Humor in science fiction and fantasy: Make it funny already!

Something that has always seemed elusive to me, even more so in some ways than that certain spark that ignites within an exciting, well crafted story, is the ability to inject well timed humor. This comes up because I’m currently reading (well actually listening to) the latest Jim Butcher Dresden book, Ghost Story. One of the things that’s always attracted me to Butcher’s books is his ability to fuel his main character with that sarcastic wit, that energetic, humorous banter, internal or external, that brings the character to life and establishes that instant sense of personality and uniqueness. So here’s my question to you: how do you make a book funny?

Now a book being “funny” is of course a wholly subjective thing, and will vary depending on personality, likes, dislikes, and so on. I remember when I was in college, I was writing a play and having a conversation with a friend and I said to her, “I’m trying to make it funny, but it’s just not working.” And she said to me, “Don’t try and make it funny, just make it funny.” I smiled and nodded as if at all understanding what she meant, but I never really got it. So when does the humor come in? I’ve noticed that for me personally I rarely develop any humor other than the odd sense of irony within a given situation while writing the first draft of a chapter. Does this change when you go through revision? Does time and removal from it by a certain degree give your mind the necessary perspective to insert more humor into scenes? But more importantly, should it?

I am willing to admit, much to my personal sense of woe, that I may not be as funny as I have originally thought. Although I would like to avoid that conclusion as it were the plague itself. On one hand, the Slipstream Effect does have a sense of stark seriousness to its atmosphere. This in turn could lead my characters away from salvaging or reacting to situations with humor as that oh so wonderful element of deflective defense mechanism.

So I guess the real problem with humor, at least in my case with my own science fiction story is, should it be funny? Should I try and make it so? My instincts say yes in all the ways that I love and admire these other stories with humorous overtones, or bitingly sarcastic protagonists. But I guess I’ll just have to wait and see how funny it’s going to be. So the short answer…I don’t know yet. Guess you’ll just have to wait and see! Besides, if I’m really not funny, I’m sure you guys will let me know eventually!

Any suggestions, comments, or reflections on adding a touch of humor into your story is greatly appreciated.

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