Humor is like any other type of writing: setup, payoff, setup, payoff, lather, rinse, repeat. That’s all there is to it! Okay, that’s not all there is to it. Humor is a craft that can be learned and perfected. With that in mind, let’s look at how a joke is crafted. How to Write Funny: Set […]
November 6, 2015 by 36 Comments DialogueHow to Write Funny Dialogue (What I Learned Writing Storming)
This week’s video shows you the two important (but often overlooked) ingredients in figuring out how to write funny dialogue your readers will love. Video Transcript: Today, I’m excited to welcome you to the first installment in a month-long series featuring important writing lessons that I learned in the past few years while writing my […]
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 […]
October 7, 2008 by 9 Comments Writer's Help3 Must-Have Story Elements: Humor, Action, and Relationships
Allow me to be radical for a moment, and reduce the art of fiction to three basic story elements. Take a gander at your bookshelf, maybe even pull a couple titles, and see if you can’t pick out the common threads. (Presumably, your personal library of favorites doesn’t contain any shoddy writing or weak themes, blatant […]
