Unless you’re specifically working on a lighthearted piece, adding humor into your writing may not always be appropriate. If you do identify instances where it makes sense to infuse the copy with situations and speech that carry some amount of indulgent wit, the following should offer a workable list of potential writing instruments you could employ.
Self-deprecation. The danger of using humor is that it can offend just as much as it can amuse. When you’re writing in the first person, self-deprecation is the safest way to add humor without running the risk of sending anyone in an outrage.
Use funny words. Some words, when employed in a specific context, are just funny, in and of themselves. Use the thesaurus and dictionary features in your English writing software to find alternate words that you can add in that may bring a bit more lightheartedness to the piece.
Humor is in the details. Add humor during portions of the text that talk about details and specific information. While generalities can also be fodder for humor, it’s usually more effective to make fun of things that you put under a microscope.
Use punctuations, white space and other grammar structures to enforce comedic timing. You can adjust the pace of you text, force pauses and create an element of surprise by employing numerous elements of language. Take full advantage of them whenever you can.
