably understand your Java humor. But will musicians get your Java jokes? That could go either way.
2. Don’t overdo it. Unless your writing is intended mostly as a humor piece, don’t try so hard to make every other line a laugh. Sometimes less is more. Think of humor like salt. A little can bring out the flavor of a dish. Too much and your food is ruined.
In the preface to Programming Phoenix LiveView: Interactive ElixirWeb Programming Without Writing Any JavaScript, by Bruce A. Tate and Sophie DeBenedetto, they discuss who the book is for (aka their audience):
If you’re willing to accept a book that’s paced a bit slowly for advanced developers, we’re confident that you will find something you can use.
Admittedly, that probably doesn’t have you rolling on the floor. Instead, it’s a subtle line that acknowledges the slow movement of the book while endearing themselves to the reader with a little self-deprecating humor and personality.
3. Create some contrast. Humor is about contrast. Some might call this the element of surprise. Some might call it the unexpected twist. Actor Bill Murray is a genius at this style of humor. From Ghostbusters to Groundhog Day to The Dead Don’t Die, he delivers his lines in such a straight and low-key manner that, out of context, they probably wouldn’t be funny. And yet, his films are hilarious, thanks to the element of contrast.
4. Be your (funny) self. There’s more than one way to write with humor, just like there are multiple styles of writing. But you can’t force it. If your style is more on the factual, direct side, that’s okay. You may not be David Sedaris. I’m certainly not. You can still be humorous. Here’s an example from Noel Rappin in Modern CSS with Tailwind:
In the Tailwind version [of CSS], each individual style of the button — the green background, the white text, the bold font, the padding, the rounded corners, and the text centering — gets its own class in the class list.
Now, if you’re like me, your first reaction to seeing that list of classes may be something along the lines of, and I quote, “ugh.”
I might not pull this out at an open mic night. However, in context, it’s a great example of how to write with humor.
5. Use your own voice. Following closely behind “be yourself’ is using your own voice. I can’t suddenly decide I’m going to try for a smile by writing a Monty Python-style line or two. I’m as much a fan of the Holy Grail as anyone, but it might be strange if I tried to write like a classic English comedy.
6. Poke fun at yourself. Put the ego away and recognize your own quirks (and yes, we all have them). You may think that pointing out your own embarrassing moments or character flaws makes you less appealing as a writer. In truth, though, it makes you human and helps you connect with your audience. It’s a simple way to add some personality to your writing. Here’s an example from Help Your Boss Help You: Convert Conflict Into Opportunities, by Ken Kousen. In the introduction, Ken introduces himself and discusses his multiple academic degrees (two bachelor of science degrees, a master of arts degree and PhD, then a second master of science degree).
As a result, I was once introduced as having more degrees than a thermometer. All I can say is that when I talk about the “Game of School” in the second chapter, I know what I’m talking about. I also never had any difficulties impressing my girlfriend’s parents. The girlfriends were another story entirely.
7. Refrain from making fun of others. Humor at other people’s expense is not funny. In contrast to poking fun at ourselves, humor at the expense of another person or group is not funny. Situational humor can be funny. Pointing out the ridiculousness of bureaucracy can be funny. Wondering why, in this day and age, some companies still use fax machines? You can see how that could be funny. But there’s no reason to attempt humor by making fun of any individual. You’re a better writer and human than that.
8. Support the narrative. Everything you write in a blog post, on a website landing page, or in your book should support the overall point of your writing. Humor, like any other writing tool, is there to make your piece stronger. Yes, sometimes you’ll have to set aside that comic bit about Elixir. I promise it’s okay. Save it for your next networking event.
9. Relax. Writing is a process. Learning how to write with humor or grace or lyrical sentences takes time. And some of us just aren’t funny. We aren’t even moderately amusing. There’s no need to force it. Your audience will get you. They’ll understand.
Remember that, above all, writing is about communication. If humor fits, by all means, go for it!
In the meantime, if you’re interested in submitting a book proposal to The Pragmatic Programmers, read through our Become an Author page and get in touch!
