Writing Humor: Creativity and the Comic Mind

Humor in Life and Letters

by Mary Ann Rishel

Learn how to expand the humor in your imagination into the most fulfilling and fun-filled genres in creative writing -- from comedy to a satirical essay to a joke monologue -- with the help of Writing Humor, the first textbook of its kind for college students. Providing both theory and praxis, this insightful and creative text-book explains how to write humor, comedy, satire, parody, nonsense, and both the literary and the joke monologue. Through its close analyses of short stories, sketches, essays, and scripts, it is a must-read for serious and not-so-serious writers of every genre. Guiding aspiring writers through the many techniques for creating humor, it illustrates and analyzes what works and what doesn't, suggests ways to energize passages that fall flat, and offers insights into brainstorming, team writing, and revision.

This book includes the history and cultural background of each major genre, followed by a rich array of writing exercises. Readers will find an inventive selection of examples to learn from, including a script from M*A*S*H and pieces by such humorists as Woody Allen, Ogden Nash, and Art Buchwald -- and by students as well.

Genres: Comedy, Nonfiction, Writing

336 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2002

Reviews

[Judi K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I skimmed this book, only reading bits that I was interested in. However, the examples of humour were American (naturally as the book is written by Americans) and I've never found American humour particularly funny. I did get some valuable points out of the book though.

[Mark Congiusta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't. Laugh. Once.

[Lee Sinclair · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very comprehensive book. Most books seem to focus on one type, such as comedy writing, but this book covers everything from limericks to satire. It also discusses what makes something funny and includes basic techniques for writing humor.

[Jyv · Rating 3 out of 5]

I skimmed this book, only reading bits that I was interested in. However, the examples of humour were American (naturally as the book is written by Americans) and I've never found American humour particularly funny. I did get some valuable points out of the book though.