Hi, Magician! Today, I want to share how I infuse humor into my stories. But first, another giveaway, hosted by CL Cannon! That’s no joke!

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Why I write humor

This may seem counterintuitive, but the day I decided to write humor was a dark day. I was in the depths of a depressive episode, where joy was absent and hope was running low. Reading my work-in-progress at the time (Tales of a Vernian Youth) felt heavy, and completing it felt daunting.

I don’t remember what sparked the idea, but I decided to change tactics. If I couldn’t find joy in life, perhaps I could find joy in writing. I’m not the type of author who enjoys putting my characters through hell, so instead, I decided to change the tone of the story to an irreverent, humorous tone.

My stories were never free from snark, but I wanted to push myself beyond my comfort level. This required a complete rewrite, by the way. I reworked the whole story and added SO MUCH HUMOR, and I love the result!

The entire exercise was incredibly therapeutic for me, as it forced me to see the light side of a very dark situation. I’ve been surprised how well-received the story is, and I’ve been trying to find the balance of immersive story and humor ever since.

How I inject humor

Humor in my stories comes in 3 ways:

1) In the dialogue: Sometimes, characters help me out and say funny things. This is helpful to keep dialogue flowing and to give the characters a moment of respite. This heavily depends on the character and their situation. I have some characters that are far too serious to crack jokes, and then I have characters that are incredibly snarky. When the moment arises, I try not to shy away from letting my characters’ personalities shine.

Example:

“Teacher is my mentor,” Octavian said, waving his hand in an explanatory circle. “He’s a few inches shorter than me. Old. Gold eyes. An Exalted Grand Magician.” He interrupted himself to add, “Oh, and a horrible attitude problem. Does any of that ring a bell?”

– Tales of a Vernian Youth, Tale 1: The Magician and the Mechanical Doll

2) In narration: Most of my stories are written in third person limited perspective. This means there is an invisible and omnipresent narrator who often knows at least a little bit more than the characters themselves do. I often treat the narrator as a character, and that character tends to be snarky, sarcastic, and irreverent. That’s an ideal state for injecting humor into scenes, especially those where the characters aren’t pulling their weight in the humor department.

Example:

The average graduate student isn’t excitable. Bring up the latest weather, sports event, or culinary experience, and they may even nod off from overwork and underpay. Of course, if the topic of conversation is their latest research project, the newest magical proof in their field, or starting a bakery, a graduate student’s attention will be piqued, but they are sure to have opinions that are more adept at keeping them awake than the triple espresso latte they pick up before each work day.

Octavian wasn’t a typical PhD student, though he was as overworked and underpaid as any other. He didn’t drink coffee, and starting a bakery sounded like one of the most tedious career paths he could imagine. These were good enough reasons not to commiserate with his peers but weren’t the reasons his peers avoided commiserating with him. He not only was under the tutelage of an Exalted Grand Magician known for being reclusive, ornery, and bad at sharing. Additionally, Octavian’s course of study was taboo.

– Tales of a Vernian Youth, Tale 1: The Magician and the Mechanical Doll

3) With humorous asides: This goes along with #2 a bit, but I’ve separated it out for a reason. If you’ve ever read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, you are probably already aware of humorous asides. For those who haven’t, these are small vignettes that rarely have anything to do with progressing the story. Instead, they serve to build an understanding of the fictional universe and provide a dose of humor, especially in scenes where tension is high.

Example:

Stretching higher into the sky than any other building in the city, the structure was home to the International Council of Exalted Magicians. Only the most powerful Magicians were granted the title of Exalted Grand, and only those with the title could be part of the council. This exclusivity was great for ensuring the integrity of the science of magic as well as procuring the best seats at any sporting event, theater show, or cafe. And the secrecy of ICEM was ideal for a myriad of reasons, including keeping the tourism business booming in cities around the world, apparently.

Obelisk onlookers weren’t shy about trading hypotheses regarding the mystery of what lay within its walls. Many guesses included deep occult secrets, private illicit rituals, and dark conspiracies, while others assumed there were private pools, badminton courts, and ample meditation.

Neither of these was true. In fact, many Exalted Grand Magicians had harsh feelings against the dark side of the occult as well as badminton.

– Tales of a Vernian Youth, Tale 1: The Magician and the Mechanical Doll

How much humor is in each of my stories

Ready to start reading? If humor is your jam, here’s a visual guide of how much humor each of my stories has. You can get started on any of them at the Magician’s Club HQ for free, and if you sign up as a Magician Admirer (free tier), you can preview up to 10 episodes of each story.

Love & light,
Gaius