Foreword

      You Can Say Funny Stuff,

      But Can You Write It?

       One doesn't have a sense of humor. It has you.

      — Larry Gelbart

      It's a good time to be funny. And it's a really good time to think about trying to make a buck using your sense of humor.

      Since this is a book about writing comedy, let's start with a joke:

      Did you hear the one about the economic downturn and how it could affect your future as a comedy writer?

      Okay. It's not a joke. I'm shooting more for paradox and irony. I mean, what better way to begin a book about comedy writing than to remind you that the economy is in a shambles. Money is tight. People are out of work. Even people with jobs are concerned about the future.

      At the end of a frustrating day or a long week, what do most people need?

      Entertainment and some laughs.

      American television viewers continue to need their daily fix of comedy. After the prime time networks and cable, late night and sketch shows, audiences turn to the one channel that's all comedy.

      Comedy Central continues to be an innovative force in comedy programming since its inception 20 years ago. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report are huge hits with ever-increasing ratings, audience pull, and political credibility. South Park is still going strong after 12 years and there are numerous comedy projects in development. Since 2006 versions of Comedy Central now appear in the European market including Italy, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Sweden, Italy, and the Netherlands, not to mention the United Kingdom and Ireland.

      Some laugh-hungry people will go to their local Cineplex and catch a flick, especially one that'll give them some yucks.

      Or, they're off to a comedy club to get a dose of live entertainment. Stand up is more popular then ever. There are over 225 comedy clubs in the United States. Some states, like Alabama, have one. Many have none. California has the most.

      Los Angeles and New York continue to be the dual epicenters of stand up comedy. With both cities having more comedy venues than any other town in the world, they are the places new comedians go to cut their teeth and get their big break.

      For audiences who like their stand up at home, there's Last Comic Standing. After taking the 2009 season off, Last Comic Standing returned in 2010 for its seventh season. Said an NBC network spokesman, “It has been a consistent success with both viewers and critics and we can't wait to bring it back.”

      It's also noteworthy that in the last several years stand up has gone global. Comics, both upcoming and established, are performing at comedy festivals throughout the world. In Scotland there's The Edinburgh Comedy Festival, which began in 2008 as an offshoot of the renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and The Glascow Comedy Festival.

      In Spain: The Barcelona International Comedy Festival. South Africa offers The Cape Town Comedy Festival.

      There's The Melbourne International Comedy Festival in Australia, and in that same corner of the planet, The New Zealand International Comedy Festival.

      In Dublin, The Bulmers International Comedy Festival reigns supreme. Hong Kong and Singapore both have International Comedy Festivals. Canada has The Global Comedy Fest in Vancouver and in Montreal, The Just For Laughs Comedy Festival, as well as The Montreal International Comedy Festival. Plus The Halifax Comedy Festival in Nova Scotia.

      Upper echelon comedians are selling out huge venues and earning multi-millions. Last year the following comics were the Top 10 earning comedians: Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Jeff Dunham, Dane Cook, George Lopex, Howie Mandel, Larry The Cable Guy, Jeff Foxworthy, Terry Fator, and Russell Peters.

      In the quest for laughs, people also have the choice of going to their computers to find entertainment and chuckles on innumerable websites ranging from short films on Funny Or Die, parody at The Onion, amazing wit at drmardy.com and funny news (and not news) from Fark.com.

      History tells us that when times are tough, people want to laugh. They need to laugh.

      That's where you come in.

      You have the ability to amuse people in your personal life. Now you're ready to see if you can get more from your sense of humor than laughs.

      Let's talk about you for a moment. Maybe you're not all that “happy” yourself. You don't like your job anymore (or maybe you never did). Despite college and a degree (or two) you now realize you went into the wrong profession. Or maybe it was right for you at one time, but not anymore.

      Even if you've made good money, you're, well, miserable. Too extreme a word? Okay. Unhappy. Dissatisfied. Bored. Frustrated. All of the above?

      Whatever