Tips for Writing Middle Grade Comedy

As an avid writer of the genre middle grade, I write a lot of comedy. Comedy helps make a book interesting and moves the reader through the story. It is fun to write as well as read. It is so satisfying when someone reads it and laughs uncontrollably and then you can't help but laugh as well.

BUT...

Comedy can be very difficult to write. So here are some tips for writing comedy:

• Imagining the scene in your head is good, but remember that it is words, not videos. Make sure it makes sense

• Sometimes completely random jokes in dialogue are hilarious.

• Satire is a great form of humor. It includes irony and usually makes fun of an issue. As well as being funny, it is standing up against wrong views.

• Make sure not to offend anyone with jokes

• When in doubt of what you should do, sometimes using something funny that happened to you can work!

Comedy can be difficult to write at times. Sometimes it comes out awkward and sounds like a desperate attempt to make people laugh. That's okay, just take time to think and come back to edit it.

When writing comedy, make it brief. I recommend to not keep bringing up the same joke several times because it becomes repetitive and not so funny anymore.

Also, it is important that a book, especially middle grade, isn't all comedy. Middle grade often reflects on the difficulty of middle school. Comedy moves the book forward, but deep parts are important to show how the characters have grown.

Check out my book, The Monster Thirsting for Blood and Surviving Sixth Grade!

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