Witty Comebacks

I am the queen of snappy comebacks.  Witty repartee.  Having just the right response for every insult or witty remark

As long as you ask me later, after I’ve had time to think about it, to come up with the best zinger I can.  These things take planning. And there’s that whole “Hindsight is 20/20” thing.

What’s that you say?  You too?  Well, I’ll be…

Being full of words means that I have quite the arsenal to work with.  But it doesn’t mean I’m particularly fast at it.  But as a writer, I can often use those little snippets of responses (and perhaps the insult or witty remark that started it) in my stories.  My heroines are quite amusing, usually ready with a quick, witty response in any situation.  They can crack a joke like a seasoned stand-up professional.  After all, they have access to many years’ worth of witty responses I’ve carefully collected and cataloged over the years.  It might as well be put to good use.

And I like sharp-tongued, quick-witted characters.  Not the mean, painful kind, but those with a quick, amusing response that makes me smile or outright laugh.  Quick comebacks and humor-filled answers can break up an intense scene, relieving tension and stress on the reader.  An intense thriller can be great, but you need a break here and there to allow the reader to catch their breath.

I just wish I could come up with these zingers when I need them in real life.  Seems such a shame to be able to come up with them later, when they do much less good!

Do you use humor, witty one-liners, and comebacks in your novels?  Why?  Do your own humorous scenes sometimes make you laugh out loud? Tell me about it in the comments!