Photo Tuesday

Comedy can be an author's greatest challenge!

And while comedy need not abound in every scene, we must be able to acurately convey humor to our reader in the correct places. (Unintentionally funny due to poor writing is not good!)

Some people are born with natural wit that translates well to the page, but many of us have to work on it. We need to clearly envision the scene before we commit it to paper. (Thus today's photo examples.)

And as any comedian will tell us, timing is everything.

Can it be described well with dialogue or a couple narrative sentences?

Does it need to be rapid-fire? Like any fast-paced action scene, some humor must be delivered quickly and with short bursts. (Three Stooges anyone?)

Will more readers find it funny if the humor is presented as matter-of-fact? (Think droll humor, such as comedian Steven Wright.)

And of course, the bottom line is - will our readers find it funny? Will it cause a smile or chuckle, or will it simply sound awkward? (Running it past a couple readers is a sure way to find out!)

What style of 'funny' do you use? Is it a struggle? What have you found that works? And what would you suggest writers avoid?