Last month, I invited you to tell me what topics you’d like me to write about. You flooded my inbox and comments section with suggestions. (I scheduled this as an “easy” post that wouldn’t require much maintenance while I was in the midst of the a big move. When I logged on that first day to […]
November 27, 2017 by 72 Comments CharactersHow to Write Funny
Part 17 of The Do’s and Don’ts of Storytelling According to Marvel If you ask me, the trifecta of must-have story elements are: relationships, action, and humor. Of the three, arguably the most difficult is learning how to write funny. You can’t fake humor. It either works or it doesn’t. This might prompt some writers to […]
May 26, 2017 by 55 Comments Theme4 Ways to Write Meaningful Comedy
Notoriously, comedy is one of the most difficult forms of writing. This isn’t because it’s so hard to write a gag or a line that’s funny. Life’s a pretty hilarious place, after all. No, it’s difficult because translating goofiness into meaning is vastly more difficult. These days, we tend to think of comedy as fluff—silly people […]
November 12, 2014 by 29 Comments Writer's HelpThe Hilarious 2-Step Plan for Writing Humor in Fiction
This week’s video talks about the successful premise of comedy in any book—and the two crucial steps to writing humor in your story. Video Transcript: Somebody once said the key to writing humor is realizing comedy is just tragedy turned on its head. In fiction, the success or failure of this technique largely comes down […]
March 22, 2013 by 13 Comments ProseHow Humor Can Make You a Better Writer
This post is by Gene Perret. Following are a few quips that have something interesting in common: You know what an agnostic is? A cowardly atheist. Income tax returns are the most imaginative fiction being written today. Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. The common factor is that they were all created by distinguished writers. The first […]
June 1, 2011 by 14 Comments Plotting Your NovelHow to Use Comedy and Tragedy for a One-Two Punch
In his “Letter to a Young, Talented Author,” dramatist William Saroyan offers this advice: Remember to be good-humored. Remember to be generous. And remember that in the midst of that which is most tragic, there is always the comic, and in the midst of that which is most evil, there is always much good. Nothing […]
