Product Description

Combining classic and original articles with ten full-length interviews from famous (and very funny!) authors, including Dave Barry, P.J. O'Rourke, Jennifer Crusie, Tom Bodett, Bill Bryson, Joe R. Landsdale, Roy Blount and others, How to Write Funny teaches writers how to sharpen their sense of humor in their writing. Readers will discover how to add humor to any kind of writing from short stories and novels to columns and memoirs and create humorous characters, and dialogue.

* A humor writing workshop that teaches writers how to add humor to their work without turning it into a comedy
* The light, humorous tone makes the book both an effective teaching tool and great read
* Includes insider viewpoints from famous writers

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #158145 in Books
• Published on: 2001-07-15
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Amazon.com
"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. He is the editor of R.T. Stone's The Journals and the author of Why Is This Job Killing Me? His fiction has appeared in literary journals, and his nonfiction has appeared in Poets and Writers, Civil War Journal and other publications. He lives in Loveland, Ohio.

Customer Reviews

A Very Good Book
This book is essentially a lineup of authors who have been recognized for their ability to write humor, authors who are recognized for their skill in writing and authors who agreed to fill out the rest of the book. The is book does about a good of a job dissecting humor and describing what it is as any book can. If you read the book, you will find that some of these writers do no come across as funny. When trying to describe humor it often loses its ability to make people laugh. What one person thinks is funny another person will not, so we all may have different thoughts about which writers are funny and which are not. And some of these guys just aren't funny. Don't let that keep you from reading the book. Some of these guys offer some very good insight into what makes writing funny. They talk about things like timing, delivery and the use of jokes. They talk about humor versus jokes and how characters should deliver their lines. They talk about how a person who can deliver a humorous performance may not be skillful at humorous writing. There is a lot of information to absorb in between those writers that don't know what they are talking about. I got a few laughs from the book, but mostly it is a serious book about How to Write Funny.

How to Write Funny ... it's good, and funny
The book is a collection of opinions about humorous writing by several well published humor authors. It's good reading, and darned interesting (my favorite was a transcript of a discussion of comedic writing, by 5 authors).

The funniest part of the book is the contrast. One writer will give advice saying, "I don't read other humor authors works," while another will say to read everything you can get your hands on. There's a LOT of contradicting ideas in each chapter, which actually tells you a lot.

Dave Barry, P.J. O'Rourke, Tom Bodett, & Roy Blunt, Jr? Could it NOT be funny?
Well, sadly the answer is "yes."

For a "how to" guide, there was very little "how to." For a humor book, there was very little "funny." Still, it was interesting to get a glimpse into the minds of some of my favorite humorists (especially those mentioned above in the subject).

The book is a collection of essays by various writers and humorists discussing techniques for writing humorous fiction. There are some basic principles of good writing (story & character development) and the individual essays and interviews are interesting. The only disappointment is that because they are general essays developed by various authors, there's a good deal of repetition, as well as contradiction.

I think this book would have tremendous as a "panel discussion." The humorists I named are quick on their feet, and would have played off each others' ideas to build a much more cohesive (and entertaining) book... of course, most of us would have wanted the DVD or at least the CD.

Some of the comic principles or techniques discussed in the book are: surprise, incongruity, exaggeration & understatement, word play, parody, and visuals.