Dear Agony Editor,

I’d like to infuse my writing with more humour, but I’m afraid that I’ll offend someone unintentionally. The last thing I’d want to do is add a joke or two and have my humour land wrong. And we all know you can’t change something once it’s in print. To be safe, should I put the jokes aside?

Signed,

Knock, Knock

Dear Knock, Knock

There’s nothing wrong with adding humour to your writing. Personally, I think too many books (and authors) take themselves too seriously. And who couldn’t use a good laugh, especially in the world we’re living in? 

It’s wise that you’re questioning your intentions, though. Too often, humour can be thoughtless and cruel, with the goal of getting a quick laugh, but not taking the implications into consideration. 

As a first step, think of humour as one of your writing tools. Maybe you’re using it to lighten the atmosphere following a particularly heavy scene. Or you’re using humour to reveal character insights. Or you simply want to evoke a response from your reader. Whatever your reason, make sure you understand why you’re using comedy and the function it serves in your story. 

Secondly, think about whether the laugh comes at the expense of someone else. Are you making fun of your characters, and by extension, other people? If so, what entitles you to do that? Generally, I think it’s best to point the humour arrow firmly at yourself. 

That said, you can’t spend your writing career worried that you might offend someone. After all, you’re an artist, and your work should be about provoking and, at times, making people uncomfortable. Good art challenges us to see viewpoints that may differ from our own, but, hopefully, inspires a sense of empathy. 

Before going too deep into your writing, ask yourself: What is the purpose of my humour, who am I pointing the arrow at, and why am I the person to do it? 

Last, but not least, trust your gut. If something you’ve written is giving you pause or making you question its inclusion in the overall work, that’s usually a good sign to leave it out. If you take all these points into consideration, adding comic elements should be a safe bet.