Online Comedy Writing Classes

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Next exitA Career in Comedy Writing
ClassesYouValue - Online Comedy Writing Classes

• Your guideposts for understanding and
  implementing David Evanss
• The Seven Laws of Comedy Writing

Website http//www.classesyouvalue.com/Vince-Curr
en/Find-Your-Funny.html
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RULES OF THE COMEDY RODEWAY

• THIS WAY
• TO LAUGHTER
• ?

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1. Be able to throw away your best joke

• According to David Evans, sitcom writer and
  author of The Seven Laws of Comedy Writing,
  Ill come up with one joke that seems
  sensational and clearly eclipses all the other
  jokes in a script-- that doesnt exactly fit. I
  want it to fit. It would be wonderful if it fit.
  But it doesnt.

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SLOW DOWN--DANGEROUS TEMPTATION AHEAD

• Dont force humor into a script
• It may feel wasteful not to use your best
  joke, but a joke that doesnt blend with the
  characters, scene, and storyline youve developed
  becomes a detriment to your script, NOT an asset

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2. If you dont laugh, nobody else will

• Dont ignore your comedic instincts
• Write what makes YOU laugh, not what
• you will hope will make someone else
• laugh

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• Dont rely on comedy writer tricks trust your
  own sense of humor
• If youre writing comedy and youre not
  genuinely, spontaneously laughing at what youre
  writing, something is radically wrong (Evans)

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3. Character is 98 percent of comedy

• Remember that comedy is not a joke superimposed
  onto a situation it grows organically out of the
  characters.
• Therefore

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• Create characters with definitive personality
  traits and richly developed personae
• Comedy is naturally propelled forward by
  fully-realized characters simply behaving like
  themselves. With funny characters, every
  situation becomes an opportunity for
  unpredictable laughs!

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4. ...and timing is the other 98 percent

• Comedy comes to life through its delivery.
  Timing is key!
• From a beat of silence to repetition, make sure
  your script builds in timing directions for your
  cast

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Pioneers in comedic timing

• Bob Newhart (left)
• and Lucille Ball (above)

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5. The power of the step sheet

• Step sheets help keep your scenes organized and
  your timing on track
• The process is simple Write down the sequence
  of scenes youre going to have in your comedy
  script. Then write down in just a sentence or two
  what happens in each scene (Evans).

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• Steps sheets SHOULD NOT detail a scenes jokes or
  dialogue
• Your goal is to briefly summarize changes in the
  story or in the characters, so you can easily
  chart the progression of your script
• The step sheet will help you eliminate
  unnecessary scenes and/or pinpoint holes in your
  story progression

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6. Hold the jokes and make the story funny!

• Remember, comedy is more than simply a series of
  jokes
• Dont overload your script with canned humor

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• A quick test to make sure youre not relying too
  heavily on jokes
• Tell the basic story without any of the jokes.
  If the story is still funny on its own, youre on
  the right track! If not, its back to the
  drawing board!

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7. Turn off your TV--and keep it off!

• Many aspiring writers think that in order to
  write for TV, they have to mimic what is already
  successful
• Resist the urge to imitate! The problem with
  what is already on TV is just that--its been
  done before!

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• Turn off the tube and get creative! This means
  being true to your own comic vision! Whether you
  grew up on a farm in the midwest or a penthouse
  in a major city, look to the humor that exists in
  your everyday life. Afterall, the people and
  events that surround you are what molded your
  sense of humor in the first place. Keep it
  authentic by following the old adage--write what
  you know!

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Thank You

• ClassesYouValue -
• Online Comedy Writing Classes
• Website
• http//www.classesyouvalue.com/Vince-Curren/Find-Y
  our-Funny.html