A TO Z _ HAVE YOU HEARD THE ONE ABOUT ...

"Humor is the great thing,

the saving thing.

The minute it crops up, 

 all our hardnesses yield,

 all our irritations,

and resentments flit away,

and a sunny spirit

takes their place."

- Mark Twain

Ghost of Mark Twain back again ...

If there is one thing folks would all agree on

is that I was expert enough on the subject of humor to make my bread and butter and whiskey on it.

Humor is certainly needed in these dark days.

For humor to stand out there must be contrast. 

Set a diamond upon a pall of black

if you'd have it glisten, don't you know.

So-called Hollywood pundits swear that for a movie to become what they call a "blockbuster,"

it has to be so loved that it is viewed multiple times.

The same is true for a novel.  You want yours to be a bestseller?

There must be something to it that calls for a reader to re-read it

and to beg her friends to read it for the first time ...

so she can discuss it with them.

A shared pleasure is multiplied

more than a solitary one

Can't write humor you say?

Then, child, it is time for you to grow outside what moderns call your comfort zone.

Writing humorous scenes teaches important writing skills like pacing and word choice.

Humor keeps your story from becoming monotonous, don't you know?

As I was bottom-dealing, ah, winning at poker with Josh Whedon,

he told me a piece of advice he gives would-be writers: 

"Make it dark, make it grim, make it tough, but then, for the love of God, tell a joke."

Humor Does “Double Duty,”:

 Foreshadowing, Revealing Character, Conveying Attitude, Addressing Theme

 and, if nothing else, making you smile as you write!