Table of Contents
Foreword: You Can Say Funny Stuff, But Can You Write It? xi
Part 1 Two Jews Walk Into a Bar: Comedy Writing Basics 1
Introduction: Somebody Laughed 3
Chapter 1 Laughs, Giggles, Yucks, and Appreciative Nods 7
Chapter 2 If You're out of Touch, You Won't Get in the Door 13
Chapter 3 WWLD: The Genius of Larry David 17
Part 2 Short Humor, Parody, and Satire 23
Chapter 4 Start Small With Short Humor and Blogs 25
Chapter 5 Getting in Touch With Your Inner Oscar Wilde 31
Part 3 Television: Sketch, Sitcom, and Late Night 39
Chapter 6 Writing Sketches 43
Chapter 7 Bits, Jokes, and Monologues 53
Chapter 8 The Sitcom Spec Script 57
Chapter 9 Writing Your First Spec Script 63
Chapter 10 Writing Your First Pilot 69
Chapter 11 Turning Your Pilot Idea Into a Script 77
Part 4 Stand-Up: The Unique World of Stand-Up Comics 131
Chapter 12 Going It Alone 133
Part 5 Screenwriting 149
Chapter 13 Writing Short Comedy (For Funny or Die and Other Comedy Websites) 151
Chapter 14 Writing the Full-Length Comedy Screenplay: What's the Right Genre for You? 155
Chapter 15 Always Leave Them Laughing 169
About the Author 171
