Do you write humor into your stories? Does it balance out the more serious work you’re trying to do with the story?
As you’ve probably figured out, I write thrillers. And despite the dark tones in many thrillers, I started wondering if I should spend more time writing in moments of humor.
I read this article by Susan Reinhardt in which she discusses why she writes humor into her stories.
This was said of her debut: “Reinhardt achieves what would ordinarily be an impossible task, that of presenting a tragic heroin in a continuously amusing light, while never forfeiting sensitivity to her plight…”
I’m going to share three lessons I learned from reading this article!
3 Lessons Learned
⚖️ Balance
In the article, Reinhardt suggests that there’s a balance that needs to be struck between humor and seriousness in our stories.
Depending on what genre you write, you probably feel the pull of the serious work.
But what seems to be important to Reinhardt is the balance. And that right balance isn’t 50/50.
It’s just about giving the humor in doses that makes the seriousness palatable.
When reading thrillers without any humor, I often find it harder to stay with the story for longer periods of time. I find that I need more breaks from the reading.
I recently finished HELL BENT by Leigh Bardugo. Talk about a depressing and bleak story!
BUT…
The main character had a great sense of humor.
I felt more willing to spend time with her as she went through these awful trials and tribulations because of her sense of humor.
🚫 No Cheap Laughs
For Reinhardt, it’s important not to just throw in humor to try and get a laugh. It’s more important to remain sensitive to what a character is going through.
Find the humor in the story, don’t manufacture it.
It’s more about a relief from the weight of the subject. People don’t want heavy emotions all the time.
I’ve noticed this in horror movies. Think about how, when you’re watching a horror movie, something might happen that triggers you to laugh instead of scream.
A slight turn or misstep by a director or an actor can bring out the completely wrong emotion.
Any serious topic has moments that require an emotional release. It can be better to give your readers that release by sprinkling in purposeful and sensitive humor.
🤭 Humor Turns Pages
Think about a novel you read where the protagonist (or at least the author) clearly had a sense of humor.
Now, can you remember eagerly turning pages and wanting to read more. Even if there weren’t moments on every page to make you laugh.
Throughout our lives, we tend to spend time with people who make us laugh.
There’s something about turning pages knowing you might chuckle. It makes turning pages more exciting.
As a society, we consume mass quantities of comedies and rom-coms and sit-coms.
Because the thing we enjoy when we’re taking a break from reality is…well…a break from reality. And often that comes in a form of a laugh.
2 Quotes
“Humor is a tool I use to dial down tension, sadness, and heavier material.”
“I couldn’t do it. Not only did I lack the talent, but I also wanted to feel more than just anger and sadness when reading a book.”
1 Final Thought
Do you think about balancing humor with the seriousness in your genre? Is this something that happens naturally or do you feel like you need to spend time working on it?
Personally, this is something I need to spend more time thinking about.
Before you go about your day, do me a favor and forward this email to one writer friend. Thanks for helping me help more writers!
