Humour & Comedy… Writing

Humour is very subjective and so what one person might find hilarious, another might find totally offensive. The right kind of humour is vital in keeping us sane as laughter is indeed the best medicine for many types of ailments, most of all a lack of a sense of humour. I sometimes see attempts at humour in publications that do not call for it, which can then backfire on the author for all kinds of reasons. For example, you wouldn’t want to use humour in a sales letter that is promoting health products, yet I have seen it.

Personally, I love humour in all its forms. Even some foul, edgy types can be effective in making people laugh, which is what humour is all about. However, the target audience has to be both primed and expectant for some types of edgy humour to really work. General ‘run-of-the-mill’ type humour is fine for the timid types but I find what really works well with a large audience is the type of humour that just leans on the boundaries. That is to say, it might be about something that you have already thought about but was too shy or too reserved to bring it up or mention. Boring!

I like subtle humour and humour that is feverishly naughty for the reasons previously mentioned. Unfortunately, I don’t get anywhere near enough work that requires humour and I wish I did. Any comedians out there looking for some gags? What about a sitcom? Anybody looking for a writer for a sitcom? I’m here and ready to go.

There are some brilliant comedy writers around and I can only imagine that their days must be full of fun and endless laughter. It’s a job I would relish.

So, what makes a good writer of comedy? Well, I think you just have to be very observant of people and human nature. What we do naturally is really very funny when re-enacted or exposed. The things people say can be funny without them realising. Situations can be very funny, either at the time or much later after the event. Comedy, humour and laughter are everywhere. You don’t have to look too far to find it.