Joke Writing Book

The Serious Guide to Joke Writing by Sally Holloway is possibly the most comprehensive joke writing book ever written. Based on her popular Joke Writing course, the book tackles the art of joke writing head on. It has six different methods of writing jokes combined with theory chapters about where jokes come from, how to stay creative, pitfalls to avoid and general encouragement for the reader. A few reviews have come in already. This is what they said….

I used to tell my students I couldn’t teach them how to be funny. Now I’m able to tell them that Sally Holloway’s excellent book can.
Dave Cohen, comedian and writer (Not Going Out, Horrible Histories, Have I Got News)

This is the best book about joke writing that I have ever read (and I’ve read a lot!). The exercises that she sets out in each chapter are incredibly easy to grasp and indicate a clear method without in any way handicapping the individual performer’s creativity. Sally has written a very concise and accessible book that deserves to be on the bookshelf of every beginner comic and every seasoned professional.
Logan Murray Workshop leader and author of Be a Great Stand-up


What Sally doesn’t know about joke writing probably isn’t worth knowing.
She takes dissecting joke writing to a new level, explaining in great detail the process of writing jokes … topical or otherwise
And the best thing of all is you can dip in and out and take what you want from the book as and when you need it.
If you are serious about joke writing then you need this book. If you want to learn to write jokes there’s no better teacher than Sally Holloway.
Ken Rock, President, British Society of Comedy Writers

I am a professional humorist and storyteller. For years I have struggled with the need to continuously develop and deliver new material. I have read dozens of books on the subjects of humor and joke writing, but The Serious Guide to Joke Writing by Sally Holloway is by far the best.

Ms Holloway writes in a conversational and engaging style. Her prose is concise and boy, does she ever deliver! The chapters on Joke-Webs, the Hadron Joke Collider and the Surrealist Inquisition are gold mines. A longtime user of mind mapping, I was immediately able to put the joke web and Hadron Joke Collider ideas to use with excellent results. Not to worry though, if you are not familiar with mind mapping Ms Holloway’s clear instructions and trouble-shooting guides will have you using both techniques in no time if you are willing to put in the work. The Surrealist Inquisition is proving to be a challenging technique, but one that I will spend more time with since I can easily see its ability to help come up with wildly funny ideas.

The book flows, pulling you along and guiding you through each exercise. If you are interested in writing jokes, humorous essays, monologues, or simply adding some punch to your presentations, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
Anthony D. Vinson. Storyteller, Humourist, Writer (Review originally posted on American Amazon)

‘I know how to write a joke. But there were some definite eye-openers, like chapter 8. They called me Mr. Set Up in the past and finally I get some recognition!’
Kees Stam (Holland) TV Writer and Comedian.

I really wish I’d had this book when I was starting out as a writer.
Wayne Kline. US network TV writer (The Late show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno)

It was really well written, highly readable, and I shall certainly be re-examining what I do according to it’s principles. Well done Sally Holloway!
Dan Evans. Comedian & TV writer

SEE BELOW FOR MORE ABOUT THE BOOK OR BUY SIGNED COPY NOW AT DISCOUNT PRICE

£10 (includes postage, normal price £12).  Please add a note saying who you would like it dedicated to. You can also buy  it from Amazon.co.uk. International buyers please see end of page.

So many comedy writing courses and books are a bit vague about how you actually write jokes. This book is different. It gets down to the nuts and bolts with six different ways of writing jokes that are explained step by step. You can follow it as a course that builds week by week. Each method of joke writing includes specific exercises you can do at home, a troubleshooting guide and examples of jokes other students have written using that method. You can use jokes for writing stand-up comedy, writing sketches, monologues, cartoons, business presentation or wedding speeches. Below are the chapter headings and a brief description of what’s in each one.

  • INTRODUCTION. How this book was written and why you can be humorous and get laughs on any subject.
  • THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING FUNNY WITH YOUR MATES AND WRITING JOKES TO ORDER. How to translate being witty with your mates into doing it professionally.
  • REDEFINITIONS & PUNS (WARM UP TO WORD-PLAY). Getting started writing comedy with your first one-liners and what to do with them.
  • HOW TO USE YOUR BRAIN’S BACKGROUNDPROCESSING FUNCTION. Learn how to harness the creative power of your brain to write jokes even while you think about something else.
  • SINGLE JOKE-WEBS. A joke formula to force comedic ideas and open up subjects.
  • JOKES EXIST IN THE ETHER! Where do jokes come from?
  • DOUBLE JOKE-WEBS & THE HADRON JOKE COLLIDER. An innovative method of joke writing that shows you how to bash subjects together to create comedy gold.
  • PANIC IS THE ENEMY OF JOKE WRITING. Learn to walk with you fears. We all have them.
  • WRITING JOKES FROM NEWSPAPERS. A specific method for you to learn how to write topical jokes. It shows you the tricks of the satire industry including how some normal jokes masquerade as topical jokes and how you can use this to find comic ideas about even the dullest subject.
  • WHAT’S MOST IMPORTANT: TIME, TENACITY OR TALENT? How the interplay between the above can work in joke writing.
  • WRITING AS STREAM-OF-CONSCIOUSNESS (HOW TO USE YOUR PASSION!). Learn to harness your thoughts. A method of being witty and creating comedy routines based on what you care about.
  • NEVER BE ASHAMED OF YOUR JOKE WRITING PROCESS. Creativity is a process, learn to trust your own and other peoples’ by sharing your ideas.
  • THE SURREALIST INQUISITION (COMING AT ASUBJECT FROM WEIRD & WONDERFUL ANGLES). How to get wild and wacky in order to write surreal jokes.
  • ALWAYS LEAVE ROOM FOR THE MAGIC. How the funniest of comedy routines grow from humble beginnings.
  • HONING. How to hone your jokes, wisecracks and quips for stand-up comedy, cartoons, sitcoms, sketches and speeches.
  • IS THERE SUCH A THING AS FEAR OF THINKING? Learn to walk down unknown comedy avenues.
  • CASE STUDY. Watch as the author tries to write the funnies on a difficult subject on a deadline. Can be read as an analyses of how joke writers’ work.

    • INTERNATIONAL BUYERS CLICK HERE

    International Buyers £9 plus £3 postage.  Do add a note saying who you’d like it dedicated to. Or you can buy it from www.amazon.com (where you can get it for $18)

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