
Welcome To Write Funnier! An comedy writing course that’ll help take your skills to a new level. I’m super excited you are here.
What is the goal of Write Funnier?
The goal of Write Funnier is to help you expand your comedy writing tool belt. Only good things can come from having a funnier mindset and becoming a funnier writer.
Who Am I?
I’m Rob Cressy, the Founder of Bacon Sports, and I’ve studied comedy across the nation from some very talented teachers. This includes learning at Second City in Chicago, the same place that produced Tina Fey, Steven Colbert, and Chris Farley to name a few. While at Second City I took the Writing For The Onion classes taught by Scott Dikkers, one of the Co-Founders of the Onion, as well as Humor Writing For the Internet classes taught by David Wolinsky. I took copious notes during every class because I didn’t want to forget a single thing. I give credit to both of them for teaching me this information that I’m now sharing with you. I also recommend checking out more of Scott’s writing HERE and if you are in Chicago taking comedy writing classes at Second City.
My goal of taking classes at Second City was to acquire the comedic skills and knowledge that would help me become a better creator, marketer, and entrepreneur. That way my work & brand could stand out more, and I could make the world a better, funnier, and happier place.
You can follow me on social media: Twitter: @RobCressy and Instagram: @Rob_Cressy
Welcome to the Big Leagues
We’ll be talking about some high level comedic concepts with this online comedy writing course. One thing I hope to do is train you to think and write jokes like the best. The days of creating low grade humor are over.
It takes work to improve. This course will give you the knowledge, but that’s only half the battle. You’ve got to take this knowledge, and run with it. Make it a point to get better by writing headlines, jokes, ideas, scripts, or articles. Lots of them!
If you don’t grasp all of the concepts on the first try then I recommend going back over things.
“Repetition is the mother of learning, the father of action, which makes it the architect of accomplishment.” -Zig Ziglar
Foundation
It all starts with building a solid foundation, a comedic knowledge base that allows you to continue building and improving. It’s like building a home, you’ve got to understand the basics before you can add a sweet addition and swimming pool. To get you started, here are 21 Comedy Writing Tips that’ll be foundational to the way you think and write moving forward.
In Write Funnier one of the concepts is using funny filters to write jokes. Here is a condensed written version of all 11 Funny Filters that you can use for future reference. I like to have this open when I’m writing as it helps me write jokes easier and in different ways.
Lesson One
Title: Introduction to Write Funnier
Description: In Lesson One we set expectations and foundations for the course. Who is Rob Cressy? What is the goal of this course? We also talk about stepping up to the Big Leagues of comedy, defining your voice, and the two halves of the brain.
Lesson Time: 3 minutes
Lesson Two
Title: Comedy Writing Fundamentals
Description: In Lesson Two we talk about comedy writing fundamentals. Before you can build an awesome house of comedy you first have to know the fundamentals. These principles are the foundation that we’ll build upon.
Lesson Time: 4 minutes
Lesson Three
Title: Subtext
Description: In Lesson Three we talk about subtext. Understanding subtext is super important in taking your comedy writing to the next level. It’s the underlying theme of your joke.
Lesson Time: 3 minutes
Lesson Four
Title: Now It’s Time To Talk About Funny Filters
Description: In Lesson Four we talk about funny filters. There’s 11 of them and they can be used to create something funny. I learned about funny filters during my Writing For The Onion courses at Second City. The class was taught by Scott Dikkers, one of the Co-Founder’s of The Onion. Funny filters will make creating jokes easier and higher quality for you. Pay Attention!
Lesson Time: 2 min
Lesson Five
Title: Funny Filters: Reference, Shock, Hyperbole
Description: In Lesson Five we talk about the next three funny filters: reference, shock, and hyperbole.
Lesson Time: 4 minutes
Lesson Six
Title: Funny Filters: Parody, Wordplay, Analogy
Description: In Lesson Six we talk about the next three funny filters: parody, wordplay, analogy.
Lesson Time: 3 minutes
Lesson Seven
Title: Funny Filters: Madcap, Misplaced Focus, Metahumor
Description: In Lesson Seven we talk about the next three funny filters: madcap, misplaced focus, metahumor
Lesson Time: 3 minutes
Lesson Eight
Title: Process & Structure
Description: In Lesson Eight we talk about process and structure. Things you can put in place to make your comedy writing life easier and better.
Lesson Time: 4 minutes
Lesson Nine
Title: Comedy Writing Tips
Description: In Lesson Nine we talk about comedy writing tips. Things that’ll make you a funnier writer.
Lesson Time: 3 minutes
Lesson Ten
Title: Closing Time
Description: In Lesson Ten we wrap everything up and give some final words of wisdom.
Lesson Time: 2 minutes
NOW GO MAKE IT HAPPEN!
Action Item:
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