You're Funny. DB Gilles

      

      “The irony of laughter is it not only heals us, it's contagious, and when something is really funny, it brings tears to our eyes. I highly recommend You're Funny for all writers who would like to add more humor, joy, happiness, and healing energy into our world.”

      – Ann Baldwin, screenwriter & author, The Power of Dreams; writer, http://ahigherfrequency.blogspot.com

      “Fast. Funny. Informative. D.B. Gilles has written a delightful book about tapping into your inner funny. Read it. You'll laugh. You'll learn.”

      – Matt Williams, co-creator/producer, Roseanne, Home Improvement

      “Reading D.B. Gilles' You're Funny! is like having a friend in the business. A really good friend! He's funny, he's honest, and he speaks the truth. He tells you things you didn't even think to ask, like why writing for TV makes you fat.”

      – Ellen Sandler, former co-executive producer, Everybody Loves Raymond; author of The TV Writer's Workbook

      “When D.B. speaks, smart people listen. He is the Sancho Panza of writing teachers, full of worldly wisdom and common sense, and funny – you won't find a funnier book on comedy writing. Plus his advice is practical and can put money in your pocket.”

      – Christopher Vogler, author of The Writers Journey

      “Gilles' straightforward how-to teaches you all the rules you need to play this crazy comedy game. A useful and enjoyable guide for any aspiring television writer.”

      – Marika Sawyer, writer, Saturday Night Live

      “D.B. is a positive force for comedy. You're Funny! is a funny, entertaining, and practical guide for anyone wanting to break into the world of comedy writing.”

      – Jeff Cox, writer, Blades of Glory

      “You're Funny! is one of the best books available on comedy writing with a 24-carat- gold payoff – specific guidance on how to turn those skills into a profitable career.”

      – Don DeMaio, American Comedy Institute

      ”You're Funny! is the first how-to handbook that ever got me laughing out loud. A longtime student of the comedy game, D.B. knows his stuff and is damned funny in passing the secrets on. A real treat.”

      – David McKenna, co-author of Memo From the Story Department

      “If there ever was a book to tap in to your inner comic demon, You're Funny is it. Even if you don't consider yourself funny, D.B. Gilles has written a terrifically entertaining read.”

      – Lamar Sanders, chair, undergraduate division Kanbar Institute of Film & Television, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University

       YOU'REFUNNY!

      Turn your

      SENSE OF HUMOR

      into a

      lucrative new career

      D.B. GILLES

      Also by D.B. Gilles

       Nonfiction

       The Screenwriter Within

       The Portable Film School

       Humor

      W. The First 100 Days: A White House Journal (With Sheldon Woodbury)

       Plays

       Sparking Object

       Cash Flow

       Men's Singles

       The Legendary Stardust Boys

       The Girl Who Loved the Beatles

       Screenplays

       Dashing Through the Snow

       The Brainiac

       Thinly Disguised

       I Remember You

      We should consider every day lost on which we

      have not danced at least once. And we should

      call every truth false which was not accompanied

      by at least one laugh.

      – Friedrich Nietzsche

      We never respect those who amuse us,

      however we may smile at their comic powers.

      – Marguerite Blessington

      To my students, friends, and colleagues

      in The Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film & Television,

      Tisch School of the Arts, New York University.

      And…

      To everyone who ever made me laugh.

      Acknowledgments

      A very special thanks to Christopher Vogler. Also to David McKenna and my agent, Michael Bourret. Major props to Denise Bongiovanni (a great stand-up) and Jack Moore (who will be a great stand-up) for their insights. Once again, thanks to the usual suspects, Don DeMaio and Sheldon Woodbury, for being great friends and sounding boards. I'd also like to thank the following comic minds who have given me tons of laughs over the years: George Carlin, Woody Allen, Howard Stern, Adam Carolla, David Letterman, Larry David, and Steve Allen. To my sister, Kathy, and as always, a big pug thanks to Jane Campbell, my toughest critic and best audience.

      Published by Michael Wiese Productions

      12400 Ventura Blvd. #1111

      Studio City, CA 91604

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      Cover Design: Johnny Ink www.johnnyink.com Book Design: Gina Mansfield Design Editor: Bob Somerville

      Printed by McNaughton & Gunn, Inc., Saline, Michigan

      Manufactured in the United States of America

      © 2011 by D.B. Gilles

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Gilles, D.B.

      You're funny! : turn your sense of humor into a lucrative new career / D.B. Gilles.

       p. cm.

      ISBN 978-1-932907-95-7

      1. Wit and humor--Authorship. 2. Comedy--Authorship. I. Title.

       PN6149.A88G55 2011

       808.7--dc22

      2011002513

      Table Of Contents

       Foreword: You Can Say Funny Stuff, But Can You Write It?

       PART 1 Two Jews Walk Into a Bar: Comedy Writing Basics

       Introduction: Somebody Laughed

       Chapter