We love to laugh. And we love to write funnily. So when looking at this humor Venn diagram, the question is: Do we laugh at ourselves–specifically when writing?
Lisa Q. Mathews
Well, I like to think I’m laughing with myself as I write, and avoiding the at myself, but sometimes that’s just not possible. For me, the key is not to try too hard. The words fly out of my characters’ mouths, or mine in some unexpected twist of phrase, byt sometimes when I read them over, they aren’t quite as hilarious as I’d first thought. But I do enjoy amusing myself on that initial lightning round.
Vickie Fee
Of course! If it doesn’t make me laugh when I’m writing it, it doesn’t make it into the manuscript I turn in to the publisher. The copyeditor is usually pretty serious, but a couple of times they have noted in the edits column on the manuscript, “this made me laugh.” I know I’ve really scored when I break through the copyeditor’s serious mode!
Leslie Karst
I rarely laugh out loud when I read (which means that if I write “lol” in a text to you, I’m probably lying). So when I actually do laugh aloud, I know it’s truly funny–at least to me. And when I laugh out loud at something that I myself wrote, well, that’s simply divine. Not super common, mind you, but very, very divine!
Kathleen Valenti
I have absolutely laughed at my own writing–and it always surprises me in the best kind of way. If something funny that popped into my head makes its way onto the page, it’s a bonus. I know I’m not trying to be funny for someone else; I simply find something funny and get to share it with others. And there’s not much better than sharing a laugh.
Becky Clark
It’s funny—ha!—but just the other evening I was doing an event and someone asked me if I ever dialed back or removed some of the funny stuff from my books. I had to laugh—ha!—because I don’t think I’ve ever taken out some of the humor from my books. If anything, I dial it UP. So many of my revision notes to myself say “make this funnier!” I guess I figure if it makes me laugh, then it’ll make other people laugh. And if they don’t laugh then I guess they weren’t my audience!
Jennifer Chow
I do chuckle at my own writing. The best is when I can envision things (especially dialogue) in my head. Then I just let it all out. I do hope the funny I feel transfers over to readers and adds that extra sparkling layer of humor.
Readers, have you ever laughed at your own jokes or something funny that you wrote or thought of?
Chicks on the Case 
Yes, and that’s when I get the dreaded wife-eye-roll-stare-of-death. After sharing, if she laughs, I know it’s a keeper!
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Okay, that made me laugh, Grant!
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Haha!! Good measuring stick!
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Great metric!
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Vickie: That’s a constant goal of mine–to make the copyeditor laugh! And, Leslie, now I know those LOLs to me aren’t true…
Here’s to more laughter in all of our lives!
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Vickie, I had to laugh at yours because I had something in one of my crossword books that the copy editor just didn’t understand. She and I went back and forth with me trying to explain—and clearly failing—getting more and more frustrated and unsure of myself. Finally my editor jumped in and said, “No, this is funny. Leave it as is.” Whew!
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The editor trumps all!
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I love to laugh! Okay, truth is I live to laugh!
I’m pretty good at laughing when I speak, but writing not so much. It’s harder than people realize. So when I say somewhere I laughed at a sentence or something in a book, it’s for real. On social media, I’m not so ticked usually, even though I do lol a lot. That means it’s kind of funny bit not really, or it seems the appropriate thing to do.
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The first thing I do when I get notes from my editor is scan for her LOLs. Very gratifying!
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Far better to see LOLs from an editor as opposed to HUH? Lol. (Not.)
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Such a compliment when readers get the humor in my books!
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I rarely make myself laugh at my writing. But I have made other people laugh so, I guess that’s the important thing.
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That’s the goal, Liz! Assuming, of course, you meant it to be funny ……
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They’ve never laughed in the wrong places so…
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That *is* the important thing, Liz!
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I’m literally LOL-ing at your faux LOLs, Leslie! And here’s to the divinity of laughter!
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Yes, I laugh at my own jokes. And, Leslie, I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who doesn’t laugh out loud when reading that often. It can happen. I once got asked what I was reading in a doctor’s waiting room since I couldn’t stop myself my laughing as I was reading. But it’s rare. I’ll smile at the humor, however.
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I’ll take a smile as a compliment, too. And bring on the jokes, Mark!
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