My Top Five Humor Tropes

What’s life without whimsy? Laughter truly is the best medicine, which is why many writers like to include a little comedy even in dramatic works. Humor is one of the most appealing genres of fiction, but it’s also one of the most challenging to write. That’s where humor tropes come in! When in need of a little comedy, a good humor trope may be just the thing to lighten the mood and keep your stories from becoming too grim.

So in the spirit of April Fools’ month, here are five of my favorite humor tropes. I hope you’ll find these as entertaining as I do! Enjoy!

1) Lampshade Hanging

Snoopy LampshadeLampshade Hanging is easily my favorite humor trope. I wrote a whole post about it in my first few months of blogging! I just love when fictional characters draw attention to the ridiculousness of a situation they’re in, almost as if they’re purposely leaning on the fourth wall to let the audience know they “see it too”. The practice of “hanging lampshades” is a handy technique writers use to demonstrate their own awareness of intentional details in their stories that would otherwise be dismissed by the audience as mistakes or simply bad writing – a sort of “self-deprecation” device, if you will. Note that the best way to use a lampshade in comedy is as a standalone comment: bring it up once, then move on and never mention it again. A classic way to entertain your audience while keeping the critics at bay, Lampshade Hanging is a great go-to trope for adding a touch of clever humor to your stories!

2) Brick Joke

It’s gonna be legen… wait for it… [falls asleep]

You know when a joke is set up at one point in a story only for the punchline to come later, when you’ve almost forgotten about it? Well, that’s a special kind of humor device called a Brick Joke. This is the comedic version of the Chekhov’s Gun, when the conclusion to a funny scene is delivered separately from its beginning after several unrelated events have happened in between. This trope is named after an old joke consisting of two parts, the first ending with an underwhelming punchline about a brick and the second ending with a twist that recalls the same brick. The humor of a Brick Joke comes from subverting the audience’s expectations: what at first appear to be separate situations turn out to be two parts of the same joke. To properly execute a Brick Joke, scatter a few jokes between the set-up and the punchline so as to either dissuade the audience’s suspicion that the first part was building up to a joke or trick them into thinking the first part was the joke. With the right timing, this trope can score major laughs from your readers! They won’t know what hit ’em!

[5 minutes later; waking up when the door slams] -dary!

– Barney Stinson, How I Met Your Mother (Season 2, Episode 11 – How Lily Stole Christmas)

3) Running Gag

Ooh_Cat_Puss_in_Boots

Ooooh! (Puss in Boots, 2011)

A sister trope of the Brick Joke, the Running Gag is another popular comedic device, especially in TV series. It’s also one of the riskiest; when done poorly, it quickly becomes annoying, but when done well, it can rake in a lot of laughs. A Running Gag is basically a joke that’s repeated over the course of a story or series (a minimum of three times), sort of like a recurring punchline to the same Brick Joke. It usually involves the same character(s) each time it comes up, though this needn’t be the case when the humor of the gag is entirely in the action itself. The key to a good Running Gag is timing: space the punchline recurrences far enough apart to keep the joke from wearing out too quickly, but add enough recurrences to draw as much laughter from the audience as possible. This may take a lot of practice to get right, especially since humor is so subjective, but once you get the hang of it, the Running Gag can make an excellent addition to your arsenal of comedy tropes!

4) I Resemble That Remark

Amy: You were being totally obstinate!

Knuckles: I don’t know what “obstinate” means, but I refuse to learn.

Sonic Boom (Season 1, Episode 22 – The Curse of Buddy Buddy Temple)

Sometimes in comedy, one character will call another out on a flaw, only for this second character to object… in a way that demonstrates the exact flaw they’re denying. I Resemble That Remark is one example of the many humorous uses of irony, in this case comically subverting characters’ perceptions of themselves. It’s one of those comedic devices that draws its humor from an element of truth, as it plays on the all-too-common scenario where a trait that a person will swear is nothing like them will in fact turn out to be one of their defining characteristics. Think of it as an exercise in learning to laugh at yourself; if you find yourself identifying with fictional characters who can’t see their own shortcomings, maybe it’s time to reevaluate that idealized self-image!

Rachel_Always_Cries

Monica: Rachel always cries!
Rachel: [sobbing] That’s not true!
Friends (Season 4, Episode 4 – The One With The Ballroom Dancing)
(Source: Tumblr)

5) Hypocritical Humor

Mike: I’m gonna go to the bathroom.

Phoebe: Okay, well you put down the toilet seat.

Mike: Yes, dear. [leaves]

Monica: Is that a bit you guys do?

Phoebe: Uh-huh, we’re playing you two.

Monica: We don’t do that! [to Chandler] Tell her we don’t do that!

