I am super lucky to have some of the best friends anyone could hope for. They appreciate my sense of humour! Who would have thought that was possible! It swings from the wildly exaggerated, to completely dead-pan (though that’s hard to translate to text), and while I certainly amuse myself, I don’t usually consider myself a funny person.
The husband is outrageously proficient in humour, and expressing it through multiple mediums. He honestly makes me laugh every day. It makes for some very interesting conversations about my writing work, though. I will express an idea or a concern I have, and he will usually recommend disarming the entire situation with something humourous. I rarely take his advice, but if we ever co-author a book like we have discussed, it will definitely feel the presence of my comedian husband.
In the meantime, we’re working on other projects together. Youtube videos and comic strips are in their respective stages of planning. Though I can’t give too many details, we also have an independent video game in production with a programmer friend, and that has a significant dose of our joint humour. It’s usually a good sign that, after our brainstorming sessions and I’ve written up all our notes, we both still find it funny later (and our programmer also gets a good laugh!).
When I read through my writing, I often come across moments of character interaction that make me grin and chuckle. Some characters are intentionally humourous, while some just have flashes of wit. The interesting part is trying to give them diverse thoughts and behaviours, and making sure that carries through well. Making a character express a sense of humour which I don’t necessarily share becomes a very interesting experience.
The single way to find out if I’ve succeeded in these endevours is to share my work with others and receive feedback on those characters. There are certain things a person just can’t judge on their own, and the presentation of the varied types of humour is definitely one of them. While I may or may not be a funny person, some of my characters definitely need to be!
~A
The Fane 
Great post — I absolutely love writing humor and also have flashes of humor in even my most serious writing. Plus, my husband also will suggest humorous scenarios to my writing consultations with him! Together we laugh and joke a lot, too, and we’re writing a humorous mystery novel together! I’ve heard that humor writing is the hardest to do because it’s so reader-subjective, so I definitely agree that sharing work with others is the best way to see if something is truly humorous. I look forward to hearing more about your fun collaborations!
A humourous mystery novel sounds exciting! I’d read it. XD Good luck getting it finished (amidst all your other projects!).
~A
I find it easier to be funny in writing than in a moment of interaction with someone; in our writing we have time to think and contemplate the humor, as well as tweaking the timing and set up. But yes, when someone reads it and confirms it’s funny, that’s when I am satisfied it is. It’s hard to judge on our own.
Kudos to you for having a man who makes you laugh, Ashlee. It’s a great quality in a guy.
Yeah, I would agree that my in-person humour isn’t as sharp as my written work. Oh, the joys of revision!
Thank you! Couldn’t find a better husband for me. 🙂
~A
That’s very true! And I feel the same way; my husband is far funnier than I am. He’s one of those people that will do anything to get a laugh. When we were teenagers, it was running knowledge that Kyle would do anything for a dollar. Stuff copious amounts of food into his mouth (he once at a whole baked potato in one bite), yell things in public places, etc. … if it would make people laugh, he was game. =)
I, however, am less funny in real life and more funny in my writing. Nothing feels better than hearing my critique group chuckling to themselves as they read a certain section that I tried to make humorous. It’s good stuff. So I agree; feedback is the only true way to test a funny scene. And it’s best if you can be in the room while they read it!
Haha, it sounds like your husband is a lot of fun. XD
I always feel a bit goofy re-reading my work and finding myself giggling or grinning wildly. Then again, I do that with other people’s books (for the same reasons, often!), so that has to be a pretty good sign in my mind. 😉
~A