* Instantly download, print, and share your CEU Certificate at course completion (additional shipping/handling charges apply for hard copy delivery).
UniversalClass™ offers many wonderful learning tools including an online portfolio service that manages all your course completions and CEUs.
Course Description
Humor Writing
There's no trick to being a humorist when you have the
whole government working for you.(Will Rogers)
Laughing- the salve of the soul. When we feel at our lowest sometimes the only thing that can turn our mood around and lift us up is a good hearty laugh. The comedy capers of some people can at times save our sanity. We envy those who can readily laugh and even more so those people that can make others laugh.
This course will help you join this group, by covering things such as the advantages of keeping your humor in flow, how to guarantee laughs, the power of shock value, the importance of preparation and humor as a group effort -- and that's all just for starters!
Writing- when we think back to the things that have moved us deeply, that have stirred us emotionally, many of those have been pieces of writing. It takes skill to create a piece of writing, one word after another, one sentence after another and put it together in such a way that people really want to read it.
During this course you'll not only be given advice on how to write, but what not to write, how to market your material in a way that gives you the best possible chance of establishing a continuing comedy writing career and some tips you can utilize to assist you in writing good humor.
This course is not like many others, in that it is not exercise after exercise and so-called hot tips guaranteeing to give you instant writing success, there is no such thing. What it will do for you is give you the best possible advice on how to build a solid foundation for your humor writing future, i.e. a career in writing that lasts!
Request More Information
Have a question? Contact us for more information.
Learning Outcomes
By successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
Recognize that you can learn to write humor.
Define what humor is.
Describe the skills you'll need.
Prepare for writing humor.
Determine whether or not write for fun or profit.
Demonstrate basic humor writing techniques.
Discover and establish your particular humor niche.
Maintain a comic journal.
Describe ways to market your material, and
Demonstrate mastery of lesson content at levels of 70% or higher.
Course Lessons
Lesson 1: Let It Flow!
You may already have written a funny skit or story or you may have one in mind. Just start writing!
Lesson 2: Yes - You Can Learn to Write Humor
Everybody tells jokes and,let's face it, wisecracks are common; you can find humor and funny lines just about everywhere and everyplace you go.
Lesson 3: Exactly What is Humor?
Humor, or a joke, is anything that makes people laugh.
Lesson 4: The Skills You'll Need
A sense of humor involves the capacity to appreciate incongruity, absurdity, an unexpected future, a pleasant surprise, being startled, or possibly even the recall of an issue of emotional chaos.
Lesson 5: Getting Ready to Write
Most, if not all, writers who have risen to any prominence are all people who have been avid readers.
Lesson 6: A 'Hobby' or a 'Career'?
Whether we pursue something as a hobby or as a full or part-time career can be determined either by personal choice or necessity.
Lesson 7: Getting in the Flow
Keep a list. You never know when a creative thought may arise and any points or thoughts at all should be added to your list immediately (not later, as you'll most likely forget at least part of it.)
Lesson 8: Discovering and Establishing Your Particular Market Niche
Discovering and establishing your particular market niche and writing to that audience = e.g. topical, political, slapstick, etc.
Lesson 9: The "Go's" and "Whoa's" of Shortcuts to Humor
This course will be of great assistance in preparing you for the task of not only writing humor but in deciding which particular niche within that genre you will concentrate your efforts on.
Lesson 10: The Importance of Starting and Maintaining Your Comedy Journal
If you aim to be successful at the writing of humor (whether as a hobby or on a part-time or full time basis) you will need to pay close attention to the level of your preparation.
Lesson 11: Marketing You and Your Material
When you have written and rewritten, rehearsed and re-rehearsed your material and had the experience of several performance reviews, that is when you commence to market you and your material.
Lesson 12: Your Exercise Revisited and Renewed
It is now time for you to revisit the sketch you were asked to write in Lesson 1 of this course.
To use any of these methods you must press the "Join this Course" button on this screen and go through the online registration process in order to generate the correct order form and correctly process your enrollment. All financial information is secured and encrypted using Verisign-approved SSL during transmission.
($60.00) If you're a reader and thought you might like to try your hand at short story writing but just don't know how to get started, this course will help!. more
($65.00) 'Creative Writing 101' is an attempt to capture what cannot be held in hand or thought--the elusive riddle of human creativity as we find it in our writing. more
($65.00) It doesn't matter if you're a famous politician, suburban homemaker or someone in between, the fact of the matter is that everyone has a personal story worth telling. more
Other Related Classes in Creative Writing
Writing Basics 101: Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation, Writing Structures Most of us learned spelling and grammar in elementary school and brushed up on the rules occasionally in junior high or middle school. Once we entered high school, it was assumed we knew and remembered all of the essentials -- and slowly we discovered t...
ESL Basic Grammar and Writing This ESL basic grammar and writing course will provide an introduction to the basics of American English grammar and writing. We'll be covering the following topics in detail: - review the basic English structure in the form of nouns, verbs, prepositi...
Punctuation and Grammar 101 Do you need a refresher course in basic punctuation and grammar? Is your business writing, school writing or personal writing a disaster and you're tired of stressing over mistakes? Improper grammar and punctuation is a sign for some people, right or w...
Spelling 101 Do you use your Spell Check on your computer obsessively? Are you afraid to write anything without a dictionary or computer spelling program? Are you receiving low grades on schoolwork because of poor spelling? Are your business emails filled with emba...
