Crafting Humor (Even If You Aren’t a Comedian)

Published August 4, 2026

by Erica Balrour 

Tension keeps readers turning pages, whether they’re reading about the climactic battle to determine the fate of the world or the spark-filled argument when two characters finally admit they’re meant for each other. 

We writers are always looking for ways to deepen tension without derailing our scenes. To do this, we often reach for our trusty tension tools: escalation, subtext, a ticking clock, etc. These are tried and true for a reason – they work, which is why we rely on them. 

But one tool we might overlook is humor. It may seem counterintuitive, but the right humor deployed at the right time underscores tension, deepens characterization, and tightens a scene . . . while also earning a laugh. During my own experiments with writing, I’ve found humor to be an excellent tool for sharpening tension, no matter the genre.

In horror or action, humor gives readers a quick emotional breath before the adrenaline spikes. In romances and historical fiction, humor humanizes characters and draws us deeper into their psyches. In middle grade and cozy fantasy, humor helps build that golden, fuzzy feeling that makes your readers feel right at home.  

The best part? You don’t have to be a funny person to deploy humor in your stories. You just have to use humor like a scalpel, not a hammer. 

Below, I’ll walk you through the foundation of character-based humor, and I’ll share three ways to incorporate humor that have served me well in my own writing. To illustrate humor in action, I’ll use examples from my own competition-tested stories. 

Humor Must Come from POV

First off, your readers experience your story through your Point-of-View (POV) character’s eyes and mind. To achieve deep reader immersion, every word on the page must be filtered through your POV’s individual personality. Even humor. 

Now, this doesn’t mean your POV has to be a class clown for your story to earn a laugh. Certainly not. We’ve all seen movies where the most serious characters happen to be the most (inadvertently) humorous. The key lies in your POV noticing absurdities or saying/thinking something that’s misaligned, unexpected, or inappropriate. Under pressure, characters’ minds can snag on the oddest details. That’s where character-based humor lives. 

For example, a mother searching for her missing child opens the front door expecting her son . . . only to find two police officers. 

“Good evening, ma’am,” says the taller cop. 

He’s muscular with close-cropped hair and hard eyes. Swirling tribal tattoos peek out from under his short sleeves. They’re the same color as his dark shirt and it looks like his uniform melded with his tattoos somehow. Weird. Cool. Kinda hot. 

The humor here works because it’s 100% anchored in the mother’s POV. She’s stressed and overwhelmed. In response, her mind latches onto something absurdly inappropriate. She’s not trying to be funny – she’s trying to control her panic, and the unexpected humor heightens the scene’s tension. The author is invisible here – all the reader sees is the mother’s frazzled state. 

POV-anchored humor is all about the character, not the author. It works best when it reveals something about who your POV character is – even if they won’t admit it to themselves. 

Three Humorous Pressure Points 

After anchoring humor in POV, it’s time to focus on placement. 

One well-placed line is all you need to give your audience that jolt, that micro-break before really turning the tension screws. Three reliable ways I’ve found to incorporate humor are through misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and contradictions. 

Misunderstanding. If you highlight what your character thinks they understand – and what they don’t – you’ll deepen characterization even in tense scenes. For example, when a lonely man encounters predatory Fae in a dark and spooky wood:

The Lady’s smile was sharp, hungry. “You’re exactly the kind of person we’ve been waiting for,” she said. Mark swallowed. “Divorced?” he asked.

This line works because it doesn’t undercut the danger. The reader gets a glimpse into how Mark sees himself (he struggles with self-esteem) while the scene remains ominous because Mark clearly doesn’t understand his predicament.

Misinterpretation. When a character has all the facts but twists them, humor is the delightful result. I especially love using misinterpretation in dialogue – humor lies in one character’s seemingly straightforward words being twisted unexpectedly. 

For example, when one character takes the other to task for provoking a fight: 

“You’re like a child,” John said. Maple frowned. Children were terrible fighters.

This lands because Maple is filtering John’s words through her own skewed logic, which grounds the reader deeper in Maple’s POV while also giving the reader a quick laugh. 

Contradiction. When a character inadvertently contradicts themselves, the effect is often humorous. Unintentional hypocrisy is a treasure trove for laughs.  

“He has no sense of propriety,” Doc said, closing the door in Jason’s face. She turned to face Christine. “Now, take off your shirt.” 

This line is effective because the clash between Doc’s opinions and directions creates a spark of irony that draws a grin without derailing the scene.  

Making the Cut

You’ll notice that none of the examples I used above could be considered a joke. That’s because I’m not funny enough to write jokes – seriously. And that’s fine. When I write, I seek out the little absurdities, the little contradictions in characters and situations, and then I lightly call attention to them. 

If writing humor sounds tricky, don’t worry. It gets easier draft by draft. Give yourself permission to experiment. Try something wacky, try something subtle. Try something completely unexpected. But always keep your humor grounded in your character’s POV. 

But in all that experimentation, keep this in mind: unless you’re writing a straight comedy, use your humor sparingly, like salt. Add it in and then move on. Don’t linger. Don’t admire your cleverness. Resist the urge to explain why what you’re writing is funny. 

Trust in your reader’s intelligence – readers are crazy smart (especially if they’re reading your stories) and they will get the humor. And if they don’t? It doesn’t matter. You filtered the scene through your POV, meaning your reader is deeply immersed in your character’s world. Not everyone laughs at the same things. That’s cool. 

Humor doesn’t just belong in comedies and limericks. It enhances every genre from space opera to historical fiction to romantasy to thrillers. The key to incorporating it effectively is to deploy it subtly – like a scalpel, not a hammer. When you do this, you’ll find your tense scenes hit harder, your characters feel like real people, and your readers chuckling as they read. 

Happy writing, friends!

Erica Balfour writes fantasy and science fiction with warmth, humor, and sharp edges. A multi-
time Writers of the Future Silver Honorable Mention award recipient, she infuses every story
she tells with magic, monsters, heart, and wit. Explore her worlds at www.ericabalfour.com.