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How to Write Funniest: Book Three of Your Serious Step-by-Step Blueprint for Creating Incredibly, Irresistibly, Successfully Hilarious Writing
Take Your Comedy to New HeightsHarness the power of a funny group of writers like the pros do on legendary TV shows like SNL or The Simpsons, or at comedy institutions like The Onion.
Scott Dikkers will show you how it’s done. He’s co-founder and longest-serving editor-in-chief of The Onion, the world’s most popular humor publication, and founder of The Onion Training Center at the Second City in Chicago. He’s also a #1 best-selling humor author and winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor.
In How to Write Funniest, he lays out the simple steps to make your satire writing, humor writing, funny stories or stand-up material the funniest it can possibly be by leveraging the brain power of a writers’ room.
But that’s just the beginning. How do you lead a team of comedy writers, which insiders often say is like “herding cats”? How do you defeat stage fright, and what is the most powerful tool in comedy?
It's all in How to Write Funniest, the third book in the How to Write Funny series.
Writers Scott has mentored, trained, or hired for their first comedy-writing job have gone on to win several Emmy Awards, written Academy Award-winning movies, and become best-selling authors.
Chapter 1: Revolution
Make sure you’re on the winning side of the once-in-a-millennium comedy revolution
Chapter 2: Ready, Fire, Aim
Eliminate the number one obstacle to producing the funniest comedy
Chapter 3: Chimps
Circumvent your natural instincts to create your best comedy writing
Chapter 4: Myth vs. Reality
Resist chasing writers’ room myths that result in bad comedy writing
Chapter 5: Who Are These People?
Know your team and what role each member plays to draw out the best in them
Chapter 6: Taking the Reins
Know when to lead, follow, or help for the smoothest possible writer meetings
Chapter 7: Being Bossy
Lead your team by taking on the most important roll in the writers’ room
Chapter 8: Let Me Help
Take on the second-most-important role in the writers’ room to enjoy myriad benefits
Chapter 9: The Meetings
Employ the best system for running a writers’ room for smooth, efficient comedy creation
Chapter 10: A United Front
Get clarity on the goal of your writers’ room to stay focused on the top priority
Chapter 11: Thrive in Any Room
Be the best individual writer possible to make the best group possible
Chapter 12: Taking the Stage
Practice running a writers’ room to build your leadership skills
Chapter 13: Going Virtual
Turn your writers’ room into a virtual group that can meet any time, any place
Chapter 14: Another Secret Weapon
Harness the most powerful tool in comedy
Chapter 15: No More Stage Fright
Get the confidence you need to face a crowd and make them lau
Scott Dikkers will show you how it’s done. He’s co-founder and longest-serving editor-in-chief of The Onion, the world’s most popular humor publication, and founder of The Onion Training Center at the Second City in Chicago. He’s also a #1 best-selling humor author and winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor.
In How to Write Funniest, he lays out the simple steps to make your satire writing, humor writing, funny stories or stand-up material the funniest it can possibly be by leveraging the brain power of a writers’ room.
But that’s just the beginning. How do you lead a team of comedy writers, which insiders often say is like “herding cats”? How do you defeat stage fright, and what is the most powerful tool in comedy?
It's all in How to Write Funniest, the third book in the How to Write Funny series.
Writers Scott has mentored, trained, or hired for their first comedy-writing job have gone on to win several Emmy Awards, written Academy Award-winning movies, and become best-selling authors.
Chapter 1: Revolution
Make sure you’re on the winning side of the once-in-a-millennium comedy revolution
Chapter 2: Ready, Fire, Aim
Eliminate the number one obstacle to producing the funniest comedy
Chapter 3: Chimps
Circumvent your natural instincts to create your best comedy writing
Chapter 4: Myth vs. Reality
Resist chasing writers’ room myths that result in bad comedy writing
Chapter 5: Who Are These People?
Know your team and what role each member plays to draw out the best in them
Chapter 6: Taking the Reins
Know when to lead, follow, or help for the smoothest possible writer meetings
Chapter 7: Being Bossy
Lead your team by taking on the most important roll in the writers’ room
Chapter 8: Let Me Help
Take on the second-most-important role in the writers’ room to enjoy myriad benefits
Chapter 9: The Meetings
Employ the best system for running a writers’ room for smooth, efficient comedy creation
Chapter 10: A United Front
Get clarity on the goal of your writers’ room to stay focused on the top priority
Chapter 11: Thrive in Any Room
Be the best individual writer possible to make the best group possible
Chapter 12: Taking the Stage
Practice running a writers’ room to build your leadership skills
Chapter 13: Going Virtual
Turn your writers’ room into a virtual group that can meet any time, any place
Chapter 14: Another Secret Weapon
Harness the most powerful tool in comedy
Chapter 15: No More Stage Fright
Get the confidence you need to face a crowd and make them lau
132 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 23, 2020
71 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Scott Dikkers
39 books81 followersScott Dikkers is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of “How to Write Funny.” He's also the founder of TheOnion.com and The AV Club.
