The Complete Idiot's Guide to Comedy WritingYou've always known writing comedy was about more than just being funny. But how do you create a joke and work it into a script or a stand-up routine? Comedian, writer, and teacher Jim Mendrinos has the answers. In The Complete Idiot s Guide to Comedy Writing, Mendrinos gives readers the principles he teaches in his popular courses, from understanding what funny is and how to find it, to how to actually construct comedy. Working through the basic constructions and forms including premises, points of view, and twists, he shows the variations of written, verbal, and physical comedy. With useful exercises, Mendrinos helps writers refine their writing, appeal to their audience, and even break writer's block by learning techniques for brainstorming, free association, lists, and finding infinite points of view. |
Contents
I | 1 |
III | 3 |
IV | 4 |
V | 5 |
VI | 6 |
VIII | 7 |
IX | 8 |
XI | 9 |
CCIX | 145 |
CCXI | 146 |
CCXIII | 147 |
CCXIV | 148 |
CCXVIII | 149 |
CCXXI | 151 |
CCXXIV | 152 |
CCXXVI | 155 |
XIII | 10 |
XV | 11 |
XVI | 12 |
XIX | 13 |
XXI | 15 |
XXII | 16 |
XXIII | 17 |
XXV | 18 |
XXVII | 19 |
XXX | 20 |
XXXI | 21 |
XXXIII | 22 |
XXXV | 23 |
XXXVIII | 25 |
XXXIX | 26 |
XLI | 27 |
XLII | 28 |
XLIV | 29 |
XLVII | 30 |
XLIX | 31 |
L | 33 |
LII | 34 |
LV | 35 |
LVIII | 36 |
LIX | 37 |
LXII | 38 |
LXIV | 39 |
LXVII | 40 |
LXX | 41 |
LXXI | 43 |
LXXII | 45 |
LXXIII | 47 |
LXXIV | 49 |
LXXV | 50 |
LXXVI | 51 |
LXXVIII | 52 |
LXXIX | 53 |
LXXX | 54 |
LXXXI | 55 |
LXXXII | 56 |
LXXXIII | 59 |
LXXXVI | 60 |
LXXXVIII | 61 |
LXXXIX | 62 |
XCI | 63 |
XCII | 64 |
XCIV | 65 |
XCV | 67 |
XCVI | 68 |
XCIX | 69 |
C | 70 |
CI | 71 |
CII | 72 |
CIV | 73 |
CVII | 74 |
CVIII | 75 |
CIX | 77 |
CX | 78 |
CXIII | 79 |
CXV | 80 |
CXVIII | 81 |
CXX | 82 |
CXXII | 83 |
CXXV | 84 |
CXXVIII | 85 |
CXXX | 87 |
CXXXIII | 88 |
CXXXIV | 89 |
CXXXV | 90 |
CXXXVIII | 91 |
CXXXIX | 92 |
CXLI | 93 |
CXLIII | 94 |
CXLIV | 95 |
CXLVI | 96 |
CXLIX | 97 |
CL | 98 |
CLII | 99 |
CLV | 100 |
CLVIII | 101 |
CLX | 103 |
CLXI | 105 |
CLXIII | 106 |
CLXIV | 107 |
CLXV | 109 |
CLXVIII | 110 |
CLXIX | 111 |
CLXXI | 112 |
CLXXII | 113 |
CLXXIII | 114 |
CLXXVI | 115 |
CLXXVII | 116 |
CLXXX | 119 |
CLXXXII | 120 |
CLXXXIII | 121 |
CLXXXV | 122 |
CLXXXVII | 123 |
CXC | 124 |
CXCI | 126 |
CXCIII | 129 |
CXCIV | 130 |
CXCVI | 131 |
CXCVII | 132 |
CXCVIII | 133 |
CC | 134 |
CCI | 137 |
CCII | 138 |
CCIII | 139 |
CCV | 140 |
CCVI | 141 |
CCVIII | 143 |
