Laughter is a way for the human race to show emotion without saying a word. You cannot make someone laugh if they don’t want to but you can help them along. What I mean by this is, with your writing, there are techniques that you can employ to create conditions that make people laugh. Unlike a stage show, you won't have a performer that helps you to create comic experiences; instead, you help the reader to use your imagination to create it, even though you probably don’t have the training in comic delivery – it will be a challenge but you can do it with these five techniques:

Funny Characters

Comedy is not required to derive from the character because comedy has its own value. Yes, comedy should entertain the reader or advance your novel’s goals but it doesn’t have to do both. The one thing a comedic line must not do is undermine your character. It must be natural to that character; if it isn’t, your reader will stop laughing, lose the character and, possibly, interest.

Don’t Make the Joke Too Obvious

Your reader expects things from your book and comedy is the result of an upset expectation. Delivering the setup line a little before the joke is how that expectation is created but you must be careful in how you write it – don’t make the joke obvious. You are not leading them to the conclusion, merely giving them the bridge that helps them get there.

Make the Ending Funny

The part of the sentence that makes the reader laugh, the trigger, should be at the end of the line or as near to it as possible. Too many writers put it too early and lose it. And, unless “he said” or “she said” is the funny part, don’t use it or you will suffocate the laugh.

The Rhythm Should Lead to the Trigger

The rhythm of the line should always point to the trigger. Remove any unnecessary words before that trigger; timing is important in comedy but so is velocity. Too many words in the line and the joke will be lost.

Leave Space For the Laugh

In a stage play, after a funny line is delivered, the actor waits for the laugh. With a novel, you don’t have that actor to create the timing so it's down to you. Using the rhythm of the line is one way to do that but another important technique is to leave space after the trigger. Provide something unimportant so the reader can process the joke.

For example, don’t deliver a comedy line and then follow up with a stunning revelation about a character – the laugh is lost and, potentially, so is the plot line. Even more important, don’t follow one comedy line with another – give your readers a break.

To have someone smile while they read your work is great but laughter where you intended it is even better. Laughter is something to be shared, not just enjoyed by one person and taking the time to make that happen is well worth it.