Our Purpose: To promote excellence in romantic fiction and advance the professional interests of career-focused romance writers within the genre of erotic romance through networking and advocacy, dissemination of information, professional education, publications, and other appropriate activities, and to provide continuing support for writers within the romance publishing industry.

Monday, August 12, 2013

September Workshop



Incorporating Humor Into Your Writing
By Ally Broadfield
September 3-27, 2013

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:
Humor is a part of our everyday lives. It can inspire hope, relieve tension, and help connect us to one another. Learning to use humor effectively will enhance your work and may even boost your creativity by challenging you to approach your craft in a new way. Even if your subject matter is serious, the subtle use of humor can help ease tension and give your readers a chance to breathe again after an intense scene. Learning to be funny is one of the most difficult writing skills to master, but as long as you possess a sense of humor, this class will teach you the skills you need to add humor to your storie
Course Syllabus:
Lesson One: What Makes You Laugh?
Lesson Two: The Building Blocks of Humor
Part I: Wordplay
        How Words Sound
        Words with a Hard “K” or Hard “C”Sound are Funny
        Pick a Word that Breaks a Pattern
                    The Rule of Three
                     Put the Funniest Word at the End
                     Use a Thesaurus
        Double Entendre
        Malapropism
Part II: More Tools
                      Simile
                      Metaphor
         Alliteration
         Onomatopoeia
          Phonetic Spelling
                      Satire
          Parody
          Surprise
          Exaggeration
          Mangled Cliché
                      What If?
Lesson Three: Adding Humor to Dialogue
Part I: Dialogue Basics
                      Construction of Paragraphs
                        Punctuation& Rhythm
                        Dialogue Tags & Positioning
                        Dialogue Tags v. Action Tags
                        Pacing
Part II: Modes of Comedic Dialogue
            Word Choice
            Misunderstanding
            Misuse
            Slang
            Specific Terminology
            Vocabulary
            Vulgarity/Profanity
                        Method of Speaking
            Dialect
            Diction
            Loudness/Softness
            Mimicry
            Speed
            Tone
Part III: Action & Narrative
            Action
            Setting
            Internal Dialogue
            Character Names
Lesson Four: Humorous Characters
          Exaggeration
          Reversal of Expectations
          Ridicule
Lesson Five: Situational Humor
         Everyday Situations
         Find the Absurd in a Serious Situation
         Lighten Up a Serious Story with Humor
         Parody
         Satire
        What You Can Learn From Sitcoms
Lesson Six: Physical Humor
Lesson Seven: Things to Avoid
Character Reactions
Telling Jokes
Physical Humor
Be Careful Who You Make Fun Of
Wordplay
Don’t Go Overboard

Lectures will include examples and topics for group discussion, and homework assignments will be used to reinforce lessons. Individual feedback will be provided on all exercises.


ABOUT THE PRESENTER:

A graduate of The George Washington University, Ally Broadfield is a former school librarian whose passion is sharing knowledge. She has participated in several RWA sponsored workshops and has studied every book about writing she’s been able to get her hands on since she decided to stop dabbling and get serious about being published. She is a News Writer for the Best Friends Animal Network and an RWA PRO. Her first manuscript she didn’t consign to the dust bunnies under her bed is currently on submission. She writes historical romance and young adult paranormal/fantasy romance, and is an active member of SCBWI and several RWA chapters, including YARWA, FF&P, HHRW and NTRWA.

WORKSHOP FEES:

$15 for Members
$20 for Non-Members


To pay via PayPal, please send payment to workshops@passionateink.org and make the subject line WORKSHOP: HUMOR. Please be sure the information field includes the name and email address you will be using for the workshop.


To pay via check, please include WORKSHOP: HUMOR in the memo area. Also, please include a note containing the name and email address you will be using for the workshop.


Mail checks to:

Robin L Rotham, Treasurer
P.O. Box 2412
Norfolk, NE 68702


***Permission to forward granted and encouraged.***