How to be Funny
The core of humor is what I call the 2-of-6 rule. You need at least two of the following elements in a humor piece if you want to know how to be funny:
Cute (as in kids and animals)
Naughty
Bizarre
Clever
Recognizable (You’ve been there)
Cruel
You can check for yourself that whenever something is funny it follows the rule. And when something isn’t, it doesn’t.
One of the reasons comics are such a popular form of humor is that they often get the cute part automatically. Calvin and Hobbes is widely considered the best comic ever, but the few times it featured the parents doing the main action, it fell flat. Whenever it combined Calvin and Hobbes (both exceedingly cute), with some witty dialog (clever), a dangerous wagon ride (cruel), Calvin acting like a typical kid (recognizable), and thinking about adult philosophy (bizarre) it fired on 5-of-6 humor elements, which is virtually unheard of. Knowing how to be funny and when to deliver the jokes is an art which can be learnt progressively.
The only other humor tricks worth noting are:
1. Write simple sentences that are easy to read. Complex sentences with big words kill humor.
2. Use funny sounding words when you can. (Yank is funnier than pull).
3. All humor is about people. You can’t make humor about concepts or objects.
Now go forth and be funnier. You have no excuse.