Comedy Writing Self-Taught: The Professional Skill-Building Course in Writing Stand-Up, Sketch, and Situation Comedy

by Gene Perret

Overview

In “Comedy Writing Self-Taught,” Perret (a legendary comedy writing teacher as well as a famous TV comedy writer and producer) teaches aspiring comedy writers how they can teach themselves the essential principles of comedy writing through comedy analysis and writing exercises. Covering the essential principles of writing stand-up comedy, sketch comedy, and TV situation comedy, “Comedy Writing Self-Taught” is professional level training from a master who has spent decades at the very top of the entertainment industry. Expressly designed for home self-study, “Comedy Writing Self-Taught” teaches that the most effective way to learn is to create comedy yourself. Perret teaches how to analyze the work of professional comedians to learn the principles of comedy and presents a full set of writing exercises to hone one’s skills. A companion workbook provides even more comedy writing exercises, giving readers the equivalent of a master class in comedy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781610352604
Publisher:	Quill Driver Books
Publication date:	01/15/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	186
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Gene Perret taught himself to write comedy in the early 1960s by studying the technique and the writing style of the great comedians of the day, especially Bob Hope. This led to his writing comedy material for many nightclub performers, including Phyllis Diller and Slappy White. In 1968, Gene was signed to contribute to "The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show." That led to a television career writing for "The Jim Nabors Hour," "Laugh-In," "The New Bill Cosby Show," "The Carol Burnett Show" and others. Later, he produced such hits as "Welcome Back Kotter," "Three’s Company," and "The Tim Conway Show." Gene also worked with Bob Hope on all of his personal appearances and TV specials for 38 years, the last 12 of which he served as Hope’s head-writer. Perret has won three Emmys and one Writer’s Guild Award. He is also a well respected teacher of comedy writing and is the author of over 45 books, including “The New Comedy Writing Step by Step” and “The Ten Commandments of Comedy.”

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION Ch. 1 – Comedy Can Be Taught Ch. 2 – Self-Taught Is the Best Taught Ch. 3 – Two Concepts You Can Teach Yourself Immediately Ch. 4 – Learn the Business PART ONE – JOKE WRITING A Brief Introduction into Joke Writing Ch. 5 -- Learn What Good Comedy Is Ch. 6 – Learn To Be Good By Not Being Bad Ch. 7 -- Selecting Your Mentor Ch. 8 – What and How You Should Learn from Your Mentor Ch. 9 – What Do You Write About? Ch. 10 – Preparation and Research Are Part of Learning Ch. 11– Train Yourself to Write Routines Ch. 12 – Find and Study Joke Formulas Ch. 13– Do Comedy Writing Exercises Ch. 14-- You May Want To Skip this Chapter, But Don’t PART TWO – SKETCH WRITING A Brief Introduction into Sketch Writing Ch. 15 – Your Best Mentor Is In Your Den Ch. 16 – How to Watch Sketches Ch. 17 – Sketch Endings Ch. 18 – Sketch Writing Exercises PART THREE – SITCOM WRITING A Brief Introduction to Sitcom Writing Ch. 19 – How to Watch Sitcoms Ch. 20 – Sitcom Writing Exercises Ch. 21 – Develop a Situation Comedy Story and Outline a Script Ch. 22 – Write a Situation Comedy Script Ch. 23– Errors to Avoid in Writing a Spec Script PART FOUR – GRADUATION Graduation

Interviews

Notes on the Book's Audience

Aspiring professional comedy writers: The primary audience for “Comedy Writing Self-Taught” is readers who want to write comedy professionally. Writers are proven market for books on improving writing skills and getting a competitive edge. Author Gene Perret’s previous books on comedy have won high respect as the “Bibles” of the comedy writing world, and a new book by Perret will draw strong attention from this audience.

Aspiring comedy performers: Most aspiring comedians write their own material and will be equally interested in deepening their comedy writing skills.

Editorial Reviews

Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Comedy Writing Self-Taught" should be considered a must for all aspiring comedians, as well as novice writers trying to write jokes and comedic ideas for those comedians. --Midwest Book Review

Any would-be comedy writer -- especially those just starting out in the genre -- need this and its accompanying workbook. --The Bookwatch

A must for any comedy writer who wants more of a workbook approach to learning, along with industry specifics. --California Bookwatch

From the Publisher