Comedy Writing 4 Life

I love everything Vorhaus writes and this is no exception.If you're looking to write comedy, this'll help. However, if you're only buying one book by Vorhaus, the Comic Toolbox or Sitcom Mission might be better. Although this is still very good.

Is laughter better than sex? Too often....

It gave me great tools and raised my confidence about writing comedy...and I think that is just what Mr. Vorhaus intended to do. This book not only got me excited about writing, I got some good pointers on performing stand-up and it confirmed some of the techniques I have been using.

Text was OK, but it included a lot of repetition from his other books. Maybe Vorhaus has run out of new ideas.

Not worth the paper written on just not very good as a book but possibly would work as a give away leaflet for a church run by mister Vorhsus.

What is this? There must be something simpler, smarter, FUNNIER, than this!

I've been a fan of John Vorhaus' since I discovered  The Comic Toolbox: How to Be Funny Even If You're Not  in the 1990s. Vorhaus was a master at zooming in on the "working parts" of a joke/routine/sketch/scene/story/etc. and making it seem simple. Then he gave you an exercise to do to help you develop/flex that particular writing muscle.COMEDY WRITING 4 LIFE does the same thing, but it's a couple of decades later and Vorhaus has more writing tricks up his sleeve than he did back then!More than that, his experience in the field since then seems to have crystallized his understanding of comedy writing (and writing in general) to a laser-sharp focus that makes you feel like, "Oh! It's THAT easy? I can do that!"In fact, it seems like explaining the mechanics of writing comedy is almost a secondary goal; his primary reason for writing this book seem to be to get US writing OUR book/script/standup routine/etc! Where other professional writers can be vague and mysterious about their process, John Vorhaus is open and as honest as a person can be. Where writing gurus can give us great theoretical insight into why the finished story works, Vorhaus gives us fun steps to creating that story! This isn't writing theory, these are practical steps!And as with everything he writes, COMEDY WRITING 4 LIFE is just a lot of fun to read! Even if this is your first Vorhaus book, you know you can trust the process he outlines for you because he is, himself, an excellent and funny writer.I would recommend this book to anyone interested in writing, even if their genre isn't comedy. This book can help anyone generate a story idea out of thin air, then develop that idea into a skeleton, then into an outline, then into a completed draft, then rewrite that draft until is sparkles!My short list of all-time writing references: This book (first), then Vorhaus'  How to Write Good  (strong second), then McKee's STORY, then King's ON WRITING.But if you read only one book to get started writing, I would recommend this one!

I am a fan of step-by-step, nuts & bolts instruction, and that's why I enjoyed this book. It's a great breakdown for comedy writers and I recommend the book.

I'd recommend John Vorhaus' books to anyone writing comedy. I've found this one particularly helpful for jokes and sketches and a good companion to The Little Book of Sitcom.I've read other good comedy writing books with decent exercises but none that can match the practical experience and momentum that the exercises in this book offer. I can't recall another book where I've been inclined to finish all the exercises or found doing them such a pleasure.He has a way of taking the pressure off and offers the sort of solid advice you'd get from a knowledgeable friend. As books on writing have a tendency to be written by self styled 'gurus' this was refreshing.Don't take my word for it though - I came across John Vorhaus' name while reading Ken Levine's blog.

Great mini book on effective comedy wring to help one stand out!

interesting

John Vorhaus führt die Grundlagen von seinem Standardwerk weiter aus. Kurz, prägnant, verständlich. Es ist immer ein Genuss seinen Ausführungen zu folgen.