AN OLD JOKE IS A JOKE THAT DOESN'T GET A LAUGH

Be Funny Now Comedy Writing Workshop

©2001-2011 by John Cantu

The goal of these workshops is to make you aware that there are very specific techniques and principles being used by comedians, comedy writers, and humorists to create humor out of whole cloth. And that you can use the same techniques professionals use to punch up existing stories and other material in your presentations. Recorded during actual workshops conducted in San Francisco, CA 2001.

YOU WILL LEARN:

Important Principles About Creating and Delivering Humor
How not to confuse originality with humor
Association Lists: A method for creating humor (or for any writing project) when you're stuck for ideas.

As well as these techniques for constructing that idea into a joke.

Volume One:

• Humor Through Exaggeration
• Reverse Technique #1
• Reverse Technique #2
• Examples of Writing Reverses
• The Substitution Technique
• The Cliche Line Technique

Volume Two:

• Contrast Humor Technique
• Complex/Simple Contrast
• Literal Sarcasm Technique
• Understatement Technique
• The Truth Joke
• The Combo Technique

AT004JC - CD's & Workbooks $29.95 each or both for $49.95

Joke Study Series

by John Cantu & Paul Giles
©HumorMall.com

Many writers mistake inspired writing for perfect writing. (The 'If it feels right it must be right', school) - Yes, passion can tell you you are on the right track with regard to subject matter, but it is sweat and hard work to chisel just the right nuances into your meaning.

Too many comics get on stage and simply spew out ideas and premises without the thoughtful analysis of how to precisely say what they want to say.

And while speakers may know how to say precisely what they want to convey to their audience, they haven't a clue how to adapt humor to their presentations.

One of the major differences between civilians and humor pros is when civilians hear something funny their tendency is to simply think 'That is a funny joke.' But when comedy pros hear something funny their tendency is to both, think 'That is funny', and also 'Could the construction be changed to make it stronger?' i.e., funnier. Sometimes not, but the analysis is still important.

Now You can have an over the shoulder look how a professional comedy writer analyzes a joke and updates it for better clarity and bigger laughs.

Format for this digital ebook study series:

Original Joke:      The worst example of the dumbing down of our schools occurred when I asked a class of 6th graders how electric blankets are made. Half the kids said they came from sheep who were struck by lightning.

Giles' comment:     This one can benefit from a little editing. More natural phrasing, less words.

Giles' re-write:     I didn’t think our schools were bad until I asked a grade schooler how electric blankets are made. He said, “From sheep who were struck by lightning?”

• Over 250 jokes each volume
• 10% analyzed jokes each volume

Regular price $9.97 each. Get all five volumes for only $24.93. If bought individually, that would be $49.85.

Digital EBooks via download.

Cantu's Comedy Wit and Humor Wisdom

©1999-2003 by John Cantu

Cantu Humor was a series of articles John wrote during the last four years of his life where he sums up for you what he had learned and taught so well.

Valuable articles on
PERFORMANCE/ON-PLATFORM OFF-PLATFORM SKILLS: How to do it
HUMOR DEVELOPMENT TECHNIQUE: How to write it.

Below are the articles on Humor Writing Development Techniques.

• The Substitution Technique:
• Writing the reverse joke
• Humor Principles - #1
• Observation and Inspection of Wordplays
• Writing entertaining and realistic dialogue
• Complex/simple Contrast
• Anthropomorphism
• Exaggeration Technique
• The Essence of British Humor - Understatement
• Thirty Years of Comedy/humor Writing - Some lessons Learned
• The Word Play - Words That Sound Alike
• Off-The-Wall Humor
• Finding humor lessons For You in the Work of Gary Larson
• Your Humor Lessons In The Work of Monty Python's Flying Circus
• Doing Full-scale Sketches
• Some additional thoughts on sketch writing
• The Misdirection Humor Technique
• The Take-away Joke and It's Cousin the Negation Joke
• The Combo Technique
• The Truth Joke
• Formula Jokes
• The Fill-in-the-Blank Joke Technique
• "Ignoring the Obvious" Humor Technique
• The Endless Segue Story Telling Technique
• The Use of Overlays to Spice Up your Humor
• Literal Sarcasm Humor Technique
• Pattern Jokes
• The Art of Riffing
• Writer's Block? Look Around You and Create
• Increase Laughs by Using Funny Attribute for Quote Authors
• Increase Laughs by Using The Relabeling Humor Technique
• The Misunderstanding Humor Technique
• Your Material's Acceptance
• The Alphabet Humor Technique
• Increase Laughs by Using The Time Machine Humor Technique
• Don't Pre-Judge Your Initial Ideas
• Increase Laughs by Using Humor Through Contradiction
• Increase Laughs by Doing-Things-the-Hard-Way Technique
• The "Hammer & Nail" Humor Technique
• Physical Jokes - Jokes That Have a Physical Component to Them

Here's a practical example from Cantu's Comedy Wit and Humor Wisdom
Cantu's Humor ezine all together in a PDF format - 269 pages of digitally indexed articles on Performance/Platform Skills & Humor Writing Development Techniques
30 years of expertise for only $29.95

Digital EBooks via download.