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How to Write Funny [Paperback]

John Kachuba (Editor)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)


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Book Description

July 15, 2001
How to Write Funny teaches writers how to sharpen their sense of humor and incorporate humor into their work. They won't learn how to write comedy, such as sitcoms or stand-up, but rather how to add humor to any kind of writing from short stories and novels to columns and memoirs, John combines a mix of classic and original articles with ten full-length interviews with famous (and very funny!) authors, including Dave Berry, P.J. O'Roark, Jennifer Cruise, Tom Bodet, Bill Bryson, Joe R. Landsdale, Roy Blunt and others. Readers will discover the many different aspects of humor and how they can put them to use by creating humorous characters, writing humorous dialogue and recognizing the value of including humor in writing that may not otherwise be considered funny. The light, humorous tone makes this book both an effective teaching tool and an easy read.


Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog," says E. B. White. "Few people are interested and the frog dies of it." White might have reconsidered, had he had access to How to Write Funny. In the book, 28 humorists discuss the business of writing funny. David Bouchier likens humor to sex; James Finn Garner says it's "mainly channeled aggression"; and Sherman Alexie claims that "jokes are poetry." The authors here--they include Melissa Banks, Dave Barry, Roy Blount Jr., and Bill Bryson--are less likely to teach humor than to help you find your inner humorist. A very satisfying book, touching on writers that take chances, poke fun at themselves, and draw our attention to the absurdities that we all take for granted. By the way, editor John B. Kachuba wants you to read his book whether you need it or not. As he says, "I could use the money." --Jane Steinberg

About the Author

John B. Kachuba is an editor, writer and journalist whose work has appeared in literary journals, as well as Poets and Writers and the Civil War Journal. He holds and MA in Creative Writing from Antioch University and teaches creative writing at the University of Cincinnati.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Writers Digest Books; Revised edition (July 15, 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1582970548
  • ISBN-13: 978-1582970547
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 13 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #379,044 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am the author of "Ghosthunting Ohio," "Ghosthunting Illinois," and "Ghosthunters," as well as three other books unrelated to the paranormal. I am also a Certified Ghost Hunter and have investigated over 100 haunted locations throughout the U.S. and abroad.

My most recent book is "Ghosthunting Ohio: On the Road Again," from Clersiy Press. I teach Creative Writing at Ohio University and humor writing through the Gotham Writers Workshop. To learn more, and to see my author tour schedule, visit my Website at www.JohnKachuba.com

 

Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
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3 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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52 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for anyone who wants to write humor!, August 14, 2001
This review is from: How to Write Funny (Paperback)
This 228-page trade paperback offers an excellent index and is divided into three sections. Part I covers the basics of writing comedy. Part II discusses writing comedy in the context of numerous genres, including general fiction, literary fiction, science fiction, romance and various non-fiction forms such as columns, articles, fillers and books. Part III includes interviews with multiple humor greats, ranging from Dave Barry to Peg Bracken to Denise Duhamel. The writing in each of the 30 articles of this collection is wonderful. Every contributor--these are humor experts, afterall--writes in a style that is so lively, you can laugh your head off and have a ball while learning absolutely terrific inside tips on comedy.

What a coup for Writer's Digest to add this fabulous book to their lineup of writing-instruction books! It's a gold mine of information for every type of writer, fiction and nonfiction, long and short format. Whether you simply want to occasionally leaven intense drama with humor, or you plan to write all-out, belly-busting comedy, this book is for you.

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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars repetitive, October 3, 2005
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This review is from: How to Write Funny (Paperback)
Instead of "every kind of writing," the subtitle should say "fiction and personal narrative." Some of the big names have interesting things to say, but this book is mostly little-known short story writers telling you that Mark Twain is great, people in their families were great story tellers, well-developed characters in stories are important, read a lot, humor writing doesn't get the respect it deserves, and then again, Mark Twain is great. And, that you can't have great humor writing without great writing, but there's plenty of mediocre writing in this book, like too many cutesy parenthetical asides.

There are some interesting points here and there, but the price of a used copy will be more in line with the book's value.
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected, May 22, 2005
This review is from: How to Write Funny (Paperback)
I thought this book was going to offer more insight into how to write comedy, but it didn't. This book does a nice job of disecting the humor markets and experts give you tips on how to aim your writing at each market, but I found the "interviews" written by respected humor writers to be pretty boring and repetitive. They talk about how their senses of humor developed and why they write what they do, but they all basically said that humor can't be taught and it's up to each individual writer to dedicate themselves to writing, which I guess is good advice but doesn't offer any real answers.

Some of the writing in this book to me came across as arrogant, as though some of these humor writers thought their work was the funniest stuff ever and could never be topped by an aspring comedy writer. They seemed to feel bitter about something.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
"Unlike tragedy, a sense of humor is determined by myriad factors: our age, our socioeconomic backgrounds, our culture." Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
writing humor, humor writers, step sheet, topical humor, humor writing, funny writers, comic point, comedy writing, humor column, funny characters
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Dave Barry, Mark Twain, Woody Allen, Erma Bombeck, Russell Baker, Monty Python, Reader's Digest, Garrison Keillor, James Thurber, Robert Benchley, The New Yorker, Butch Cassidy, Calvin Trillin, Love Warps the Mind, National Public Radio, Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese, Art Buchwald, Bullets Over Broadway, Lake Wobegone, North Carolina, Reservation Blues, Sherman Alexie, The Monkees, Abbott Is Just Making Stories, Bill Bryson
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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