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| THE
COMIC TOOLBOX |
| How
To Be Funny Even If You’re Not |
| John
Vorhaus, 250 pages, 6x9, 1-879505-21-5, $14.95 paper |
“Vorhaus
has successfully organized and presented the comedy writing
process—no easy feat, considering it’s
hard enough to do in your own brain, let alone on the
page.”
— Jeff Vlaming, writer, Northern Exposure
“Just what every comic writer needs: rules, tools,
and a good swift kick in the butt.”
— Peter Bergman, The Fireside Theatre
“
After reading this book, I feel like I’ve known John
for years—wait, come to think of it, I have.”
— Gary Dontzig, Executive Producer, Murphy Brown
“ Aristotelian in scope, Rabelaisian in wit, a must-read
for everyone from entertainment professional to living-room
bard.”
— Bill Bleich, screenwriter, The Stepford Children
“
I wouldn’t want to sleep with him, but I’d
certainly buy his book.”
— Norma Safford Vela, Executive Producer, Designing Women
“
I don’t think people should read this book. They’re
liable to learn all our secrets and
take my job.”
— Fred Rubin, Supervising Producer, Night Court
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Comedy is not
magic, not inspiration, not a “gift.” Mostly,
it’s simple rules and structures—the logic
of the illogical—tools that anyone can use.
The Comic Toolbox is a straightforward, often humorous,
workbook approach to comedy writing as creative problem
solving. In it, veteran Hollywood comedy writer John
Vorhaus offers his tools of the trade to writers, comics,
and anyone else who wants to be funny. Among these
indispensable tools are Clash of Context, Tension and
Release, The Law of Comic Opposites, The Wildly Inappropriate
Response, and The Myth of the Last Great Idea.
Readers will learn that comedy = truth and pain (the
essence of the comic situation), that fear is the biggest
roadblock to comedy (kill your ferocious editor within
and rich, useful comic ideas will flow), and much,
much more.
With Vorhaus’ tools in hand, anyone can be funny.
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John Vorhaus’ writing
credits include episodes of The Wonder Years, Head
of the Class, and Married…With Children. He has taught
writing at the UCLA Extension Writers Program, the American
Film Institute, and the Australian Film, Television and
Radio School. Before turning to comedy writing, Vorhaus
worked as an advertising copywriter and a folk musician.
His comic essays have appeared in the Los Angeles
Times and other publications. |
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