Thread: Approaching humour, tentatively.

I'm quite partial to humour both in reality and in text and as a result, I write in a similar fashion myself. It's not an intentional effort, I suppose you might even call it 'organic' if you were a floaty type The issue does concern me, though. Ascertaining a level of acceptable humour is difficult enough when considering readership from my own country, never mind the addition of readers with a complete opposite taste for the funny stuff.
Has anyone encountered difficulties in this respect? Have you erred on the side of caution to avoid confrontation? Or do you write from the heart, and ignore any criticism?

Daisy

I love Mrs. Bucket. My husband who has a great sense of humor, can hardly stand it. I tend to like humor that allows us to laugh at ourselves as a people.
Some humor, for lack of knowing the culture, assuredly flies right over my head. I've liked some of pretty crude books, but I don't like South Park.
I don't think you can ever please everyone and should instead please yourself. Some people will love you for it, some not so much, but better than compromising your nature and winding up with meh...

Humor is the ability to, universally, make human beings uncomfortable without any real danger. Some will be uncomfortable due to societal references, some due to religious references, some due to sexual ones. If you want to write humor for humankind, find what it is at the heart of every uncomfortable moment in the English speaking world and exploit it.

I use humor the way people do in real life, or at least the way I do in real life. In my fiction, I usually use it to help disarm situations that are threatening to explode right off the page. That's the same thing I do in real life, although that is just one example. Whatever way you see it used in real situations is the way it should be used in a novel. Or at least, that's how I do it!

I love a good laugh both in real life and on the page. I think humour varies just as writing styles do. You'll find some writing styles apeal to some and vice versa. I'd rather one person find me humerous and have a good chuckle rather than many finding me bland. I've tried to stay serious sometimes but the comical opportunities can be far to good to miss. Then again, I am Aussie and we have a pretty warped sense of humour!

You don't mention what type of writing you are doing. If it is reportage, criticism or some kind of essay, then certain types of humour will be inappropriate. In fiction and poetry the field is far more wide open and 'writing from the heart' a more open-ended possibility. I think one should be open to criticism and consider its value. Ignoring it is one option of many. A sense of humour is a great gift. The ability to share it with others is an even greater one.

cheers
J.R.