Chance to laugh with quiet writer (6)
I believe the answer is:
happen
'chance' is the definition.
(happening is a kind of chancing)
'laugh with quiet writer' is the wordplay.
'laugh' becomes 'ha'.
'with' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'quiet' becomes 'p' (music symbol for 'piano').
'writer' becomes 'pen' (I've seen this before).
'ha'+'p'+'pen'='HAPPEN'
'to' is the link.
(Other definitions for happen that I've seen before include "Chance" , "Come to pass" , "perhaps, in northern England" , "perhaps for Yorkshire" , "Turn out" .)