Writing comedy is serious business. It’s a journey filled with danger and fear – but following the concepts and structures in this book will make it a lot easier. Steve Kaplan explains why comedies don’t usually fit into traditional dramatic storytelling structures, and identifies new rhythms that comedy writers can follow.

Really useful, practical examples illustrate a new way of thinking about comedy structure. Not only will you learn a lot, but you’ll also laugh out loud! If you’re looking for inspiration and encouragement for your next comedy script, you’ll be reminded of great comedy scenes that will inspire you, and learn important character archetypes and structures that will help you along the way.

The characters’ journeys may be similar, but the mileage, as used car salesmen say, varies.

Features
The book is illustrated with still images from films.

In most films, the comedic hero goes through all the stages of his journey, but they are not tied to a page number or timing. These sort of crossroads can be encountered by the hero at different stages, in different orders and at different moments in the narrative.