Comedy Writing 101

Location: Silver Bay on Lake George

Do you think funny?  Have you ever wished that you could capture all those funny thoughts that pop into your head and get them down on paper?  Ever watch stand-up or a comedy sketch and think to yourself that you would like to be able to create that? Then Comedy Writing 101 is for you! This workshop will teach the who, what, when, where, and how of comedy writing. You'll learn the joke writing process, how to establish and maintain your comic voice, comic timing, available comedy markets, along with tips for writing sketches, parodies, humorous articles and books. With a blend of both instruction and fun, hands-on writing exercises, you will get a taste of what it's like to be on a comedy writing staff.  You'll have a lot of creative fun in the process as you move from AHA (creativity) to HAHA (humor). 

Instructor: Martha Bolton is an Emmy- and Dove-nominated writer who was a staff writer for Bob Hope for more than fifteen years. The recipient of four Angel awards for excellence in media, she writes several magazine and internet columns and has written for other entertainers such as Phyllis Diller, Ann Jillian, Wayne Newton, Jim Stafford, and John Davidson. Her 50+ published humor books (with several co-authored New York Times best-sellers), include such titles as:  Didn't My Skin Used to Fit?, Cooking with Hot Flashes, Living It Down By Laughing It Up, It’s Always Darkest Before the Fridge Door Opens, Race You to the Fountain of Youth, and Maybe Life’s Just Not That Into You. Martha is currently writing a screenplay and is co-authoring a book with The HUMOR Project's Joel Goodman and Margie Ingram.

Course Fee: $140   Members: $125   Lunch, Coffee Break, and Materials: $31