Comedy writing

It's hard to say. Often it kills it for yourself to write, rewrite and read the same page again and again. That doesn't have to mean it isn't funny for other people first time around.

You can post 10 pages in the "share your work" forum and then let us judge. The password is "vista":

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=60

as the saying goes, "It's funnier the first time".

I don't think it's a problem specific to comedy writing. you have an idea, write the draft, but after a while that spark begins to fade. akin to some marriages: the honeymoon was a blast, but eventually, the marriage becomes a routine. don't worry, you're not necessarily tired of the other person; in fact, you still enjoy being with him or her, but the early sizzle is gone.





EDIT: if you don't find your writing funny anymore, it may be because the scenes revolve around a punchline rather than character conflict. if that's the case, such a story could still be funny the first time seen, but might not stand the test of time.

try saying the lines out loud to yourself; better yet, find a few friends to act them out for you, just so you get a better feel for the scene.

Hi and welcome to AW.

Here are some links and advice that were given to me by Derek.

Some great stuff here.

Kev.

If you're writing comedy, read comedy scripts?

There's a bunch of screenplay site links in the tips thread. IMSDb.com for example lists scripts by genre: http://www.imsdb.com/genre/Comedy

And obviously watch as many films and TV shows as you can, listen to the dialogue, note what works, what sounds natural, and what doesn't work or sounds clunky. Try not to clutter scenes with too much trivial dialogue that hides the funny stuff.

Me, I'm partial to Kevin Smith, I think he writes funny characters and dialogue and his timing is excellent, I'd recommend reading his material. But everyone has their own likes and dislikes.

Bill Martell has a couple of tips on his site that might interest you:
SERIOUS COMEDY: http://www.scriptsecrets.net/tips/tip198.htm
FUNNY FOR A MINUTE: http://www.scriptsecrets.net/tips/tip201.htm
BUMPER STICKER DIALOGUE: http://www.scriptsecrets.net/tips/tip351.htm
...the latter is maybe what we should all be aiming for -- memorable dialogue.

Comedy Writing...

My two cents worth, from my blog...

http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2008/04/writing-comedy-but-is-it-funny.html

i disagree that the comedy should be expected to fade after reading it a few times. there is nothing better than something that makes you laugh each and every time you see it.

just a couple of examples why i say this:
i'll be very sad the day i cannot laugh at another seinfeld episode that i've already seen 20 times. and i can still laugh at every funny scene in tootsie.

Comedy is hard to get right. As this is your first screenplay maybe you should concentrate on the romance side first - as you get to know your characters, funny ideas may well pop up.

Good luck.

If the scene has the potential to be funny, then good actors with good direction should make it funny in performance, even if it doesn't elicit laughs on the page. But there has to be something about what shows up on the page to let the actors and director know that it's supposed to be played that way.

What kind of funny? Jokes/one-liners? Physical comedy? Unexpected character/relationship truths?

lexxi said:

If the scene has the potential to be funny, then good actors with good direction should make it funny in performance, even if it doesn't elicit laughs on the page.

Click to expand...

Actually a good comedy script should be funny on the page. It should make you laugh when reading it - not just at funny lines of dialogue, but in the descriptions as well. What is being described, and how it's described. What happens and how the writer writes what is happening. A comedy script is not just about a funny premise, or "comedy scenes."

A good comedy script has a comedic tone to the writing. Most writers can't write funny, and I don't think there's another genre that gets passed on faster than a supposed comedy that isn't funny from the get go.

I agree about a good comedy bit being funny on the page. But boy, there's no test like getting together with the actors for that first read-through. If a gag flops that test it's agonizing, but on a good day the joy of the actors finding out what they're going to be saying is a treat.

I also agree that a comedy script is comedy throughout. Comedy is like suspense ... something is not quite right, some kind of tension is building, and the jokes release the tension. Or for stand-up comedy, the comic is trying to make a point, you think you know where they're going, and the punchline is an unexpected twist. I don't think you can just put some funny lines into an ordinary situation and expect it to work.

"I don't want to live on in my work ... I want to live on in my apartment." -- Woody Allen

I've never seen a Bollywood comedy, so I can't comment on the conventions of the genre. But I do think that, in general, one of the best ways to see if your script is working is to read it out loud. (Actually, the very best way is to get a bunch of friends to do an informal "table read," especially if those friends have any acting experience.)

I don't know about everyone else, but what I do is print out a scene and let a friend or coworker read it. I don't let them know it's my writing so that they can be honest with me. he he he.