Writing Response 1

Chapter one of the Comedy Writing Secrets was a nice introductory explanation of what is going to be covered in the following chapters. Mostly the chapter talked about the importance of humour writing and stressing the point that anyone can write humour. A big rule to note is not to be inhibited when writing; you can always edit later. This chapter introduced the concept of MAP – Material, Audience and Performer, and further explained what each letter signified.

I liked this chapter because of its brevity and introduction to the workings of writing humourously. The quotes incorporated throughout provide a nice cut in the readings so the chapters don’t seem dull or heavy-handed. It was an easy read without being boring; it kept my attention.

The ‘What if?’ section seemed like a great tool to utilize when writing humourously – anything could be looked at in a different, and comical, light. Some of the examples that the chapter used were a great starting point and really helped me think differently about everyday objects.

The ‘Showtimes’ at the end of the chapter looked like they could be useful exercises to employ to become more familiar with writing comically, especially the exercise about explaining why you thought the jokes you picked were funny.

One of the questions that could generate class discussion is: Do you think it would be difficult to be fully uninhibited while writing and/or structuring your jokes?