In this episode of Writing Break, we explore how to use comedy as a storytelling tool without sacrificing character, plot, or emotional weight.
We’ll look at different types of humor on the page, what satire is meant to critique, and why timing, voice, and intention matter more than punchlines. We’ll also cover the most common mistakes writers make when trying to be funny and how to avoid turning clever jokes into narrative dead ends.
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Overthinking Couch Topics:
The difference between humor and satire
The different types of humor in fiction
Satire as social and cultural commentary
Managing tone so humor supports the story
Common pitfalls when writers try to be funny
A prompt to see if you can use humor to approach serious topics
If you have plot bunnies coming out of your plot holes, it’s time for a writing break.
Welcome back, Writing Breakers. Today we’re talking about humor and satire both as genres and as tools to be used in other genres. So no matter what you write, this episode is for you. I love to laugh and I've always, always loved hearing people tell stories, whether fact or fiction. I think this is why I became a fan of standup comedy at a young age. Plus, hearing people laugh at something I also think is funny makes me happy. I think funny people are great, people who can banter back and forth are even better, and people who laugh wholeheartedly are the best.
So what about you? Have you ever thought about how your sense of humor came about and how that affects your writing? Do you leave humor out of your writing or do you have excellent comedic timing?
It's said that truths are often spoken in jest, which is true, and that's the reason many writers turn to humor. Whether they're writing satire from start to finish or just putting a few jokes in a scene, comedy let authors get close to topics that can be hard to discuss. Comedy can also question what we’ve accepted as normal and expose what controls us. Satire and humor tell the truth. The phrase "truths are often spoken in jest" does have a Spanish equivalent, and I'm wondering if there are similar equivalents in other languages. If you know, email me, and let me know.
In this episode, we are defining humor and satire. We're also looking at the different ways comedy works on the page. We're talking about satire as social commentary, and—very importantly—we're discussing how to manage tone so your story doesn’t collapse under its own cleverness. We’ll also cover the most common mistakes writers make when trying to be funny.
The Writing Break café is open, so as we settle in on the Overthinking Couch, take some time to think about how humor or the lack thereof shaped you. What do you find funny? How do you express that in your writing?
Satire and humor are often thought of as lighter genres, but they are two of the sharpest weapons a writer can wield to disarm the reader. In these genres, authors can get away with saying things that just would not fly in other genres. Humor uses exaggeration, irony, absurdity, wit, and surprise to entertain. It can be playful, dark, dry, ridiculous, or understated. And satire uses humor to criticize systems, like institutions, cultural norms, power structures, and human behavior. Humor is a tool, and satire is a purpose. A story can be humorous without being satirical. A satire, however, is meant to be humorous, while usually making some really strong points.
Readers of satire and humor books expect a few things. They expect a strong, confident voice. Even if a character or even the narrator is written to be intentionally neurotic and unsure, that should come across clearly and show that the author knows what they're doing. Just like in stand-up comedy, readers expect the writer to punch up, which means the humor is aimed at those with more power or privilege than the comedian. Readers of satire and humor also expect excellent comedic timing, and they expect intention; even the silliest satire knows exactly what it’s aiming at.
Keep in mind that there are different types of humor, and you don't have to write all of them. There’s wordplay, which includes puns, clever phrasing, and linguistic surprises. There's slapstick, which relies on physical mishaps and exaggerated action. Then there's situational humor, which is where the comedy emerges from circumstance rather than jokes. Absurdism takes it further, where logic breaks down entirely and that breakdown becomes the joke. And then there's dark humor, which lets us laugh at things we’re not supposed to laugh at--these are topics like grief and trauma.
Writing comedy is harder than you might think; even just writing a comedic scenes is harder than you might think. Humor should emerge from characters and situations, not from the author elbowing the reader and saying, “Did you get the joke?” Your characters or the sitation that they're in should be funny because of who they are. If they’re funny only because they’re delivering punchlines, it won’t work. For example, you could have a character who's funny the whole book but obviously serves another purpose in the plot, or you could have a situation that juxtaposes your serious character's personality and attitude, and that makes it funny for the reader.
Now satire critiques the present by exaggerating it, reframing it, or pushing it just one step further than feels safe. For example, George Orwell lived under a monarchy, so Animal Farm is not really about farm animals. It’s about power and propaganda, as well as how revolutions rot from the inside out.
Good satire creates a system and then lets the system reveal its own absurdity, without lecturing us. So, when you’re writing satire, ask yourself: What institution am I critiquing? Who holds power here, and who suffers? And what happens when the logic of this system is followed all the way through?
I also want you to be sure that you're managing your tone without losing your story. This is where a lot of writers stumble. Humor is not the same as chaos.
Your jokes still have to provide forward motion for your plot. They still have to serve your characters and your themes. If every line is trying to be the funny line, the story stalls. And if the humor undercuts emotional stakes at the wrong moment, readers disengage.
Tone management means knowing when to pull back. Sometimes you have to let serious moments stay serious, and you have to let consequences land on the characters. And remember that contrast is what makes humor effective, such as a joke after or during a moment of tension.
Satire works best when it respects the emotional reality of the people inside the joke, even if it’s merciless toward the system that is trapping them.
Now let’s talk about what goes wrong for authors when writing satire and humor.
As I've already alluded to, one pitfall would be punchlines without story. If nothing would change if you removed the jokes, the jokes are not adding anything to the narrative and can impede your book's pacing.
The second pitfall would be mocking without purpose. Remember that satire punches up and not sideways. If your humor targets vulnerable people instead of power structures, readers will feel the cruelty, and they won't like it.
A third pitall would be cleverness without clarity. Remember that confusion is not depth. If readers can’t tell what you’re critiquing, the satire collapses.
And one final pitfall I can think of right now would be mistaking irony for distance. Satire still requires emotional investment. Readers need to care about at least one of your characters, even if the world itself is ridiculous.
Comedy is meant to make us laugh, and satire is meant to make us, or the powers that be, uncomfortable. Let's see if you can do both.
Here’s your overthinking prompt for the week:
First, choose a heavy topic, like bureaucracy, grief, inequality, or failure, and approach it through irony, exaggeration, or absurdity. Use humor to soften a serious topic. Do not explain the joke. Let the situation do the work.
Well, we've reached the end of Season 8, which means we've gone through all of the main genres of writing. And now that you know the rules, it's time to break them. In Season 9, we're going to be talking about blending and expanding genres. Because who says you can't be polyamourous when it comes to what genres you love to write. But first, next week we're recapping the last 10 episodes of writing tips. Then, it's it'll be time to experiment.
Until then, thank you so much for listening, and remember, you deserved this break.
