Written Humor
I consider The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy by Douglas Addams the funniest book ever written. (The movie was awful, but that’s another story.) How extensive is my funny book list? Umm, three, with the other two The S*hit My Dad Says by Justin Halpern and The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux. Why is the list so small? After all, my list of funny movies, comedians, and humorous events could fill ten pages.
It turns out that writing a funny book or even a funny paragraph is mega-difficult. Why? Written humor requires long setups, and comedic timing is impossible. Media uses facial expressions, sounds, comical voices, straight-person impact, silliness, and audience laughter.
A perfect example is the Monty Python TV show, where they did their iconic goose-step walk. It’s a riot to watch but terrible to read. “Bob walked in using a comical goose-step.” It’s not funny, but the Monty Python sketch still makes me smile 30 years later.
What makes The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy so unique? Douglas is a master writer when it comes to building a funny foundation. He spent 50 pages trying to answer the question, “What is the answer to life, the universe, and everything?” 42. I laughed for ten minutes, and as a writer, I deeply admire the skill and patience to write such a funny scene.
Humor has several uses, such as showing the evil character’s cruelty. It also breaks up a scene to keep the plot moving. A comical scene may reveal a character’s depth. Even telling a stupid (not funny) joke may help uncover a character’s new aspects.
I have written several funny scenes, but I admit they are less than 10% on the Douglas Addams humor scale. One example is when my character Grace discusses how her old house could become popular, and another character calls it Grace Land. During an actual conversation, a normal person would have a good laugh, yet I admit my creation is so-so.
How about a joke book? “Why did the police arrest the turkey? They suspected foul play.” Ha, ha, ha. Umm, no. Joke books have been available for years and do not fly off the shelves. Are jokes and funny scenes required? In all the Tom Clancy books, I do not recall a single humorous moment, thus proving that an author can do well without humor.
Yet, humor enhances flow, breaks up the action, and rounds out characters. On a subconscious level, humor tugs at the reader’s heart and adds to the experience. If I could only find a funny way to end this article…

You’re the best -Bill
November 13, 2019 Updated October 13, 2024
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