Chandler: Yes, dear.

Friends (Season 9, Episode 16 – The One With The Boob Job)

The previous item on this list is a subtrope of a device known as Hypocritical Humor. This trope comes in a variety of flavors: saying one thing and doing the exact opposite, exhibiting a behavioral flaw immediately after denying said behavior, criticizing or making fun of others for faults of which the accuser him- or herself is guilty, or ignoring several warnings of an impending event only to get upset when said event happens. One particularly hilarious form of this trope is when the irony comes from the universe aligning itself exactly right to contradict a statement the exact moment after someone says it, which can either be a way of tempting fate or invoking karmic justice, depending on the nature of the statement. Note that Hypocritical Humor in fiction constitutes jokes that are intentionally added to a story to be played for laughs; unintentional hypocrisy is more likely attributable to bad writing and, in cases where it still evokes some laughter, may fall under a phenomenon known as Narm (that is, what is meant to be serious but is accidentally funny instead). Be careful how you deploy that hypocrisy in your fiction!

What are your favorite humor tropes? Which humor tropes have you used in your stories?

Prankster

All the jokes you’ve been wanting to say,
Pranks you’ve always been dying to play,
Right and left, they begin.
If you’re smart, you’ll stay in,
Lest you fall for the tricks of today!

Friends outside have been beckoning you.
Out the door, you’re now covered in goo!
Oops, now what do you hear?
Laughs from far and from near?
Surprise! You’re an April Fool too!

What If? Writing Prompts: Humor II

I hope you’re up for some more “What If?” Writing Prompts! For a lighter theme this week, today’s set features more prompts in the humor genre. See what funny tales you can spin around these ideas, and feel free to add more of your own! Enjoy!

What If - Parchment and QuillWhat if… you woke up one day to find your life were the setting of a movie?

What if… you set up a camera in your house to find out what your pets do when you’re not home?

What if… you knew an animal that talked… but only when you were both alone?

What if… your school/workplace turned into a circus for a day?

What if… there were a strange disease going around that randomly gave people the urge to sing and dance?

Have fun writing your own silly stories!

If you have any “What If?” writing prompt suggestions (for any theme), please feel free to share them in the comments below. Ideas I like may be featured in future “What If?” posts, with full credit and a link to your blog (if you have one)! Also, if you’ve written a piece based on an idea you’ve found here, be sure to link back to the respective “What If?” post. I would love to see what you’ve done with the prompt! Thank you!

What If? Writing Prompts: Humor I

I’m afraid I have some bad news. The thing is, I’m getting a little tired of these “What If?” Writing Prompts, so this will probably be my last post for this segment. It’s hard to come up with these all the time, and I just can’t handle it anymore. Sorry, it’s been fun, but it’s time to move on.

April Fool’s! I know, that was totally lame, but I couldn’t resist. Of course these never get old; I love coming up with new writing prompts every month! But anyway, I realized about a month ago that April 1st would fall on a Wednesday this year, and while thinking about possible jokes for that week’s creative writing post, it suddenly occurred to me that I had yet to include comedy on my list of “What If?” themes.

So without further ado, here’s a new batch of prompts for you, set to one of the hardest genres to write for: humor. I hope you’ll find these ideas fun, and may they inspire you to come up with your own! Enjoy!

What If - Parchment and QuillWhat if… a witch cursed you to speak only in rhymes?

What if… you were lost and the only person around to ask for directions were a mime?

What if… your life became a musical for a day?

What if… an annoying sound played in your head every time you heard someone tell a lie?

What if… you could hear pets say what they really think of their owners?

Have fun writing your own humorous stories!

If you have any “What If?” writing prompt suggestions (for any theme), please feel free to share them in the comments below. Ideas I like may be featured in future “What If?” posts, with full credit and a link to your blog (if you have one)! Also, if you’ve written a piece based on an idea you’ve found here, be sure to link back to the respective “What If?” post. I would love to see what you’ve done with the prompt! Thank you!

Summer Heat

I do so love the winter cold,
With weather brisk and sweet.
But when I freeze too long,
I start to miss the summer heat.

For when the warmest months arrive
And bring the scorching sun,
It’s time to set your work aside
And start the summer fun.

The beaches fill with people
Seeking peace along the shore.
With white sands and clear blue waters,
They could hardly ask for more.

The laughs of many children
Can be heard throughout the day.
Vacation time has started
And they’re finally free to play.

The scent of fresh cut grass
Will begin to fill the air,
While a hundred ice cream flavors
Will be tasted everywhere.

I do so love the summer heat,
With weather bright and bold.
But when I burn too long…
I start to miss the winter cold.

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