Comedy Writing

1. Comedy Writing Kathleen Lietz Kathleen.Lietz@gmail.com

2. Comedy Writing – The Joke A priest, a rabbi and a duck walk into a bar….

3. Comedy Writing – The Mechanics • The power of Three – “The Setup” • A priest, a rabbi and a duck walk into a bar… • A priest, a rabbi, a football player and a duck walk into a bar • Brevity – Over-telling kills comedy • A priest, a rabbi and a duck walk into a bar… • A priest dressed in secular clothing and grinning in a friendly fashion, a long haired rabbi with a large backpack laden with books and a duck wearing a pinstriped tie draped loosely around his neck, walk into a bar… • Use Surprise – The reader may already be anticipating your punchline; Keep them on their toes. • A priest, a rabbi and a duck walk into a bar. It was a very diverse bar.

4. Comedy Writing – Making it work • Comedy is most powerful when it is: • Specific • Use the best method of delivery for the situation: visual, dialogue, character, location • Use specific language: Set it up and deliver your punchline • Relatable • Don’t be too obscure • Don’t alienate your readers • Don’t play to a small subset of your readers • Serves a purpose • Reveals something about the story, setting or character • Supports your plot points • Be authentic • An opposite • Comedy draws in an audience • Having comedy setup drama can be incredibly powerful Comedy is a writer’s tool – be conscious of how you use it!

5. Comedy Writing – A few Tips • Know your audience, know your genre • Read your sentences out loud • Don’t “tip” a joke • Take an improvisation class or a comedy writing class • Go out and see comedic plays • Study your favorite comedians • Use Twitter as a comedy writing exercise