CCXXIX | 156 |
CCXXXI | 159 |
CCXXXIV | 160 |
CCXXXVII | 161 |
CCXXXVIII | 162 |
CCXXXIX | 163 |
CCXLI | 164 |
CCXLII | 165 |
CCXLIV | 166 |
CCXLVI | 167 |
CCXLVII | 168 |
CCXLVIII | 169 |
CCXLIX | 171 |
CCL | 172 |
CCLIII | 173 |
CCLVI | 174 |
CCLVIII | 175 |
CCLXIII | 176 |
CCLXIX | 177 |
CCLXXV | 178 |
CCLXXXI | 179 |
CCLXXXIV | 181 |
CCLXXXVI | 182 |
CCLXXXVII | 183 |
CCLXXXIX | 184 |
CCXCI | 185 |
CCXCII | 186 |
CCXCIII | 187 |
CCXCVI | 188 |
CCXCVII | 190 |
CCXCVIII | 193 |
CCC | 194 |
CCCII | 195 |
CCCIV | 197 |
CCCVI | 198 |
CCCVII | 199 |
CCCX | 201 |
CCCXII | 202 |
CCCXIV | 203 |
CCCXVI | 204 |
CCCXVII | 205 |
CCCXX | 206 |
CCCXXII | 207 |
CCCXXIV | 208 |
CCCXXVI | 211 |
CCCXXVII | 213 |
CCCXXVIII | 214 |
CCCXXIX | 215 |
CCCXXXI | 216 |
CCCXXXII | 217 |
CCCXXXIV | 218 |
CCCXXXV | 219 |
CCCXXXVI | 220 |
CCCXXXVII | 221 |
CCCXXXVIII | 222 |
CCCXL | 224 |
CCCXLII | 225 |
CCCXLIV | 226 |
CCCXLV | 227 |
CCCXLVI | 228 |
CCCXLIX | 229 |
CCCLI | 230 |
CCCLIV | 231 |
CCCLVI | 232 |
CCCLVII | 233 |
CCCLX | 234 |
CCCLXI | 235 |
CCCLXIII | 236 |
CCCLXIV | 237 |
CCCLXVII | 238 |
CCCLXXI | 239 |
CCCLXXV | 240 |
CCCLXXIX | 241 |
CCCLXXXI | 242 |
CCCLXXXIII | 243 |
CCCLXXXIV | 244 |
CCCLXXXVII | 245 |
CCCLXXXVIII | 246 |
CCCLXXXIX | 249 |
CCCXC | 250 |
CCCXCIII | 253 |
CCCXCIV | 254 |
CCCXCVII | 255 |
CCCXCVIII | 257 |
CD | 259 |
CDIII | 260 |
CDIV | 261 |
CDVI | 262 |
CDVII | 264 |
CDVIII | 266 |
CDIX | 267 |
CDXI | 268 |
CDXII | 269 |
CDXIV | 270 |
CDXV | 271 |
CDXVI | 272 |
CDXVIII | 273 |
CDXX | 274 |
CDXXII | 275 |
CDXXV | 277 |
CDXXVII | 278 |
CDXXIX | 280 |
CDXXXI | 281 |
CDXXXII | 282 |
CDXXXIV | 283 |
CDXXXVII | 285 |
CDXXXVIII | 291 |
CDXXXIX | 307 |
CDXL | 311 |
319 | |
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Common terms and phrases
attention audience better break bring build CAUTION Chapter character comedy writer comes comic create define develop dialogue don't editing elements emotions episode everything Expand experience feel film focus follow format funny Funny Files genre give humor ideas important it's jokes keep laugh Laughing Matter laughter look material mean never novel performance person Pick piece play point of view premise present produce publisher reader reason Remember rules scene script sell short sitcom sketch someone spec-script specific speech stage stand-up start started story structure style sure talking tell theater there's things topic Tricks twist understand usually visual what's write a bit written