In today’s world, where people lead such hectic lives, everyone needs something to make them feel relaxed and give them a good laugh. Humour has tremendous value, it’s an art form which will surely give you an extra dimension in your writing. So, if you want to know how comedy can help your writing in the long run, you may want to read on:
Releases Tension
One of the major reasons why comedy can be such an effective tool in improving your writing is because it helps release tension for the reader. It can be used in many serious looking situations, maybe to address uncomfortable or confrontational subjects, or even to dilute the tension between conflicting characters. Yes, every good writer needs conflict in their stories, but when the conflict becomes overpowering, it creates a risk of tiring the readers’ minds. Adding humour from time to time will help them relax and look away from the seriousness of the situation for a while. Moreover, it provides you with an easy way to get your point across, without offending anyone.
Earn Respect
One of the main reasons why people use humour in their conversations or their writing, is because everyone wants to get noticed. If you have a good sense of humour, automatically, it makes other people think highly of you. A person with a good sense of humour is not only remembered, but also remembered fondly. A good sense of humour goes a long way in building a great image in front of your readers, and also adds to your personality as a whole. It’s quite simple, if you make people laugh, you gain their respect.
Connect With Readers
Almost every living person in this world relates to humour and reacts to it. Humour is something that is universal, and everyone connects with it in some form or the other. Sure, people may have different tastes in humour, but everyone enjoys it in some way or the other. Adding comedy to your stories will make them connect with the writing, and it will catch their attention. Also, another advantage of comedy in writing is that it will avoid your readers getting bored. Nobody likes a seemingly endless story filled with serious plots and subplots. Some comic relief is needed from time to time.
Reward
Perhaps one of the most materialistic things on the list, but important nonetheless, adding comedy to your style of writing will go a long way in fetching you richer rewards for your work. People appreciate good humour, and once you provide them with it, they will seek more of the same, which will ultimately translate in increased demand and sales of your own books. Also, they are more likely to tell others about you too, owing to the quality of humour that you provide. So, in addition to the quality of writing, you benefit commercially too.
To Be Remembered
If you are successful at providing good stories with a dash of sensible and genuinely funny lines, people are bound to remember both, you and your work. Most of the fondly remembered stories, or lines from those stories, are always the funny ones. Your best work will be retained, and probably, if you are lucky, be repeated too! Comedy and jokes are a very smart way of gaining the attention of people, and also, at the same time, to be remembered. Humour goes a long way in making a short phrase memorable. You want your work to be memorable, don’t you?
Image credit: University of Salford Press Office on flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0
Pranay Kanagat is a freelance writer who has a love for writing on various subjects. In particular, he enjoys creative writing. He is also studying for an Engineering degree.