The Comic Toolbox: How to Be Funny Even If You're Not Paperback
by John Vorhaus (Author)
This is a straightforward, often humorous workbook approach to comedy writing as creative problem-solving. In it, veteran Hollywood comedy writer John Vorhaus offers his tools of the trade to writers, comics, and anyone else who wants to be funny. Among these indispensable tools are Clash of Context, Tension and Release, The Law of Comic Opposites, The Wildly Inappropriate Response, and The Myth of the Last Great Idea. Readers will learn that comedy = truth and pain (the essence of the comic situation), that fear is the biggest roadblock to comedy (kill the ferocious editor within and rich, useful comic ideas will flow), and much more.
Product Details
Paperback: 191 pages
Publisher: Silman-James Pr; 1st edition (July 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1879505215
ISBN-13: 978-1879505216
Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 0.5 inches
A helpful - and ENJOYABLE - book of fiction writing advice
By Tami D. Cowden on June 14, 2000
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
No other book on writing I've read - and I've read a lot! - kept me chuckling throughout. I'd recommend this book for the laughs alone, but I can also recommend it as the fount of writing wisdom it entails.
Vorhaus not only explains the basic types of humor and the elements of a comic plot, but also lays out an excellent plotting structure useful for any type of fiction writing. Whether you merely want to add a few touches of humor to an angsty story, or you want to write the next comic blockbuster, this book will help you on your way.
P.S. Chapter 9 alone is worth the price of the book!
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