Writing Funny

     I love to laugh out loud while reading books. I love funny books and funny moments in serious books. Comedy is a huge part of entertainment, whether it be stand up, books, movies, or TV. So do you have to be a funny person to write funny, or can you just work at it?
     I would like to think I am a decently funny person. I get told I'm funny. I've been told I should be a comedian. I make people laugh. So writing funny scenes in my books should be a piece of cake, right? Wrong. Sure, I can write funny scenes, but they don't just come to me. I have to work hard at them. It is one thing to come up with a comeback when you are in a conversation with someone and your mind is sharp. But it is an entirely different thing when you are writing a scene and you need to write something funny, but also something that your character would say, not just how you would react to what the other person said.
     Then you have to figure out how funny you want it to be. How long do they have to be funny. Do you just want a good one liner for a punch? There is a lot to being funny in a book. Also, a one liner that may be common to you and your friends, a reader may have no clue what you are talking about. It's a complicated process. For me anyway. I'm sure other authors have no problem being funny.
     For me, I write a lot of serious stuff. A lot of dark moments. One of my problems is not having light moments to break up the darkness. Sometimes you need a little humor to break up the tension. Sometimes you need a character to say something funny to add awkwardness. Sometimes you should not put something funny in a serious scene because it will seem crass and break up what you have going. Humor is like walking a tight rope. One of the worst parts about using humor is offending someone. I hate judgmental people and I hate judging period. I hate hurting people's feelings. So when I add humor I have to make sure it doesn't offend anyone or hurt anyone's feelings.
     So in conclusion, humor is great, possibly bad, and almost always difficult for me.
    
     My book has been out in the world for two weeks now. I can hardly believe it. If you haven't gotten a digital copy yet, there are several places you can do so.

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/453465
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/still-life-moving-laci-maskell/1119899273?ean=2940046048933
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Still-Life-Moving-Laci-Maskell-ebook/dp/B00LFZ1I64/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405368152&sr=8-1&keywords=still+life+moving

Or, if you are waiting for a paperback copy, don't fret. I am working on that this week and will hopefully have that out to you soon.