Course Details

Ever read a satire on the Times op-ed page and think, "Why didn't I think of that?" (Or "Why did I think of that, but not do it?") Are The Onion and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart your chief source for news? Do you want to be David Sedaris, Fran Leibowitz, Calvin Trillin, or Cynthia Heimel when you grow up? Have the feeling that your life is funny, and not just to you? Funny we should ask! This course may be for you. Being funny, especially published funny, is not all in the delivery. It's mostly in the writing?and, when it comes to news and trends?the timing. So if you're a journalist with a nose for news and an ear for the funny ? or if your inner essayist/parodist is just looking for a way out ? you're on your way to writing and publishing humorous non-fiction. Part discussion, part workshop, part guest lecture, this course will take you from the philosophical (What is the essence of humor?) to the practical (What are the mechanics of joke structure?) to the procedural (Whom do you have to offer your firstborn to to get into "Shouts & Murmurs"?). You?ll see why good humor writing is like other good writing, only funny. You'll learn to turn facts into riffs, the personal into the universal, the tragic ? sensitively ? into the comic, the finished into the published. Skilled humorists such as Andy Borowitz and Dan Zevin and representatives of funny publications (like MAD) will visit to show you how it's done (and sold).

In this class, you can expect to learn:

• The two broad types of non-fiction humor ? personal essay and topical satire/parody ? along with their overlaps and sub-genres
• How to sharpen your Spider-sense of humor and your ability to make people both laugh and think with in-class writing exercises
• Which magazines are easiest to break into and identify which sections are most "freelancer-friendly"
• How to edit yourself
• How to manage tight deadlines
• How to negotiate your contracts
• How to make tough sales in an even tougher market
• How to work under the toughest deadlines

By the end of class, students can expect to have:
Completed versions of at least one personal essay and satire, plus ideas for (or drafts of) many more; the experience of reading your work in public; a sharper eye for ideas, ear for comedy, and feel for how to turn your funny into business.

Admission requirements:
To be considered for this class, you must submit a writing sample (up to 2,000 words; sample does not need to have been published to be considered) and a letter of interest (hint: Funny letters of interest get an edge).

Students of this class have been published in:
The New York Times, New York Daily News, Esquire, Family Circle, Marie Claire, Financial Times, New York Magazine, Modern Humorist, The New York Observer, Time Out New York, Funny Times, Heeb, AdWeek, Village Voice, Ladies' Home Journal, The Globe and Mail, ComedyCentral.com, TheDeal.com, NationalLampoon.com, GirlComic.net, LostBrain.com, and more.

Instructor Bio

Lynn Harris's Courses

Lynn Harris is a journalist, essayist, author, comedian, and commentator on matters of culture, gender, and "the deal" with Tom and Katie. She is author of the comic novel Miss Media (miss-media.net), and of its forthcoming sequel, Death By Chick Lit. She writes frequently for Salon.com, Nerve.com, and Glamour, and has contributed to The New York Times, The New York Observer, New York magazine, The Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, GQ, and Slate.com.

Lynn was co-creator of the cultishly popular advice columnist/superhero Breakup Girl (breakupgirl.net), helping men and women handle all matters of love, or lack thereof. She is author/co-author of three other books, including Breakup Girl to the Rescue!. She was co-producer of the Breakup Girl television series and co-writer and star of "Breakup Girl LIVE," Gotham Comedy Club's longest-running variety show. She has also appeared on Good Morning America, Today, ABC News, CNN, Queen Latifah, Montel Williams, and Lifetime television.

Testimonials

I really enjoyed Lynn's seminar. It was intimate and Lynn was engaging. She was very open to our questions and comments and taught from experience. She had a lot of great bits of advice as well as suggestions on how to take the next step. I really enjoyed it. -- Richard Boehmcke

"I was impressed with Lynn's seminar. I thought she gave some good advice based on her own experience that was priceless. I'm glad I took the class and based on it, I want to take more." -- Christine Aliferis

"Lynn, along with my funny and talented classmates, were really able to help me punch up the humor in all my pieces. My essay ended up in the Washington Post. Since the class, I've increased my writing credits to include a semi-regular spot in the New Jersey section of The New York Times, as well as having pieces in The Village Voice and mediabistro. I am also using the class' lessons at my "regular gig" as a writer for the blog TV Squad (www.tvsquad.com)." -- Joel Keller, mb instructor