Nina Bangs | How To Fiddle While Rome Is Burning Without Setting Yourself On Fire

Humor is a minefield that writers must tiptoe through with great care, hence the title of this piece. Someone with a warped sense of humor might picture a crazy cartoon character fiddling away while buildings turn to ash and people scatter like ants. On the other hand, I’d see people’s lives being destroyed. Not funny.

The bottom line is that humor is subjective. What makes one person laugh might not even get a giggle from someone else. A writer must choose the object of their humor carefully. Refer to above fiddling event. I can imagine some hapless Roman comedian wannabe tossing out a joke about the fire. End of career.

When I first decided to write humorous paranormal romances, I thought that I’d have to deliver a belly laugh with each line. I soon learned that not only was that plan unsustainable, but it was also exhausting. Oh, and did I mention boring? For me, a good book must strike a balance between light and dark. I’ll throw in a disclaimer here. This is a personal opinion. I’m sure some readers feel differently about humor, and I respect that.

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