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.***