No, I am just joking. Making someone laugh is never an easy task. As the Indonesian comedian, Basuki, once said, “Joking is serious business.” I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment.
Most people enjoy being amused and love to laugh or smile at something humorous. Only a small number of individuals resist humor. That’s why authors often incorporate humor into their stories, even serious ones.
It’s crucial to create one or two characters who act hilariously, momentarily relieving the story’s tension.
The optimal way to achieve this is to weave something amusing into your plot, relevant to your characters and their situations. But what if you’re not a natural-born joker (I’m not either) who can spontaneously write anecdotes?
Don’t worry. There are ways to navigate such situations.
Spend Time with Someone Funny
Do it this as often as possible. Memorize any dialogues and contexts that provoke your laughter, then write them down in your own style.
Fundamentally, the extent to which an individual laughs depends on a multitude of variables, including context, geographical location, culture, intelligence, and maturity.
Children, for example, may laugh at Looney Tunes rather than The Simpsons, preferring slapstick to social satire, and so on.
Use Joke Portals as Sources
This is a quicker method to be funny. Browse joke portals and gather some ideas. Modify them slightly, and voilà ! You’re not generating jokes; you’re simply selecting them.
One such portal in Indonesian is Nguping Jakarta. Here, you can read the absurd dialogues of people coming and going in Jakarta. I believe it’s based on real experiences.
I also recommend Ketawa.com. Here, you’ll find humor from many regions, which means different cultures, in Indonesia: Minang, Papua, Batak, Banyumas, Manado, etc.
Joke portals in English are far more diverse.
However, be aware that the jokes on portals like these may be repeated. Some are new, yes, but others are jokes you’ve heard before. They are anecdotes that have been circulated in society. The portals merely organize them while striving to be the most comprehensive online humor database.
So, be wary of clichés. Something clichéd will never be funny.
Summary in Indonesian
Melucu itu tidak mudah, termasuk ketika kelucuan tersebut ditransfer menjadi bentuk tulis. Namun, lantaran hampir tak ada orang yang menolak humor, unsur ini menjadi penting untuk diselipkan di sela-sela karya serius kita. Fungsinya untuk menghibur, mengendorkan tensi cerita, membuat tokoh kita lebih disukai, dsb.
Pertanyaannya, bagaimana bisa menulis kelucuan sementara kita sendiri tidak lucu? Inilah maksud judul artikel di atas: Joking is Easy!
- Banyak-banyak saja bergaul dengan orang-orang yang lucu. Catat kelucuan-kelucuan yang membikin Anda terpingkal-pingkal, lalu adaptasikan pada cerita Anda.
- Ubek-ubeklah portal humor seperti NgupingJakarta, Ketawa.com, dll. Namun ingatlah untuk selalu memodifikasinya sesuai alur, karakter dan latar cerita Anda. Sebab, anekdot di portal-portal humor kadang-kadang adalah banyolan sejuta umat. Anda tak ingin menulis humor yang klise dan “ah, udah pernah”, bukan?
- Pelajari teknik-teknik dalam menciptakan humor. Tiga di antaranya dapat Anda pelajari dari video di bawah ini:
gini2 gw pernah bikin novel humor loh, tapi ga dipublish karena ini joke tentang HI, yang notabene ga dimengerti semua orang :p
Saya suka menyisipkan rasa humor di tulisan saya, tapi kebanyakan satire.
Mungkin informasi lewat humor gampang diserap karena ketika orang tertawa, syaraf-syarafnya mengendur. Begitu, mungkin?
Hello Brahmanto,
I must agree with Basuki, joking is a serious business. Just because it’s difficult. What I think funny, it may not for you. What you think funny, it may not for them. Et cetera. But that doesn’t mean you have to be a genius to make someone laugh.
By the way, I’ve just finished my studies about humor in my university. You know what, the theories of humor are complicated and not funny at all.
🙂
Thanks, Calvin, Nia & Merou. Lho, bukannya humor yg mengerucut pd niche tertentu gitu malah menarik buat diterbitkan, Vin?
Iya kali ya, Nia. Kritik pedas pun terasa acceptable kalau disampaikan dg humor. Eh, tp tergantung orang yg dikritik jg sih. Ya, syaraf2 yg kendur kan terbukti menimbulkan sensasi rileks. Berkomunikasi dlm keadaan rileks jls lbh nyaman. Shg mungkin lbh efektif.
I always believe that, Merou. That’s why I didn’t put any theory in my article, hahaha. But someone must study the humor mechanism, how it work, in what circumstance, etc. Someone that isn’t me. ^_^
Hahaha. Baca judulnya aja udah bikin aku ketawa nih!
Cuma mau ngasih saran. Kalo mau joking, banyak2lah bergaul sama anak kecil. Ini pengalamanku sendiri. Anak kecil kan polos. Mereka melihat segala sesuatu apa adanya. Nah, menurutku the sense of humour, ya di situ. Dalam diri anak kecil. Aku aja suka ketawa kalo denger celetukan ponakan2ku. Jadi nggak stres. Hahaha…
Lho, judulnya kan biasa2 aja, nggak ngelawak. Dimana lucunya, Rie? Tp thx sarannya. Bergaul ama anak kecil emang kadang2 bikin kita ketawa. Krn biasanya ada kelucuan2 spontan yg tak terduga. Tp utk membawa anekdot itu ke karya fiksi, kayaknya hrs dilihat2 dulu genre dan adegannya, ya to?
banyak bergaul dengan @Pradna juga meningkatkan tensi joking anda…Pradna kan polos 😛
Betul, betul. Aku sih manggut2 aja waktu Pradna mengaku2 polos.
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