RWA Online's April Workshop: Incorporating Humor into Your Writing

[Patti Fischer 0]

***Permission to Forward is Granted and
Encouraged***

Incorporating
Humor into Your Writing with presenter Ally Broadfield

Class Dates: April 15 through May 10, 2013

Class Location: RWA® Online Chapter 136

Registration: http://www.rwaonlinechapter.org/campus.htm

About the class:

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 stories.

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.

Ally
Broadfield’s bio:

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.

Registration Period: April 1 - 15, 2013

Registration Deadline: April 15, 2013

Note: Email me at fisc40pa@aol.com for questions. Workshops
are archived for approximately two weeks after the course ends.

Fee: $15

RWA Online Chapter Members ONLY receive
free workshops. No registration required
for chapter members. If you decide to join our chapter, it costs $25 and you
must be a member of Romance Writers of America®.

For more information, please contact me
at fisc40pa@aol.com or visit our website
at http://www.rwaonlinechapter.org/index.htm

Patti Fischer

[Patti Fischer 0]

Registration is now open!

http://www.rwaonlinechapter.org/campus.htm

Reminder that RWA Online members do not need to register, only need to show up the day of the workshop here on the boards.