From: Writers Digest Books Publisher: Writers Digest Books Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Writers Digest Books Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 256 Publication Date: July 15, 2001
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
Book 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
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.
Offers A Variety Of Viewpoints From Successful Writers Am really enjoying this book. Every chapter is written by or about a different author and their individual perspectives really come through. The writing and editing are top-notch, whether reading straight from the beginning or jumping around to different chapters. One of my favorites is an interview with Sherman Alexie, a Native American humorist. It's wonderful to discover that someone so uniquely funny can influence my own aspirations. Of course with all the writers come different opinions as to what's important in humor writing. (If they didn't, now that'd be funny.) For me, that means I'm getting the big picture, insightful tips, and a great read rather than the usual "There's Only One Correct Way" stuff. I have dog-eared about 1/3 of the pages and yellow highlighted (if that's a word) much of the rest. It is not a Step 1-2-3 sort of book, so if you're looking for that, save this book for later. But if you want a broad perspective from successful writers, consider this book.
Many Peoples' Takes On Humor Writing The negative review earlier about how many of the authors sound like one another is correct but misleading.
To me, though most of the commentary is similar, that's because they are shared impressions of comic writers, rather than an indication that this is a poor selection.
As proof of the variety, just think: in addition to Barry and Bryson, you also get writers of comedic fantasy, children's books, romance, a Hawaiian-Asian ethnic humorist, newspaper writers and so on. You even have the guy who wrote a "comedic" story about a man who chopped up his mother and put her in the fridge (not ever going to be on my reading list).
The biggest reason to read the book is that variety of voices, which contrasts strongly with the usual book on comic writing: I'm a comedian, here's my take. If eighteen different writers say "comic fiction writers get no respect", "teaching humor is impossible", and "family history is important to my work", I'm inclined to think they're probably truisms of the field.
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