: Re: How do you make a character witty? How can a character be made to appear witty, or funny? That is, the character amuses other characters, not the reader, who should ideally be impressed with

@Candy753

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I mainly agree with most folks here, although I think that the old, old standby of "show, don't tell" applies. If you say that a guy is witty, at best the reader will think that whomever you've given the narrative voice to thinks the character is witty (which by the way can be useful - for instance, if you want to introduce a character who is a bit of a buffoon but who the narrator has a crush on or something, you can use that device to create some dramatic irony). If you have characters physically laughing at what a character is doing, at best you portray the idea that the other characters think this person is witty, or at least choose to laugh at their jokes. The worst case scenario in both cases is that the reader thinks you're trying too hard and puts down the book.

I like to think that I can write fairly funny prose but one thing I basically never do is have other characters laugh at it. Roll their eyes, yes. Sigh and tell them to get to the point, absolutely. For one thing, I like the irony that encompasses a joke not getting a laugh. For another, if someone really doesn't find the line funny, they get to sympathize with the not-laughing character. It's like a win-win for everyone.

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