Novel Writing 101 From character and plot-conflict development to infusing a unique style and specialized writing techniques, the steps to writing a novel--while not utterly impossible--do require a dedicated, disciplined approach. By committing to the steps outlined ...
Writing Improvement 101 We know that effective writing will help students in their coursework but it's equally important to write well in the workplace. If a job interviewer is considering two qualified candidates, the candidate who can write well will have the edge. If you're ...
Creative Writing Workshop Do you dream of writing poetry, short stories, or novels? Have you ever watched a movie or a play and felt the desire to write a script of your own? Or have you already done some writing but want to find ways to bring more creativity, more originality, t...
Creative Writing 101 'Creative Writing 101' is an attempt to capture what cannot be held in hand or thought--the elusive riddle of human creativity as we find it in our writing. Here we look at various forms and genres (books, dramas and plays, poetry, essays, film-writing, ...
Essay Writing 101 Essays are a vital part of writing, both in academic circles and in many professions. Being able to write good essays is a rare ability and those that can demonstrate a mastery of this writing form will quickly distinguish themselves from those who write...
Poetry Writing 101 This poetry course is created for the lover of poetry who wants to learn how to appreciate the art even more. It is also for student poets who want to improve their craft. This course is thorough in teaching all students everything they need to know abo...
How to Write Short Stories for Children 101 Do you long to write but feel like you're too busy? Writing for children can be the answer. Children's stories are generally far shorter and simpler than stories for adults. You can draft an 800 word children's story during a couple of lunch hours or dur...
Journaling and Memoir Writing 101 It doesn't matter if you're a famous politician, suburban homemaker or someone in between, the fact of the matter is that everyone has a personal story worth telling. Whether you want to honor someone who's made a difference in your life, heal old wounds...
English Composition 101 Acquiring and developing the fundamentals of English composition is a vital skill that can be used in a variety of settings and situations. Being able to competently compose an essay and organize a thesis is not only useful in academic environments, but ...
How to Write a Short Story 101 If you're a reader and thought you might like to try your hand at short story writing but just don't know how to get started, this course will help! We'll take you through the entire process…preparing your mind, getting ideas on paper, and he...
Freelance Writing 101 If you have ever dreamed of being a freelance writer this course is for you. Get started today learning about this exciting field and in no time you can be on your way to earning a living, extra income, and more, by doing something that you love – ...
Basic Research Skills Basic Research Skills teaches you how to determine what you need to know when you need to know it. With all of the information readily available today, it's difficult to deciper good information from bad information. Instead of turning to an Internet se...
Screenwriting 101 This is a basic, nuts-and-bolts course, for people who wish to write screenplays, but don't know much about it. Because screenwriting is demanding both technically and in the market for jobs and sales, 'Getting Into The Screenwriting Game to Win' attempt...
Mystery Writing 101 This course is perfect for those who have an interest in either Creative Writing or the Mystery Genre . If you love to write and want to move into this popular genre, or you love to read a great mystery and have often thought you could do it, this cours...
Romance Writing 101 Writing a romance novel is the dream of many people all over the world. It's no wonder: as the most popular fiction genre in the United States for the past three decades, there are more opportunities in romantic fiction than ever before. What's uniq...
Nonfiction Writing 101 The famous Ayn Rand once wrote, Like every human activity, [writing] requires practice and knowledge. But there is nothing mystical about it. Any person who can speak English grammatically can learn to write nonfiction. This is as true today as when Ms. ...
Humor Writing 101 Humor Writing There's no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you. (Will Rogers) Laughing- the salve of the soul. When we feel at our lowest sometimes the only thing that can turn our mood around and lift ...
How to Teach Reading Fundamentals Reading is the process of absorbing the written word. Whether in English or another language, reading is an essential part of communication between human beings. Reading comprehension is the ability to process, think through and connect ideas that are ex...
Travel Writing 101 Travel writing is a fun, interesting and fulfilling career. If your goal is to become a full-time travel writer who is able to live off your income from writing alone, it is important to understand that travel writing, like any other career, requires you...
Reading Comprehension 101 Whether you are a student who is seeking to pass the reading comprehension portion of such standardized tests as the SAT, ACT, CLEP, College Placement Test, ACCUPLACER, GRE, MCAT, LSAT, or GMAT, or you need to improve your reading comprehension for work ...
Historical Fiction Writing 101 Writing historical fiction is quite simply writing a story that is set in the past. You will do research to create a correct and realistic setting, based upon facts. Historical fiction can even include real people. You are writing fiction, but it is so ...
Writing the Great American Short Story A pair of hands on the keyboard, a blank screen, and a single wish: You want to write the Great American Short Story! You've read many of them -- Poe's Black Cat, Cheever's Enormous Radio, Welty's The Worn Path -- but have you come close to writing a tal...
Writing Effective Persuasion 101 Do you hear stirring speeches that inspire to go out and take to heart what the speaker was talking about? Do you wonder how some people can sell nearly anything simply by how they talk? If you do, then chances are you are wondering about being persuasiv...
Paranormal Romance Writing 101 Paranormal romance is all the rage lately. From books to movies, sexy vampires and gothic love stories are blazing up the bestseller lists and hitting the top of the box office. Paranormal romance falls under the umbrella term 'speculative fiction' whic...