Writing Craft
Humor

Writing humor does not mean sacrificing meaning. Christine Mager Wevik moderates a panel with Allan E. Ansorge, Charlie Pearson, Elena Hartwell, Kathleen Cosgrove, Robert Mangeot, and Ross Cavins on balancing comedy with substance. This session explores how humor can support emotional weight, theme, and character while still delivering laughs.

Laughter can be just as powerful as suspense. In this panel, authors share how they use humor to deepen character, sharpen dialogue, and balance darker moments in their novels. Drawing from their own work, they discuss timing, tone, and the risks and rewards of making readers laugh without breaking the story.

Great humor feels effortless to the reader but is carefully crafted on the page. Diane Sismour, Brenda Donelan, Christopher Greyson, Lori Robbins, Lynn Hesse, Rhonda Gilliland, and Robert Downs discuss how comedic timing, character wit, and situational irony elevate storytelling. This session focuses on making humor feel organic, intentional, and genuinely charming.

Humor adds dimension to characters and scenes when used with purpose. Allan E. Ansorge, R.G. Belsky, Rhonda Gilliland, Shaun Harris, and Shirley B. Garrett share how they approach humor in fiction and why it works. This session focuses on using comedy to reveal character, relieve tension, and bring unexpected depth to storytelling.

Making readers laugh requires more than clever lines. Christine Mager Wevik, Dana Summers, Lane Stone, Lois Schmitt, Mary Dutta, and Robert Mangeot explore how humor works on the page through wit, irony, and character-driven comedy. This session focuses on timing, tone, and emotional truth, showing how humor can add depth while keeping stories entertaining and resonant.

Humor in mystery is a delicate balance. Too much can undercut tension, too little can leave a story feeling heavy. In this lively discussion moderated by Susan Shea, mystery authors share how they blend wit with suspense to create stories that entertain without losing their edge. Learn how timing, voice, and character-driven comedy can heighten tension rather than diminish it.

In this session, panelists discuss how writers balance suspense with humor, using wit and levity to deepen characters, relieve tension, and keep readers engaged while the mystery unfolds.

Humor works best when it supports story momentum. Heather Haven, Larissa Reinhart, Nancy Parra, and Terri L. Austin discuss comedic timing, witty characterization, and how humor can enhance scenes without slowing the narrative. This session offers practical insight into using laughter as a storytelling tool rather than a distraction.

Humor can deepen engagement even in serious stories. Ross Cavins, Barbara Collins, Charlie Pearson, Diane Sismour, and Elena Hartwell explore how humor balances tension, sharpens character, and keeps readers emotionally connected. This session looks at how comedy can coexist with darker themes while strengthening the overall narrative.

Humor is one of the hardest effects to pull off consistently. Bente Gallagher, Charlene Johnson, Gail Oust, Nancy West, Robert Spiller, and Susan Smily share examples from their own work while discussing the craft behind effective comedy. They examine language control, tonal balance, and the challenges of blending humor with sex, crime, and violence without losing reader trust.

Dark humor can intensify crime fiction when handled carefully. Alan Orloff, Allan E. Ansorge, Gary Alexander, Jack Fredrickson, Jeremiah Healey, and Robin Spano discuss techniques for blending humor with violence and suspense. This session examines how comedy can enhance tension and stakes without undermining danger or credibility.