Scott sends out a daily tip on Substack:
https://scottdikkers.substack.com/
Be sure to follow him on BookBub for insiders deals on his books!
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/scott...
Scott sends out a daily tip on Substack:
https://scottdikkers.substack.com/
Be sure to follow him on BookBub for insiders deals on his books!
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/scott...
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 13, 2021
I wish I read this book before I created my first collaborative comedy project. Scott tells you everything you should know before you start and everything you should keep in mind as it gets going. It’s a fast read, so there is no excuse. Read this before you start!
June 13, 2021
Finished this then did my first stand up set ever. Thankful this book (and series) exists.
June 28, 2020
I found this book fascinating, and for an unexpected reason.
First, the basics: This book is the third in the series that starts with How to Write Funny (which is a how-to process for creating an individual joke) and How to Write Funnier (which is a how-to process for creating a longer piece), and you definitely need to read those two first before this one. As a hobbyist-level aspiring humor writer, I use & refer to those two books on a regular basis.. In this book, Scott explains how to take the humor to the next level, which is build a team, known in the trade as a "writer's room." This applies to any medium (sketch, web series, podcast, regularly appearing publication, etc.) that gets past a certain basic level.
In other words, if you want a career in comedy, you will almost certainly need, at some point, to be a part of (maybe lead) a writer's room. This book shows you how to do it, step-by-step - the different roles, how to run the team, what makes these teams succeed or fail.
Who "needs" this book? I would say there are two primary audiences.
The first audience is anyone who wants to take their comedy past a hobbyist level and into something semiprofessional or professional. So here you have to ask yourself a basic question about your goals. Is your goal (A) purely to have comedy as a light hobby, e.g., to write a few pieces for Slackjaw or McSweeney's, or maybe do stand-up once a month at a local club, or draw and submit the occasional cartoon on your own time, while you devote most of your professional life to something else (a day job/primary non-comedy career); (B) a more serious side gig -- income-producing or not, something with semiregular volume, operating at a level beyond that which just one person can reliably create, e.g., to be a regular contributor to a comedy web site or publication, or create a series of web videos or live performances; or (C) professional -- to earn a living in comedy, by writing for a TV show, working at The Onion, etc.? If it's B or C, you need this book.
But the second audience is a little unexpected. Even if you're in group A, and have no aspirations of moving your comedy past that first level, I think you'd benefit from it. The reason is that Scott's hard-learned lessons about how a writer's room functions, the psychological roles that people tend to fall into, how to run effective writer's room meetings, and the various interpersonal dynamics that can make a writer's room succeed or fail, are basically (and to me unexpectedly) a management psychology book on how to work in or lead an effective team in any endeavor. Forget about comedy for a moment, if your "day job" or *non-comedy* hobby or activity involves working as part of a group (or leading a group), this book has insights on group & individual psychology that you will find useful. In some ways it's a book on management and psychology of how people work in groups, but sort of in disguise as a book on comedy creation. (You could use these insights to improve a PTA meeting.) So even if your comedy goals are only in category A, if you liked Scott's first two books I would still get the third one, because (1) you will learn insights that are applicable to other aspects of your life, and (2) you never know, maybe you will move from A to B (or even C) in comedy!
First, the basics: This book is the third in the series that starts with How to Write Funny (which is a how-to process for creating an individual joke) and How to Write Funnier (which is a how-to process for creating a longer piece), and you definitely need to read those two first before this one. As a hobbyist-level aspiring humor writer, I use & refer to those two books on a regular basis.. In this book, Scott explains how to take the humor to the next level, which is build a team, known in the trade as a "writer's room." This applies to any medium (sketch, web series, podcast, regularly appearing publication, etc.) that gets past a certain basic level.
In other words, if you want a career in comedy, you will almost certainly need, at some point, to be a part of (maybe lead) a writer's room. This book shows you how to do it, step-by-step - the different roles, how to run the team, what makes these teams succeed or fail.
Who "needs" this book? I would say there are two primary audiences.
The first audience is anyone who wants to take their comedy past a hobbyist level and into something semiprofessional or professional. So here you have to ask yourself a basic question about your goals. Is your goal (A) purely to have comedy as a light hobby, e.g., to write a few pieces for Slackjaw or McSweeney's, or maybe do stand-up once a month at a local club, or draw and submit the occasional cartoon on your own time, while you devote most of your professional life to something else (a day job/primary non-comedy career); (B) a more serious side gig -- income-producing or not, something with semiregular volume, operating at a level beyond that which just one person can reliably create, e.g., to be a regular contributor to a comedy web site or publication, or create a series of web videos or live performances; or (C) professional -- to earn a living in comedy, by writing for a TV show, working at The Onion, etc.? If it's B or C, you need this book.
