#PretendPanel April4
I think I do an okay job of writing humor. Not all of my stuff is humorous, and when it is the humor takes fourth place to the stuff that I really care about in writing, but I do like slipping some humor in where and when I can.

I love Pratchett but could never write his style. My characters use a lot of sly and sarcastic humor. #pretendpanel

#PretendPanel April 4: Multiple beta readers and testers have said they'd be able to tell I wrote Cargo and After Work because the jokes sound like me. Or in one case, "it's the sort of joke you make and then laugh at". That's good, probably. I think.

We write about heavy topics, so allowing humor in is important to bring levity. (It's also culturally appropriate in some instances.) The key is, we don't try to force it. It comes up organically through character interactions and so becomes an absolute joy to write

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#PretendPanel - I'm not especially witty or funny, but I enjoy injecting what humor I can into my stories. USUALLY via characters coping with stress or representing positive relationship dynamics. (I don't consider bully-insult 'jokes' as humor, but villainous character dev)

I love reading humorous moments in different genres, especially when it's surprising. Writing it, however, it's got to happen by accident otherwise it's just bad. I'm not good like Mel Brooks. Some people have the gift it's ok that it's not my strength.
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I don’t write anything humorous as a genre but I do enjoy slipping humor in when possible, particularly sarcasm or physical comedy which is what I personally find funny. TWV was my first real attempt to write in my voice and I threw all my whole wit into it 😂
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I don’t read as much humor as I would like and I do LOVE reading it. I love to laugh, and I’ve read some wonderfully funny books and would always accept recs for more
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I love word play. Outside of humor with certain characters and dialogue, I'll often slip in some really groan-worthy puns. If nothing else, I amuse myself. A recent one in my WIP, Seven Years Love...
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Where my book does lean into humour, it does so for two reasons:

1) cut tension so that the story doesn't become too bleak, particularly for younger readers

2) gently, lovingly poke a stick at my protagonist and, by extension, jab her... err... real life counterpart.

(2/2)

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My WIP novel is definitely not a comedy. It's an earnest kitchen sink coming of age drama. It's more often wistful, melancholic, and tragic than funny.

However, I worked very consciously to include moments of (usually dry, situational) humour.

(1/2)

#PretendPanel 04/04
I definitely have some WIPs that I actively intend to be funnier than others. Whether my sense of humour actually resonates with others, or course, is the question, but I do think humour is important. Sometimes moreso in serious stories than in actual comedies, giving something

#PretendPanel 04/03
I used to read a ton of actively comedic novels. Terry Pratchett, Robert Rankin, Christopher Moore, I have a ton of all their books. Somewhere along the way I stopped seeking them out, generally going for subtler, slice-of-life humour when it comes to books. Rom-Coms that (1/2)

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My books do deal with a few sensitive issues, but I dont want people to be sad for too long, so there's always some fun banter or silly scene mixed in to keep it light.

A few characters have some fun flirty banter, and love it when I make people laugh.

I try to bring the leavening of humor to my books that I appreciate in other writers' works. It means a lot to me when a reader finds something I wrote genuinely amusing. My attempts to write intentional "low comedy" generally haven't gone off so well, though.

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#pretendpanel What place does humour have in your writing life?

One of the top compliments on my writing is being witty. I love both reading and writing funny.

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Humor is critical to my writing because it's how I cope with the stress of everyday life.

The snappy comeback, with witty retort, the wry observation functions as seasoning to gourmet meal. Too much, and it overwhelms the dish. Too little, and the entree is bland and tasteless. #pretendpanel

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I have an interesting relationship with humour in my writing. My first novel was 100% serious, as are a couple of WIPs now.

Recently I've been concentrating on my GameLit Comedy series, which is 100% post-Hitchhikers madness.
(1/2)

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It depends on the story, but every story has humor. Prophecies is a satire and jokes are consistent. StS is heavy and violent, but Seff's dry humor pops up occasionally as a coping mechanism, for herself and for the reader.

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I try to have a little levity in any of my writings, though some are, of course, funnier than others, and the absurdity around some situations can be used to humorous effect. Unbroken seriousness or tension can be exhausting to both write and read.

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I enjoy humor in the books I read, and I do sometimes choose specifically to read "humor" books. I revisit James Thurber's and Dave Barry's stuff semi-regularly, and "What Do You Hear from Walden Pond?" by Jack Douglas is also an old favorite.

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#PretendPanel I have a few funny moments in my first book, but nothing laugh out loud. A few nasal exhales are all you'll get. I think the story doesn't allow much room for humor. Especially my second book.

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I love humor and it's a large part of my writing. It's hard to say if I'm good at it, because I think humor is one of the hardest things to land, but I know my writing has made people laugh so I like to think it's pretty decent.

*I* think I'm funny, at least. 😎✨
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In our memoir, we wrote in our voice... literally. People criticized it. "It's weird to write like you talk." But, that's what came out naturally. And, while I wouldn't say we're naturally funny... some of our alters are sarcastic [survival tool]. Not intentional, but humor is there.

Both of us are pretty funny IRL. I (Holfelder) struggle to get that into my writing. I'm better at riffing off of someone or one-off comments than thought out humor. Watson has been adding some humor into Sanal's voice, which is so on point for Sanal's dry sense of humor.
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#PretendPanel 4/4:

I mentioned this yesterday, but I like to incorporate humor into my work whenever possible because it enriches the humanity of the story for me. I'm not a great wit by any means, but because I seek out humor in all my media, I at least know what makes me smile and laugh. (1/3)

#PretendPanel I think humor shows up pretty regularly in my writing, but it's usually in the form of gallows humor or making light of a serious situation. The, "If you don't laugh, you cry" type of humor. It serves as an effective device to lighten the serious overall mood of my work.

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I am not a comedienne. My sense of humor runs low key and occasionally absurdist.
I don’t set out to write “funny” things, but I do like when my characters show me something amusing, and like to share that with readers, to keep things from getting too morose.

Oh wow! I just realized humor1 was probably 90% of my reading material when I was in elementary school. I even wanted to be a humor columnist when I grew up at one point. 1/2

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the author's always-in-trouble syndrome, hypervigilance to the moods of others, and conflict-avoidance from childhood has turned writing humor into a form of sadism.

i bully my MCs via the narrative and show them at their most foolish. we are NOT laughing "with them." #pretendpanel