Writing humor is subjective and challenging-- thankfully, there are many ways to create it. How to Write Funny provides advice, insights and humor from more that twenty writers with a gift for making readers laugh, including: Lee K. Abbot, Gail Galloway Adams, Sherman Alexie, Melissa Blank, Dave Barry, Roy Blount, Jr., Tom Bodet, Peg Bracken, Bill Bryson, Patricia Case, Andrei Codrescu, Jennifer Crusie, John Dufresne, Denise Duhamel, David Evans, Esther M. Friesner, Robin Hemley, Joe R. Lansdale, Josip Novakovich, Michael Rosen, J. Kevin Wolfe and Lois-Ann Yamanaka.In a diverse collection of articles and interviews, both classic and new, this esteemed group provides different viewpoints on how humor works on the page, whether in short stories, memoirs, novels or articles. You'll learn the principles and basic forms of comedy, when to break the rules of reason, the importance of being yourself, why you should stop trying so hard to be funny, and how to write for specific genres and audiences. You'll also sit in on a special roundtable discussion featuring P.J. O'Rourke, Mark Leyner, Maggie Estep and James Finn Garner, as well as a one-of-a-kind "how to" workshop conducted by funny lady and best-selling author Jennifer Crusie. You've got a sense of humor. You've got the will to write. Combining the two, and getting it right, will bring a smile to your face and a chuckle to your readers. Table of ContentsIntroduction Part I: The BasicsRelaxing the Rules of ReasonThe Comic Point of View: Putting Humor in Your FictionGiving the Joke: A Roundtable Discussion With Mark Leyner, Maggie Estep, James Finn Garner and P.J. O'RourkeThe Six Basics of WritingComedy Workshop Part II: The GenresThe More and Less of Writing Humerous FictionGetting Laughs From LiteratureTake My Wizard...Please!:The Serious Business of Writing Funny Fantasy and Science FictionHappily Ever Laughter: Writing Romantic Comedy for WomenFunny BusinessPrint Humor: Columns, Articles and FillersWriting "Funny Bits" for KidsThe Comfortable Chair: Using Humor in Creative NonfictionThe Seven Laws of Comedy Writing Part III: The InterviewsLee K. Abbot Is Just Making StoriesSaying It Funny: Gail Galloway AdamsBurning With Sherman AlexieMelissa Bank and the Girl's Guide to HumorInside Dave Barry's WorldWord Nerds and Butter Churns: Roy Blount, Jr.Traveling the World of Humor With Bill BrysonTom Bodett and the Interstate 5 Cow RolloverA Dash of Levity: Peg BrackenThe Absurd World of Andrei CodrescuProvoked by the World: John DufresneA Cynical Idealist: Denise DuhamelWhistling in the Dark With Joe R. LansdaleA Balancing Act in the Spotlight: Michael J. RosenTalking Story With Lois-Ann YamanakaConclusion: The Last LaughIndex About the EditorJohn B. Kachuba is an editor, writer and journalist. He is the author of Why Is This Job Killing Me? His fiction has appeared in literary journals, and his nonfiction has appeared in Poets & Writers, Civil War Journal and other publications. He lives in Loveland, Ohio.
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