But the second audience is a little unexpected. Even if you're in group A, and have no aspirations of moving your comedy past that first level, I think you'd benefit from it. The reason is that Scott's hard-learned lessons about how a writer's room functions, the psychological roles that people tend to fall into, how to run effective writer's room meetings, and the various interpersonal dynamics that can make a writer's room succeed or fail, are basically (and to me unexpectedly) a management psychology book on how to work in or lead an effective team in any endeavor. Forget about comedy for a moment, if your "day job" or *non-comedy* hobby or activity involves working as part of a group (or leading a group), this book has insights on group & individual psychology that you will find useful. In some ways it's a book on management and psychology of how people work in groups, but sort of in disguise as a book on comedy creation. (You could use these insights to improve a PTA meeting.) So even if your comedy goals are only in category A, if you liked Scott's first two books I would still get the third one, because (1) you will learn insights that are applicable to other aspects of your life, and (2) you never know, maybe you will move from A to B (or even C) in comedy!
June 29, 2020
Every comedian knows that after a joke is crafted, it has to be tested in front of an audience. There's no way around it: The audience is the final, and really only, arbiter of which jokes work and which jokes don't. With enough experience, a comedian will be able to predict which jokes are likely to land, but there's never a guarantee and there are often surprises.
But what about us humor writers? How do we test our jokes? Twitter? Maybe. An open mic night following a goth poet? Please, God, no.
Enter Scott Dikkers' third book in the How to Write Funny series. The first two will walk you through the joke-crafting process; this third one will walk you through the essential step of building a test audience for your material, a writers' room.
If you want your humor writing to reach the level required to place pieces in professional outlets like The American Bystander, McSweeney's, or the New Yorker's Shouts and Murmurs, you'll first need to have people other than the editors of those publications read -- and provide feedback on -- the material.
Finding a writers' group isn't easy. Building one is even harder. This book will help you navigate the process. It's an essential step and few are better suited to explain the pitfalls than the founding editor of The Onion, Scott Dikkers.
But what about us humor writers? How do we test our jokes? Twitter? Maybe. An open mic night following a goth poet? Please, God, no.
Enter Scott Dikkers' third book in the How to Write Funny series. The first two will walk you through the joke-crafting process; this third one will walk you through the essential step of building a test audience for your material, a writers' room.
If you want your humor writing to reach the level required to place pieces in professional outlets like The American Bystander, McSweeney's, or the New Yorker's Shouts and Murmurs, you'll first need to have people other than the editors of those publications read -- and provide feedback on -- the material.
Finding a writers' group isn't easy. Building one is even harder. This book will help you navigate the process. It's an essential step and few are better suited to explain the pitfalls than the founding editor of The Onion, Scott Dikkers.
June 30, 2020
I read the first two of Scott's books: they contain the secrets - and disciplines - needed to develop more than just joke telling. Being funny, not just telling joke or writing funny material is seriously hard work but these books have action plans with writing excercises and suggestions that make it feel possible to become more than just a writer with a sense of humor.
This third book in the series, How to Write Funniest, is for people who want to write in teams, whether as a Leader or a Helper and it has the same pragmatic approach to making this a reality for you if this is what you really want to do. Like the other two books, this one has steps and action plans (a real blueprint!), but behind it is a rock solid approach to management of teams and groups worthy of any human resource advisor.
It's further along the path than I want to go with my writing, but it's surely one for those who really want to find their way as a comedy writer in a successful team. It's also got some helpful advice for working with giant egos and avoiding the pitfalls that can come with having to tell someone that their joke sux.
This book, like the two before it, is like having your own personal advisor when you're losing confidence or motivation with your writing and I'm glad I have it in my corner.
This third book in the series, How to Write Funniest, is for people who want to write in teams, whether as a Leader or a Helper and it has the same pragmatic approach to making this a reality for you if this is what you really want to do. Like the other two books, this one has steps and action plans (a real blueprint!), but behind it is a rock solid approach to management of teams and groups worthy of any human resource advisor.
It's further along the path than I want to go with my writing, but it's surely one for those who really want to find their way as a comedy writer in a successful team. It's also got some helpful advice for working with giant egos and avoiding the pitfalls that can come with having to tell someone that their joke sux.
This book, like the two before it, is like having your own personal advisor when you're losing confidence or motivation with your writing and I'm glad I have it in my corner.
June 25, 2020
Great tips for running or working in a writer's room!
There are some great ideas in this book for making the most out of your experience in a writer's room whether you are running it or not. A lot of the tips can also be applied to a critique group, especially the different types of personalities you will come across. My favourite part is the A-B-C-D-E method for diffusing self-doubt! Can't wait to try it!
There are some great ideas in this book for making the most out of your experience in a writer's room whether you are running it or not. A lot of the tips can also be applied to a critique group, especially the different types of personalities you will come across. My favourite part is the A-B-C-D-E method for diffusing self-doubt! Can't wait to try it!
June 29, 2020
More brilliant insights, this time moving away from the literal aspects of comedy (the prior two books were specifically on how to construct jokes and short form humour), and covering how to work with teams for the best outcomes, the types of personality you encounter while working on collaborative pieces and getting the confidence to do stand up, to cover a few of the more memli areas. A great read.
May 29, 2021
Teams and Leaders: For Comics
November 21, 2025
Qué bueno es Scott Dikkers. ¡Me cago en la hostia!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews