1. Comic relief relieves tension: There are times when you want tension to build. And then, there are times when you have had the tension high for quite some time, and you need to give a little relief. A bit of laughter can do a great job of doing this, and quickly.

2. Comic relief lightens the story a bit: Sometimes stories can become very heavy. Have you ever heard someone say, "I would love to read that book, but with everything going on in my life, I feel like I can't properly concentrate on it. It's too dark/deep/heavy." I know I have, because I have said it. When books become heavy, without any relief at all, there is the possibility of losing even willing readers.

3. Comic relief adds depth to the story: Now, some may disagree with this one, but I hold to it wholeheartedly. Versatility as a writer is important. The more versatile the author is, the more levels can be added to a story, which creates depth.

1. Be sure the comic relief is not overly ridiculous: While relief from the tension is nice, comedy that completely pulls away from the story can be counterproductive and confusing. (Unless you build in a ridiculous character at the beginning, of course.)

2. The key to comedy is the timing: If the timing is bad, you will release tension in a place when you still need it, or sometimes the comedy will even be missed entirely if there is too much going on around it.

3. Comedy (when not in a comedy item) should be used in moderation: Too much comedy, and it will pull away from being an Action/Adventure story, and start becoming a comedy story. You do want to avoid that, as that is something else that may confuse the reader.