The BelieversPress blog features Q & A sessions with the experts we work with, answering questions that you’ve asked. Have a question? Click the link in the sidebar to submit it! Charles Humphreys asked

How much does humor come into play in writing a nonfiction semi-autobiography?

a) Be natural. Humor comes into play exactly to the extent that it’s natural to the writer. If it’s forced or contrived or a matter of elaborate metaphors or other cerebral explorations, you probably need to save the moment for some other passage. b) Start with yourself. Humor is a dangerous commodity, though, because it always relies, no matter how slightly, on someone’s misfortune or foolishness. The safest avenue is to be funny at one’s own expense (let the mockery or gentle amusement be self-directed). c) Aim at culture. However, there is every reason to direct all kinds of humorous observations in all directions. The culture of any time and place is a fit subject for lampooning and has ridiculous elements that cause conundrums and pratfalls. In fact, the most sacrosanct elements of (one’s own) culture may be the most fertile ground. If the observations or events are grounded in experience, so much the better (“Sorry you’re offended, but this is how it happened to me, and nobody should have to go through that”). d) Tread lightly. As for limits, I would suggest only protecting the feelings of those you love and respect most, especially if they are advanced in years. This means only with extreme caution should you make fun of those most dear to your eldest elders and best-loved beloveds — to say nothing of sparing those figures themselves, or treating them with utmost gentleness. Unless, of course, you have cleared your intentions with them before the writing sees print and public distribution. Humor does not have to amount to a joke every other line or knee-slappers twice per page. It can come up unexpectedly as a twist at the end of an anecdote, which will increase the emphasis and probably make it even funnier. Perhaps the best safeguard is a trusted friend or colleague who agrees to read critically and can give you unvarnished reactions to your writing to keep you on the strai(gh)t and narrow.