The Hidden Tools of Comedy: The Serious Business of Being Funny

While other books give you tips on how to “write funny,” this book offers a paradigm shift in understanding the mechanics and art of comedy, and the proven, practical tools that help writers translate that understanding into successful, commercial scripts. The Hidden Tools of Comedy unlocks the unique secrets and techniques of writing comedy. Kaplan deconstructs sequences in popular films and TV that work and don’t work, and explains what tools were used (or should have been used).

• The Comic Toolbox: How to Be Funny Even If You're Not
• The Comedy Bible: From Stand-up to Sitcom--The Comedy Writer's Ultimate "How To" Guide
• Comedy Writing Secrets: The Best-Selling Guide to Writing Funny and Getting Paid for It
• Comedy Writing for Late-Night TV: How to Write Monologue Jokes, Desk Pieces, Sketches, Parodies, Audience Pieces, Remotes, and Other Short-Form Comedy
• Poking a Dead Frog: Conversations with Today’s Top Comedy Writers
• Do You Talk Funny?: 7 Comedy Habits to Become a Better (and Funnier) Public Speaker
• Mastering Stand-Up
• The Comic Hero's Journey: Serious Story Structure for Fabulously Funny Films
• How To Write Funny: Your Serious, Step-By-Step Blueprint For Creating Incredibly, Irresistibly, Successfully Hilarious Writing
• Funny on Purpose: The Definitive Guide to an Unpredictable Career in Comedy: Standup + Improv + Sketch + TV + Writing + Directing + YouTube