Funny Business: Finding Humor
Grow your skills as a comedy writer
You have a funny bone, but you seem to have misplaced it in your writing. How can you create a balance with all those pesky narrative components while adding humor? This course will set you on the path to highlight moments with humor. We will utilize myriad narrative writing techniques to add action, characters, conflict, dialogue, narrative momentum, scenes, setting and structure to create work that will be shared within the safe, fun, and trusted online classroom environment.
Required Books:
Course Outline
Lesson 1: Defining Humor
- Discuss the history of comedy
- Describe subtle nuances of humor through class texts and media observations (from improv, short stories, and nonfiction)
- Class discussion on what makes something funny
- In-class writing prompts to share with classmates
Lesson 2: Identifying Comedic Moments
- Identify what you would like to write about – is it based on a character, (real or imagined) a job you had as a teenager, a relationship?
- Examine your past as your plot for inspiration
- Discussion on how to begin infusing humor into your writing
Lesson 3: Comedy Rules
- Types of comedic situations (fish out of water scenario, comedic rule of three)
- How to let your readers know your intent
- Connecting your writing with your intended audience
- Stay focused on the story you set out to tell
Lesson 4: Creating Your Comedy Toolkit
- How to identify and avoid comedy cliches
- Deciding what to add in and what to leave out
- Character archetypes
- Trying out metaphors and word choices
Lesson 5: Authentically Funny
- Crafting relatable moments
- Different types of humor (from satire to sarcasm)
- It’s all about the relationships
- Allowing humor to be a character
Lesson 6: Defining Your Comedic Voice
- Finding ways to establish your comedic voice
- Why humor can be so effective
- Discovering your sense of humor
- Tools for moving forward
Learner Outcomes
After this class, participants will be able to:
- Discuss the history of comedy
- Describe what makes something funny
- Build a comedy toolkit following established rules
- Identify humor in media
- Determine how to add humor in your narrative
- Submit several chapters or vignettes for workshop
- Apply tools for continued writing after the course conclusion
Course Schedule
| Type | Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online (Instructor-led) | Jan 27, 2025 to Mar 10, 2025 | 7:00PM - 9:00PM | Zoom |
Funny Business: Finding Humor Course Information
Contact Hours
12 hours
Course Fee(s)
Tuition non-credit - $425.00