Arguably one of the most challenging genres to write is humor. When it works, it works beautifully. But when the jokes fall flat, they tend to fall hard. That doesn’t mean you should get discouraged, though—believe it or not, written humor isa skill that can be honed.

While it may feel counterintuitive to practice being funny, it often takes some work to make it seem so effortless. Read on for some tips to keep in mind as you get started tickling your (and hopefully your readers’) funny bone.

Almost every genre can be funny
While nonfiction essays are a popular format for humor (à la David Sedaris), the truth is that pretty much any genre can be funny—you may just have to tweak how you approach it. You’ll probably want to skip the situational or slapstick comedy if you’re writing a hardcore drama, for example, but you could certainly include a character or two who is funny. This can do wonders to lighten up a dramatic scene or create a contrast between personalities. Just be sure you’re not writing jokes that could come across as making fun of someone or something.

Even genres you don’t typically think of as particularly hilarious, such as horror, can become a beautifully weird hybrid of scary and funny if you hit the balance just right. I can’t think of a better example of this than Grady Hendrix. He takes a genre not especially known for its wit or absurdity and completely owns it by nailing both. All that to say: Don’t let anyone tell you that humor doesn’t belong in a particular genre.

Study what makes you laugh
Humor is such a fickle thing. A joke that will set someone laughing so hard they can’t breathe can result in someone else not even cracking a smile. The important thing to remember is that your humor is never going to appeal to every single reader—that is simply impossible. So instead of worrying about casting an impossibly wide net, sit down and really consider what you think is funny.

The best way to do this? Read, read, read. Find the authors whose humor appeals to you and take notes. Yes, this seems like an effective way to be a killjoy, but it’s important to the process. Why does a particular joke strike you as funny? Is it the content? The delivery? The subtly or the obviousness? The physicality or the intelligence? The puns or the sarcasm? Once you break it down into its basic elements, it will become easier for you to reassemble those pieces into your own unique jokes or situations that work for your book.

Vary the funny
While groups of friends and romantic partners may share the same sense of humor, the world would be a pretty boring place if we all laughed at the same things. Keep that in mind when deciding to write more than one funny character.

If every single person in your novel uses sarcasm as a way to make people laugh, the reader is likely to quickly get exhausted from it. Not only does it get boring, but it also blurs your characters together and causes them to lose the individuality you worked so hard to create in the first place. After all, not everyone has the same sense of humor, so why would your characters?

Get the reader invested
While the hallmark of a good book—whether it’s a humorous one or not—is getting readers invested in individual characters and scenarios, it’s especially vital to do so when setting up any sort of joke or ironic twist. Slowly build up the scene to make your readers feel like they’re there and hence in on the joke. Then use that emotional investment to turn the situation on its head. This kind of plotting and patience may seem like a lot of work, and it is, but it’s often an effective way to make them laugh.

Use the element of surprise
When you really think about it, a lot of comedy comes down to surprising your audience—setting up a situation where they think one thing is going to happen, only for a different, often random thing to happen.

Or, if physical comedy isn’t your thing, have someone say something completely unexpected. When you surprise your readers, you catch them off guard—and that brief moment of vulnerability is often where the laugh is located. Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be a major plot twist or anything as complicated as that. Just a simple unexpected response to a question or an action that no one saw coming can provide the comedic twist you were looking for.

Andrea Moran lives outside of Nashville with her husband and two kids. She’s a professional copywriter and editor who loves all things books. Find her on LinkedIn.