Joshua Grover-David Patterson I have a theory.
Everyone, deep down, is seriously afraid of being the stupid kid. Because everyone, at some point in their life, has found themselves in a classroom situation where the teacher is explaining something, and everyone is nodding their heads, and, oh, man, it can’t be possible that I’m the only person who doesn’t get this, right?
The day I got my first actual check for something that came out of my own head, I had three thoughts.
Man, I need to call my parents.
Here’s an entertaining way to pass the time at your next screenwriting seminar. When the lecture concludes and the presenter asks if there are any questions, raise your hand boldly into the air. When you are called on, ask the following question:
“How do I write comedy?”
The quick-witted lecturer would probably be best served by answering something along the lines of “Think of something funny. Then write it down.”
Pleas have been made to numerous writers a lot more famous and talented than myself to write an article or book stuffed with useful information about how to make comedy work on the page. People have asked what movies to watch, what scripts to read, and what books to peruse.
People ask for a lot more than they realize.