The use of humour in fiction

[John Dean]

A writing group of which I am a member is currently involved in an exercise in which we have been challenged to write pieces of humour and this turned my thoughts to its importance in fiction, including crime.

Humour is vital to creating good fiction. Even if you are not writing an out-and-out comic piece, it has a role to perform.

For a start, it can create light against the dark. Take an example: you are writing a sinister scene with the tension building as the tale unfolds. You might decide to keep the tension going right to the end, which would be one way of writing it.

However, you might also decide that a flash of humour, a single line of dialogue from a character, or a short light-hearted interlude, could momentarily ease the tension, causing the reader to relax slightly which allows you to deliver even greater impact when you suddenly strike with the next piece of drama.

Ghost and horror writers know that trick well - they are expert at toying with their readers. So are many crime writers.

There is another good reason for using humour in your writing because it can show another side to your character that the reader might not have seen before.

As one critique of William Shakespeare said of the use of humour to develop characters: “Humour is a tool that allows us to see the subtle details of their minds; a glimpse at the inner workings of each character’s personality. It is through the humour that Shakespeare employs that we are able to see ‘roundness’ in characters that could be otherwise doomed to exist as ‘flat’ characters. Shakespeare uses humour to give his players new life, to help them expand beyond the bounds of mere characters and turn into real people.”

And he did alright!