Do you have to be funny to write comedy?

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  • Do you have to be funny to write comedy?

    Lately I see on writer's forums posts like 'I think I'll try a comedy next.'

    Are there a lot of unfunny comedy specs?

    On some reader blogs they say 95% of specs submitted by writers through agents are terrible.

    How does this happen?

    Thanks.

  • #2
    Re: Do you have to be funny to write comedy?

    Originally posted by mariot View Post
    Lately I see on writer's forums posts like 'I think I'll try a comedy next.'

    Are there a lot of unfunny comedy specs?

    On some reader blogs they say 95% of specs submitted by writers through agents are terrible.

    How does this happen?

    Thanks.
    You have to have a "sense" of comedy. There are exercises you can do to increase your ability to conjure comedic situations.

    Click here

    The above book will get you on the road, but you'll have to practice to develop a sense of comedy. It's like any other aspect of Screenwriting.

    And just like everyone can learn to sing, but not everyone can be Billie Holiday, you might more attuned to certain types of comedy over others.
    what the head makes cloudy the heart makes very clear

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Do you have to be funny to write comedy?

      Originally posted by mariot View Post

      Are there a lot of unfunny comedy specs?

      On some reader blogs they say 95% of specs submitted by writers through agents are terrible.

      How does this happen?

      Thanks.
      Because writing comedy is hard. Not only do you have to tell a great story, every scene you write has to advance the plot in a comedic way.

      Jeff Shurtleff
      "Some men see things the way they are and say why? I see things that never were and say, why not?"

      http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...4669871&v=info

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Do you have to be funny to write comedy?

        Originally posted by Jeff_Shurtleff View Post
        Because writing comedy is hard. Not only do you have to tell a great story, every scene you write has to advance the plot in a comedic way.

        Jeff Shurtleff
        And just because it's funny to you while you're writing, doesn't mean it will be funny to anyone (even yourself) later.
        what the head makes cloudy the heart makes very clear

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Do you have to be funny to write comedy?

          I've read it's the most competitive genre, because it's the one genre that still accepts original material. So it better be funny.

          But if it isn't, I guess you can call it a dramedy.
          Nobody's perfect.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Do you have to be funny to write comedy?

            Originally posted by Kwinnky View Post
            And just because it's funny to you while you're writing, doesn't mean it will be funny to anyone (even yourself) later.
            This is my exact problem, especially in the rewrites, when I've read the damn scene a hundred times.
            Nobody's perfect.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Do you have to be funny to write comedy?

              I am funny enough to write action movies, but not funny enough to write comedies. Comedies require that you be funny all of the time!

              Why are 95% of scripts from agents suckfests? Cronyism.

              - Bill
              Free Script Tips:
              http://www.scriptsecrets.net

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              • #8
                Re: Do you have to be funny to write comedy?

                What's interesting about Funny and Comedy Writing to me is:

                Most of the Comedy Writers I've met are not -- not -- funny in person.

                Of course, you expect some people who are funny in person can't write...
                but you'd sort of think that it would be different the other way around.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Do you have to be funny to write comedy?

                  Originally posted by JRS3 View Post
                  This is my exact problem, especially in the rewrites, when I've read the damn scene a hundred times.
                  Happened to me as well. I think it's the result of being too in your head during early drafts. Sometimes I read something I wrote and have no idea where I was going with it.
                  what the head makes cloudy the heart makes very clear

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Do you have to be funny to write comedy?

                    If you can't tell a joke, how are you going to write one?

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Do you have to be funny to write comedy?

                      Originally posted by mariot View Post
                      On some reader blogs they say 95% of specs submitted by writers through agents are terrible.
                      Take a look at this blog entry (scroll down to the bottom): http://thebitterscriptreader.blogspo...eader-and.html

                      Based on my limited (compared to BSR) experience, those numbers are pretty accurate. But it's important to remember that a professional screenwriter's mediocre script is usually at least a movie on the page, and, since a good deal of this is subjective, might appeal to any number of people for any number of reasons.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Do you have to be funny to write comedy?

                        Originally posted by Biohazard View Post
                        If you can't tell a joke, how are you going to write one?
                        Do you mean you should be able to be as funny as a stand-up comedian in real life if you want to write comedy?

                        Thanks.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Do you have to be funny to write comedy?

                          And just to answer the unasked question: yes, you have to be nude to write nude scenes.

                          - Bill (countdown to 3,500 posts!)
                          Free Script Tips:
                          http://www.scriptsecrets.net

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Do you have to be funny to write comedy?

                            Guess what I'm doing when I write masturbatory crap?

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Do you have to be funny to write comedy?

                              Thanks SuperScribe for the link to that blog. Interesting numbers.

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